
Brassicas

Your partner for brassicas
Our portfolio of brassicas includes many world-leading varieties, developed for taste and appearance for the consumer and with strong disease resistance and reliability for the grower in a range of environments.
Growers prefer our seeds for brussel sprouts, okra, cabbages, and cauliflowers because the support doesn’t stop after the sale.
Whether it’s sharing insights that help you choose a new variety or providing information that will help you to optimize your agronomic practices, our knowledgeable specialists are ready to answer your questions on crop planning, price positioning, local market dynamics, export opportunities and more.
We understand the daily challenges you’re facing and, with your help, are innovating to solve them. We have a never-ending process of strategic investment to bring forward the varieties and characteristics you’ve told us you want the most.
Our investment in research and development is enhanced by our direct worldwide experience. It means we can take varieties successful in one country and breed them to perform in other environments and climates.
Everything we do is informed by a simple but enduring principle: when you succeed, we succeed - and you can count on it.
Finding ways to solve new challenges

Uniting for success
Our local experts are prepared with advice and insights from our global network of crop specialists.
Building strong relationships and listening carefully to what you’re telling us - and acting on these insights - is what gives our community of growers an edge. It’s been an important part of our culture for decades.

Breeding for disease resistance
In the early 2000s, we were one of the first vegetable seed companies to develop a trait for clubroot resistance. It was first introduced in cauliflowers and white cabbages, quickly followed by broccoli and Brussel sprouts.
But we didn’t stop our breeding efforts there.
We know the devastation of fungal diseases – and that they’re evolving. So, we’re breeding crops where several fungal disease resistances are stacked into one single variety.

Reducing the cost of labor
We know finding reliable labor can a challenge, but breeding innovations could be a solution. Our cauliflower varieties set curds more reliably and uniformly in warm conditions, like those found in Guideline and Andromeda. In addition, several of our white cabbage varieties are suitable for mechanical harvest because they bloom higher off the ground.
Destinica, our attractive ‘reliable white’ cauliflower is another breakthrough that gained rapid popularity. It alleviates the need to cover the head with leaves to prevent yellowing caused by the sun, which saves labor and reduces waste.

Growing cauliflowers in warm weather
Whether it’s too hot, too cold, too much rain or too little, big weather swings caused by climate change will continue to challenge growers. Cauliflower, for example, tends to stop forming curds in very warm weather. Despite these challenges, production must continue.
So, we developed a variety that provides reliable cauliflowers yields in a wider range of conditions, without the ups and downs exhibited by other varieties.
It’s good for retailers because they are guaranteed a steady flow of perfectly-formed vegetables, and growers can anticipate a reliable crop in uncertain times.
Developing for consumer preferences

The brassicas your customers want
From the farm to the grocery market shelf, we’re passionate about creating varieties that meet needs. This means varieties resistant to disease and easier harvestability that also have the taste, appearance and long shelf lives desired by retailers and consumers.
Brussel sprouts are gaining popularity, for example. We’re proud to be a driver in this trend by being one of the first breeders to recognize the needs of the consumer by breeding out bitterness through reducing the glucosinolate content. Other breeders followed our example.
We are also breaking ground and keeping the cauliflower crop fresh with innovations such as coloured cauliflowers for niche markets, with products available in orange, purple and green. Retailers also love the attractive, fresh white appearance of the Destinica cauliflower range because it appeals to consumers. For growers, it means selling a greater proportion of your crop and therefore reduces waste. Everyone wins.
Speeding up breeding

New varieties in less than half the time
Our new seed innovation center in Enkhuizen, Netherlands is breeding next-generation brassicas with speed and precision.
This state-of-the-art facility boasts two hectares (about five acres) of greenhouses and laboratories, and features sophisticated climate-controlled growth chambers that can reduce the breeding cycle from as much as eight years to as little as four.
Regardless of new diseases, pests, or changes in climate conditions, our breeding teams are working continuously to bring solutions to your field.
What’s more, the seeds are sent to our global network of sites for localised testing, which means you can trust Syngenta seeds to work in fields and greenhouses wherever you are.
Withstanding climate change

Breeding resilient brassicas
We can’t prevent the climate from changing but you can be more resilient to these difficult conditions with our portfolio of innovative varieties.
Whether you’re challenged by dry, hot weather or excessive humidity, there’s an excellent chance you’ll find a variety in our growing portfolio of brassicas to deliver dependable yields. And we breed with taste and appearance in mind. That’s one of the reasons why you’ll love our Agressor white cabbage.
Agressor withstands aridity and temperature extremes, can grow with low crop input, is strong against insects like thrips and stores well. This variety accounts for nearly 40% of all cabbages grown in October in Eastern Europe, a challenging season for cabbage production.
We also have a tropical cauliflower, variety CFH1522, that is well-suited to the hot, humid climate of India, and makes up the majority cauliflowers grown in South Asia during June, July and August.