Innovation at the heart of Vilmorin‑Mikado's research

With one third of its staff dedicated to research and a network of 50 experimental sites throughout the world, Vilmorin-Mikado devotes 15% of its revenue to research and development. Making use of almost three centuries of unequalled experience in creating varieties, we do our utmost to serve the interests of producers, manufacturers, marketers and consumers.

Research: a team effort

Having our sales and marketing teams close to the ground is a real advantage in preparing specifications for our researchers. We pay careful attention to market trends and our customers' needs in defining the main directions of our research. The role of our breeders is to create and test crosses of different varieties which could match the desired characteristics, such as disease resistance, yield, presentation, taste, nutritional quality and so on – but also to suggest innovations! To assist in the selection process, we apply various laboratory techniques that allow us to observe how varieties behave: pathogen resistance tests, molecular biology and cell biology. Our teams then work in the field, at different research stations, and under real conditions.

State-of-the-art technology to meet the challenges of tomorrow

Varietal selection is a process that takes an average of 5 to 15 years. The technologies that we use today at Vilmorin-Mikado allow us to reduce this time and go much further in observing and learning about different varieties. For example, molecular marking provides the opportunity to examine the plant's actual DNA. This allows us to identify certain genes more quickly. More than ever, our teams are focusing their research on disease resistance. This is the key to enabling a markedly reduced need for plant protection products at the different stages of growth. And thanks to the Limagrain group, we can integrate our research capabilities and also pool our resources.