Global horticulture and the quest for seed varieties

During the 1980s, the large consumer markets in the northern hemisphere came to expect a year-round supply of high-quality fresh vegetables. This has given farmers in many countries of the sourthern hemisphere and the tropics an opportunity to diversify into lucrative export crops. However, finding cultivars adapted to the local growing conditions is often difficult because commercial varieties usually are bred for highly specialized growing and farming conditions. As a result, local horticultural research institutes are playing a crucial role in the development of suitable genetic material.