Bejo and Tropic Biosciences form alliance to develop disease-resistant carrots

Vegetable seed producer Bejo and biotechnology firm Tropic Biosciences have entered a strategic partnership to develop carrot varieties resistant to multiple diseases, using Tropic’s Gene Editing induced Gene Silencing (GEiGS) technology. The companies said the collaboration aims to secure the long-term viability of one of the world’s most widely grown vegetable crops while reducing the sector’s reliance on chemical protection.

Carrots are cultivated in nearly every agricultural region, with annual output exceeding 45 million metric tonnes and an estimated market value projected to reach £25 billion (approximately $31 billion) by 2030. Yet the crop’s production faces increasing pressure from soilborne and foliar pathogens that can slash yields by up to half in severe seasons, shortening storage life and raising post-harvest losses.

Bejo, a century-old Dutch family business operating in more than 100 markets, has built its reputation on breeding high-quality vegetable seeds, including carrots, onions and Brassicas. The company has expanded into organic seed production and sustainability-focused breeding, investing heavily in disease resistance and crop resilience. Its partnership with Tropic marks a step toward integrating more advanced genomic tools into its breeding programs.

“At Bejo, we are continuously looking to help our growers improve quality and yield in the most sustainable way,” said Marc Bots, the company’s director of research and breeding. “Teaming up with Tropic and combining our capabilities in biotechnology, breeding and phytopathology gives us a great opportunity to achieve that goal. We expect that Tropic’s GEiGS platform offers the potential to deliver innovations in disease resistance by delivering on the long-standing promise that RNA silencing has brought us.”

Tropic Biosciences, based in Norwich, UK, develops improved tropical crops such as banana, coffee and rice. Its GEiGS platform uses gene-editing tools to fine-tune the plant’s natural defenses by modifying non-coding regions of its genome. The approach can create durable, heritable resistance without introducing foreign DNA, allowing the resulting plants to be classified as non-GMO in several jurisdictions.

“This partnership with Bejo exemplifies the power of combining established crop-breeding experience with cutting-edge biotechnology,” said Jack Peart, chief development officer at Tropic. “By applying our GEiGS platform to Bejo’s elite germplasm, we aim to deliver durable, non-GMO disease resistance to secure the future of carrot production worldwide.”

The companies said the collaboration will focus on developing carrot varieties that can withstand a broad range of pathogens while maintaining yield and quality under variable growing conditions. The initiative aligns with Bejo’s broader strategy to advance sustainable vegetable breeding and Tropic’s mission to use gene editing to strengthen food system resilience.