Yields of new varieties of agricultural crops continue to increase
Monday, October 28, 2013 - 05:30
in Biology & Nature
Research into varieties of winter wheat, spring barley, potatoes grown for starch and sugar beet which have been introduced in the Netherlands by plant breeding companies between 1980 and 2010 shows that new varieties continue to yield more than their predecessors. Despite recent concerns that important crops in high-yielding regions have reached their production maximum, the rise in yield potential of new cultivars does not yet level off in the Netherlands. The fact that plant breeding can still lead to increases in production has therefore been shown by this research at Wageningen University.