(NAPSI)—According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most
Americans of all ages consume too few fruits and vegetables1,
while the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that
Americans fill half their plate with fruit and vegetables.
A focus on healthier lifestyles is having an impact, though. In 2016, for
example, U.S.
farmers sold $390 million worth of cauliflower, a significant increase from
20122 and a trend that can be attributed to the growing frequency
with which cauliflower is showing up on menus and being used as a replacement
for rice and potatoes.
Seed companies are doing their part to help increase vegetable consumption
through plant breeding practices designed to help make vegetables tastier and
more convenient to consume. Through breeding innovation, consumers enjoy
flavorful tomatoes year-round, helping round out a healthy diet in any
season. The consumption of just one medium tomato per day can help provide 40
percent of daily recommended vitamin C and 20 percent of recommended vitamin
A3.
A combination of consumer research and a deep understanding of needs from
field to fork, including those of growers, packers, shippers and retailers, helps seed companies to guide their plant breeding
programs. Taste, for example, is a complex interaction between taste, smell,
color and texture. Shelf life is another area where plant breeding can make a
significant difference, developing varieties that stay fresher, longer.
For generations, Syngenta has been innovating to
meet the needs of growers around the world.
In 2017, Syngenta celebrated 150 years in the
vegetable seeds business. Sluis and Groot, a legacy company of Syngenta,
was founded in 1867 in the Netherlands
as exporters of cabbage seeds. Today, Syngenta is
one of the world's leading vegetable seeds companies with 30 crop species and
2,500 varieties.
In the United States,
Syngenta's history in the vegetable seeds industry
is further enhanced by the strong legacy of ROGERS® brand seed.
The principles upheld by its founders years ago
continue to inspire Syngenta today—produce superior
vegetable seeds and invest in research and development to continually offer
the best in the industry.
Syngenta vegetable seeds research and
development is conducted at several sites in key production regions of the
U.S. Trialing occurs throughout the year, allowing Syngenta
to continually introduce innovative new varieties that fulfill grower needs
and meet consumer demand for high-quality, tasty, nutritious vegetables every
day of the year.
On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)