Behind the breeding of Cyclamen – A word with breeder Eric Giesen

In 2019 Syngenta acquired Varinova. Varinova’s robust Cyclamen portfolio and innovative breeding pipeline has allowed Syngenta Flowers to continue its strong presence in the Cyclamen market and supporting growers with a full range of top-tier varieties. Eric Giesen, senior breeder of Cyclamen, explains more about what fruits this acquisition is bearing.

“After Syngenta acquired Varinova we brought both breeding teams together and looked at the very large gene pool. This unique opportunity of combining the gene pools of two companies who have been breeding Cyclamen for decades opens many possibilities. All our Cyclamen are F1 hybrids, this means that almost every possible crossing can be made.

The vision, strategy and facilities of both companies were different which resulted in many new colors, plant types and characteristics. In the gene pool of Varinova there are unique Shine bicolored flowers and plants which are resilient against botrytis. The use of knowledge and technology of both companies gave a strong boost to the breeding of Cyclamen. Together with experienced breeder Mustafa Acka we developed a lot of new ideas about all possible hybrid crosses.

We expect to move quickly and bring new high performing and unique varieties to the market soon. We hope you and your customers will enjoy the innovations.

This is for the future, for now please look at our broad assortment in sizes, colors and flowering period and I trust you can find the right variety for your demands. Why not try our beautiful unique strong Goblet or the uniform and quick SeeWhy?”