Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Produces Hybrid Sugar Beet Seeds

“The main mission of our company is to produce hybrid sugar beet seeds,” Majid Valadan, the managing director of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.

“At present, we produce and market 10 varieties of hybrid sugar beet seeds, and in our first mission we have achieved great success in this way,” he added.

Noting that Iran is now self-sufficient in this regard and also enjoys the capability to export, Valadan said, “Production of hybrid vegetable and summer seeds has been the second mission of our knowledge-based company, which produces 9 products and 37 varieties of seeds, including tomato and cucumber seeds.”

“We also produce seeds of pumpkin, eggplant, melon and other vegetable and summer items,” he added.

In a relevant development in November, the head of the House of Innovation of Agricultural and Organic Products of Islamic Azad University’s Karaj branch announced production of hybrid seed in glass greenhouses.

Seyed Majid Toliat Abolhassani described achievement of sustainable and knowledge-based agriculture as one of the missions of the Innovation House, and told ANA, “One of our important plans is building a glass greenhouse on 5 hectares of land for the production of hybrid seeds.”

“Measures have been adopted to establish an acceleration center with cooperation of a partner, and plant medicine clinics for the detailed examination of disease and pest symptoms, and receive scientific and practical plans by specialists,” he added.

In agriculture and gardening, hybrid seed is produced by deliberately cross-pollinating parent plants which are genetically distinct. The parents are usually two inbred strains.

Hybrid seed is common in industrial agriculture and home gardening. It is one of the main contributors to the dramatic rise in agricultural output during the last half of the 20th century. Alternatives to hybridization include open pollination and clonal propagation.

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