Dümmen Orange inks licensing agreement with Selecta One for breeding and marketing TMV resistant Intrinsa petunias

Ornamental plant breeder Selecta One has entered into a global licensing agreement with Dümmen Orange for the use of the disease-resistance label Intrinsa^®. Under this agreement, Selecta One will breed and market Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) resistant Petunia varieties, increasing the accessibility of Intrinsa^® TMV Petunias to growers worldwide.

Ulrich Sander, CMO and member of the Management Board of Selecta One stated, “Breeding resistant varieties is a high priority for Selecta One. With this collaboration on Intrinsa^® TMV resistance in Petunia, we strengthen our portfolio in this area. Combining efforts with Dümmen Orange on resistance breeding will support the ornamental industry in achieving its sustainability goals. Selecta and Dümmen Orange are both companies with a strong focus on protecting their intellectual property rights, and by entering into this license agreement, we emphasise the importance of respecting our mutual rights. Selecta and Dümmen Orange have already granted each other licenses for various breeding and technology rights in the past. We greatly appreciate the professional cooperation with Dümmen Orange in this matter, which has always been characterised by a high degree of mutual respect.”

Intrinsa^®: plants powered for a greener future

Intrinsa^®, developed by Dümmen Orange in their Breeding Technology Centre in the Netherlands, leverages natural genetics for traits like disease resistance, better plant performance, and improved plant resilience to develop crops for a more sustainable future.

Since 2015, the Dümmen Orange R&D team has been using discovery techniques to identify key traits that can be used for natural disease resistance. These genes are then bred into commercial varieties using predictive, non-GMO breeding methods. Thanks to the speed of technology, breeding companies that use this method can identify early on if plants contain the genetic material for natural resistance. This allows for more reliable and efficient breeding, bringing plants with unique characteristics to growers and consumers faster than ever before.

Advancing the floriculture breeding industry as a whole

In 2021, Dümmen Orange introduced Intrinsa^® for White Rust resistance in Chrysanthemum, followed by TMV resistance in Petunia in 2022. The R&D team at Dümmen Orange has identified more than 50 genes for natural resistance in its top-selling crops and is integrating them into the breeding pipeline.

Tosca Ferber, managing director of R&D at Dümmen Orange, expressed, “We are proud to enter into this strong collaboration with Selecta One on the very important aspect of breeding for resistant Petunia plants. Our collaboration highlights the need for resistant varieties to ensure sustainable ornamental production worldwide. The collaboration between Selecta One and Dümmen Orange also demonstrates the strong drive of ornamental breeding companies to advance the industry as a whole in breeding for resistance. We look forward to the beautiful TMV-resistant Petunia portfolios that both companies will develop.”