Climate change, i.e. rising temperatures, demands that the crops that we grown become more heat tolerant. In the Netherlands and many other regions where Dutch breeding companies sell their seeds, more frequent and severe heatwaves disrupt crop fertility leading to significant losses in yield. Considering that plant breeding companies based in the Netherlands account for one-third of the world’s vegetable seed exports, meeting global food security (SDG2: Zero Hunger) is at stake unless Dutch plant breeders develop heat resilient crops. Current efforts building heat resilience in crops rely on time-consuming traditional breeding pipelines. In this project, a technology to rapidly incorporate a new heat tolerance trait into crops will be validated. If successful, the technology will contribute to food security and support the Dutch economy.
