March 26, 2026
Innovation in vegetable seeds doesn’t happen without listening to growers. Global germplasms help create excellent products and disease resistance protects crop yield. However, it is collaboration with growers that ensures new products meet needs on the local level. As the onion breeding program at Syngenta Vegetable Seeds continues to expand, growers remain the central focus.
“Grower feedback is absolutely essential,” David Whitwood, Onion Breeder at Syngenta Vegetable Seeds says. “The best opportunity for grower success is listening to the grower, pulling in their current requests and needs then putting that together in the germplasm we currently have to develop the best product.”
Varieties that Meet Grower and Consumer Demands
In the US and Mexico, most growers are looking for specific qualities that consumers prefer. For example, Miguel Guillen, product specialist for western United States at Syngenta Vegetable Seeds says single centers are preferred by most growers – both for processing and fresh market.
“The most important qualities that we breed for in onions are shape uniformity, and we’re also breeding for single centers and storability,” Guillen says. It’s a careful balance between agronomic traits and consumer traits – a line researchers at Syngenta toe well.
For example, Syngenta Vegetable Seeds onion varieties provide resistance to diseases like downy mildew, fusarium, and powdery mildew. Fusarium basal rot, for example, can damage young plants and eventually rot bulbs, including when onions are in storage. In fact, post-harvest losses from fusarium are the largest economic impact to onion production according to the University of California. Breeders look for the specific disease resistances growers need across the region.
“Growers in the U.S. demand products with a strong pink root and fusarium tolerant,” Whitwood says. “We also bring in a global approach of powdery mildew resistance and other diseases.”
Expanded Offerings Happen Through Constant Innovation
Innovations in onions is a continual process at Syngenta Vegetable Seeds.
“We are building our portfolio to expand in all colors for the short day, intermediate and long-day segments,” Guillen says.
The global-to-local approach helps ensure each variety is tailored for the regions it will be grown for strong yields, superior storability and ultimately a marketable end product. Products are tested in a variety of environments to help breeders predict, refine, and deliver the product growers need.
“What’s significant about our onion breeding program is that we are pulling in germplasm from around the world to pull together the best product for the local consumer,” Whitwood says.
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