Classic breeding is the main source for innovation and improvement of crop varieties. We do not breed plants, but we offer our services to breeders to overcome difficulties they encounter. By using several combinations of embryo-rescue techniques, we have produced over 10,000 interspecific and intergeneric hybrids of many floricultural crops for breeders.
We also implement other techniques such as chromosome doubling, mutagenesis, generation of dihaploid plants and in-vitro fertilization.
The researchers at SBW International BV are willing to listen to the problems of breeders and they are happy to provide the most efficient solutions.

Not every breeder knows that SBW International uses laboratory techniques that can for example help a stagnated crossbreeding to make progress. 

“In the past we assumed that clients were aware of what breeding techniques SBW International applied. But we can offer more than most clients know.” She points out that for “a reasonable price” – about 3000 euro – a project can be started. An inventory of the breeder’s wants and needs is carried out beforehand. Then SBW can indicate whether it can offer those techniques and how many research hours are needed and what it will cost. Nella Brak: “We definitely offer added value to the smaller breeder.”
Karen Gerding has been employed as Researcher by SBW since October 2007. Thanks to her background in traditional breeding she recognises the problems that small breeders have to deal with. “Successful breeding takes a lot of time. You can often win time in the laboratory.”

 Breeding support

If crossbreeding produces a seed, but it doesn’t fertilise, then embryo rescue techniques can be applied to remove the embryo from the seed at an early stage and to grow it out in vitro to a seedling. “It is really interesting when inter-specific cross breeding produces offspring.” With radiation it is possible to force mutations. In this way crops that are difficult or impossible to cross breed can be changed or improved. According to her “what makes this so exciting is the results gained on for example the colour of the flower or the plant form”. Another method is chromosome doubling using a chemical substance. The plant becomes rougher in many cases, for example, with a larger flower. By doubling the genome a sterile triploid plant can transform into a fertile hexaploid. This can help the breeder in his search for new breeds. An advantage of tissue culture is that the plantlets are finer. Then the results by radiation or treatment with chemicals is better than when applied to plantlets from the greenhouse or field. It has been proven that radiation via tissue culture creates stable ‘mutants’. It is an advantage that tests can be carried out all year round; it is easier to control.Karen Gerding’s breeding expertise brings new techniques to light. “A brainstorm session with a breeder can lead to spectacular ideas being formed!”

Breeder Kolster puts hope into ‘unfamiliar’ lab technique

In the greenhouse Peter Kolster discovered a partial mutant in a Hydrangea, whereby the flower deviated slightly. Given the discolouring, the mutation also appeared to be present in parts of some of the leaves too. The discovery was interesting enough for him to call in SBW for help to regenerate the mutant leave tissue. It could be a great sales boost.

The cut plant propagation and breeding company Kolster from Boskoop has had a few projects with SBW International in the last couple of years where until then unusual laboratory techniques ought to bring about the results that are not possible with traditional breeding methods. Not only does this apply to Hydrangea but also to Cornus and Nandina.
Why approach the lab? “It is a new dimension alongside classical cutting methods,” says owner Peter Kolster. “In the past we were hesitant about using these techniques for propagation, because the properties of woody crops could not always be kept uniform.”
Plant breeder Arie Blom points to the mutated Hydrangea. “If a part of a plant is more attractive than the original cultivar, you will use all the methods at your disposal to reproduce the mutant as a pure plant, so for breeding some techniques are especially valuable.”

Embryo rescue
A first project was embryo rescue in Hydrangea. “We wanted to save the seed from a particular cross that didn’t succeed naturally. That had never been done with Hydrangea. After a lot of reading research, SBW tried protocols that show promising results.” Arie Blom hopes to have the first material this spring.
“If it succeeds, then I am a happy man! And I have a couple more ideas,” Kolster concludes cryptically.