For over 75 years, MAS Seeds® has been collaborating with farmers to develop high-yield, durable hybrids that respond to changing weather patterns and farmers’ needs. Each seed variety has a decade of research, development and innovation behind it. As a result, our track record has made us a trusted, sustainable partner for farmers across 50 countries. We create hybrids that deliver high and secure top yields and help farmers adapt to a changing climate through the development of disease-tolerant, drought-proof, high-nutrient hybrids.
Three main research programmes
MAIZE
Very early to late leafy & digestible silage
Very early to late grain
Tropical maize
SUNFLOWERS
Very early to late sunflowers
Tolerance to herbicides
Linoleic & high-oleic varieties
Broomrape, mildew and black rust tolerance
AGRO-ECOLOGY and crops for diversification
Product development for cover crops, forage mixtures, soybeans, lucerne, winter oilseed rape and sorghum
Agroecology solutions, such as mix cropping, relay cropping and intercropping
Breeding for agricultural sustainability
Providing an innovative and sustainable seed portfolio is one of our major goals at MAS Seeds®, so that we can positively impact agriculture and provide sustainable solutions for the world of today and tomorrow. New constraints are making farmers’ work more complex. Researchers have been anticipating these changes for many years, and are continuously trying to improve the seeds we offer. To this end, creating sustainable hybrids is at the top of our priorities:
Enhanced genetic tolerance against water scarcity
Genetic tolerance against increasing pressure from diseases
Securing feed efficiency in changing climate
Yield stability and adaptation to climate change and regional conditions
Click to view hybrid breeding process
Modern breeding methods to increase genetic gains and resilience to climate change
By carefully selecting and combining traits through crossbreeding and marker-assisted genomic selection, using environmental typing and data-driven research, we aim to create improved hybrids that contribute to sustainable agriculture and effectively address the evolving challenges faced by farmers.
Genomic analysis of extracted plant material
MARKER-ASSISTED GENOMIC SELECTION
With the help of molecular genetic markers, we select only plants with the desired characteristics for our breeding programmes. This helps us to increase genetic gains of complex traits per unit time and cost. We use genomic data to estimate the genetic potential of lines or hybrids. This information helps identify genetic material more accurately and at an earlier stage of development, making our breeding process quicker, more precise and more efficient.
DATA-DRIVEN RESEARCH
We apply high-end genotyping methods to all our crops to develop the best varieties for you. We develop predictive breeding technologies in partnership with NSIP, in order to bring genetic innovation to the global market faster and more precisely, by leveraging advanced technologies and data analysis to forecast the performance of potential crosses before we even test them in the field. In this way, we can test combinations that are more likely to produce superior hybrids, thus increasing breeding efficiency and speed.
ENVIRONMENTAL TYPING
We include a comprehensive assessment of agro-climatic scenarios and models when making breeding decisions and hybrid positioning as part of our variety development. This method allows us to identify the growing environment, including factors like soil type, temperature, moisture and other variables, to ascertain how these conditions influence the performance of a variety. By systematically analysing the interactions between the genotype and the environment, we can create resilient and adaptable varieties, contributing to sustainable agriculture in diverse and variable environments
Sunflower cross-fertilisation in the greenhouse
CROSSBREEDING
Crossbreeding or cross-fertilisation using pollen is the world’s oldest breeding method, dating back to Mesopotamia, the beginning of modern agriculture. It involves the intentional blending of genetic material from two distinct parent plants to create offspring with desired traits. This long process allows us to enhance specific characteristics, such as increased yield, resistance to pests or adaptability to diverse environments.
Sunflower parental line backcrossing
PARENTAL LINE CREATION
Parental line creation is the systematic development of stable and genetically uniform lines through successive generations. Breeders carefully self-pollinate (fertilise plants with their own pollen and isolate them) lines with desired traits to maintain genetic uniformity. Repeated cycles of self-pollination and selection can span five to ten years. The resulting parental lines serve as the basis for hybrid creation, in order to ultimately create improved plant varieties with consistent and desirable features.
Maize with controlled cross-fertilisation
HYBRID CREATION
In hybrid breeding, two genetically distinct parent lines are cross-pollinated to capitalise on the heterosis effect, where the hybrid exhibits superior traits compared to its parents. Breeders carefully select parent lines with complementary characteristics, preventing self-pollination to ensure controlled fertilisation. The resulting hybrids demonstrate increased vigour, yields or resilience, making hybrid breeding a crucial method for developing plant varieties with enhanced performance and productivity.
Key genetic innovationsto face environmental challenges
WATERLOCK
Grain maize hybrid
WATERLOCK labelled grain maize hybrids offer a superior ability to thrive under drought conditions.
GREEN+
Silage maize hybrid
GREEN+ silage maize varieties secure the quality of silage with respect to climate change, thanks to their genetic ability to delay the evolution of dry matter in leaves and stems and thus extend photosynthesis.
HELIOSMART varieties have the highest genetic tolerance to three main diseases that affect sunflowers (mildew, sclerotinia and verticillium) and thus secure the yield.
SAFETY+
Oilseed rape hybrid
SAFETY+ winter oilseed rape hybrids safeguard yields in cold climates thanks to their increased resilience early in their life cycle and strong development before winter.
MAS Seeds® has ten R&D stationsacross Europe, West Africa and Central America, allowing us to test and select genetic material and their offspring that are adapted to a wide range of geographical conditions. Our research stations specialise in one or more crops, depending on their location. Winter generation is managed by our Mexican site.
HAUT-MAUCO, France Maize hub 53 researchers
Laboratory & greenhouses
Trials
R&D for maize seeds: production and preparation
Managing maize parental lines
RHODON, France Multi-crop hub 15 researchers
Phenotyping for intensive and agroecological markets.
Managing sunflower parental lines
HERRIEDEN, Germany Silage maize station 9 researchers
Phenotyping of silage maize
Maize trials for Europe
BELCIUGATELE, France Sunflower hub 15 researchers
R&D: seed production and preparation.
Sunflower trials for Europe
BORISPOL, Ukraine Multi-crop station 8 researchers
Maize and sunflower characterisation for extensive market
KRASNODAR, Russia Multi-crop station 4 researchers
Pre-commercial phenotyping station.
KALISZ, Poland Maize station 3 researchers
Phenotyping of grain and silage maize
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico Winter generation hub 7 researchers
Winter generation production of R&D maize and sunflower seeds®
QUERETARO, Mexico Tropical maize station 5 researchers
Main station for tropical maize research and development.
Support for winter generation activities
AHOUATI, Ivory Coast Tropical maize station 2 researchers
Pre-commercial phenotyping station for tropical maize
R&D key figures
10
R&D stations
in France, Germany, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Mexico and Ivory Coast. 1 bimolecular lab in Haut-Mauco, France. 3 winter generation sites in Mexico, Chile and Argentina