Seeds and Seedlings
Israely Economy

Israel is involved in the development, production and marketing of new varieties, which are resistant to disease and able to meet farmers' requirements, including long shelf-life, durability under storage, high yield and adaptation to a variety of climatic conditions. Israel is considered to be one of the leading countries in seed research. Each year, Israel exports over $80 million worth of seeds, mainly hybrid vegetable seeds, to markets which depend on improved yields and quality.

New seed varieties are developed mostly by Israel's private sector seed companies and agricultural research institutes. Research is conducted at various sites, including seed companies' research stations, the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and Bar-llan University. Market demands also influence research and development. One example is interspecific hybrid cotton which combines the advantages of two cotton species, Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense, and is characterized by longer and stronger fibers. This is typically a high yield-per-area crop, requiring less water. It has been grown with excellent results in the USA, Europe and other regions. These hybrid cotton varieties have improved lint quality, and need 40% less irrigation when grown in marginal fields. Another example is the introduction of a mini seedless watermelon that fits easily into the refrigerator, as well as mini-cucumbers suitable for snacking. Agricultural research has contributed to the development of high added-value products, such as cherry tomatoes, lycopene-rich tomatoes, greenhouse tomatoes, a new generation of Galia type melons, greenhouse peppers, and hybrid cotton.

The Israeli seed industry is recognized for its development of hybrid seeds for fresh produce, particularly tomatoes. A tomato hybrid renowned for its long shelf-life has been developed. The fruits of the new varieties are attractive, solid, and enjoy a long shelf-life. A substantial number of tomato greenhouses in Europe utilize seeds developed and produced in Israel. Recently, after the tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) started spreading in many regions in the world, the Israeli seed industry was called upon to carry out extensive research on the subject, and as a result aTYLCV-resistant tomato seed for greenhouse and open field production has been released.

Seed scientists have also developed special varieties of peppers, short-day onions, melons and wheat, allowing the farmer to grow high quality produce. New varieties of cucumbers produced in greenhouses have the advantage of obtaining high yields and high quality, even during the off-season. The Process of New Variety Development Plant breeding is a very dynamic sector with supporting research that is typically comprehensive and highly developed. The cycle of a product is about four to five years, after which it is replaced on the market by new products. It takes an average of about five to six years to develop and commercialize a new variety; therefore development of the next generation of seeds must begin even before the present one is introduced.

Biotechnological methods, which shorten this lengthy process by about 20%, are used. New varieties are tested using molecular markers that can identify desirable or undesirable traits at the earliest development stages, so that experiments can be pursued or discontinued accordingly. The search for new cultivars and the development of new varieties involve the application of sophisticated cross-breeding and genetic engineering methods.

Through genetic engineering, still in its experimental stages, desirable characteristics that are not present in the plants can be introduced. Plants produced in this manner are known as transgenic or genetically modified, and are implanted with foreign genes, endowing them with new traits. These methods enable the development of plants resistant to various pathogens, such as viruses and insects, or plants with high levels of vitamins. Highly resistant and vigorous varieties are currently being developed, which minimize the need for pesticides and fertilizers and allow them to grow naturally.

Following the transition to organically-grown, chemical-free products, Israel has developed environment-friendly management for vegetable and fruit production.