Breeding in the Private Sector versus Academia: Objectives and Challenges

Objectives of academic breeders have traditionally focused on identifying genetic relationships, developing new protocols, and publishing results that aid the advancement of science.  Scientific rigor, process, and findings take priority over the end product. In contrast, private sector breeding is primarily product driven and is focused on developing superior commercial varieties. Differences are also seen in the career and work environment of academic versus private sector breeders. The academic breeder is faced with publication pressure, limited resources, and appointments that are multi-faceted in nature. In the private sector, challenges include the need to meet market expectations faster than your competition and manage numerous projects simultaneously.  However, the private sector provides superior financial and labor resources and allows the breeder to focus solely on breeding. Despite the above differences a synergy exists between the two sectors. With the increasing demand for better commercial varieties, the science-based academic breeding programs have an increasing impact on the private sector.  Examples include progress in tissue culture and marker assisted breeding.  In addition, the public sector plays a crucial role in educating and training scientists for industry.