Home/SWEET CORN
SWEET CORN

The field is
only half
the test.

Fresh-market supersweet breeding, shaped by growing and selling corn ourselves.

Zea maysSupersweet / sh2Fresh market
Sweet corn ears laid out beside a measuring tape for selection.

Yield matters. So do a full tip, protective husks and an ear that still looks fresh when it reaches the buyer.

Growing and selling fresh corn ourselves keeps those requirements visible. The programme focuses on supersweet sh2 material for Northwest European conditions, with marketable ear quality built into the selection process.

Our sweet corn breeding draws on a broad genetic pool. This provides variation to work with, not a promise of a finished product. Selection must bring distinctive traits back into a useful fresh-market plant.

SELECTION TARGETSFRESH-MARKET EAR QUALITY

The details
decide the product.

We select for the ear, the husk and what happens after harvest — not simply for a photograph on harvest day.

01

Tip fill

A well-filled ear, with attention to how kernel set holds under the intended growing conditions.

02

Husk cover

Protective coverage and a clean presentation suited to the fresh market.

03

Green husks

Selection for husks that retain an attractive green appearance.

04

Slow drying

Attention to freshness and the handling window between the field and the buyer.

IN DEVELOPMENT

Purple.
And supersweet.

The 2026 harvest produced the first candidate recombinants combining purple kernels with a supersweet background. Progeny testing comes next, alongside continued selection for fresh-market ear quality.

A breeding direction in development. No commercial availability is implied.

Read the breeding story ↗
FROM OUR FIELDS

Breeding, in view.

Pigmented maize material in the breeding programme.
Colour in developmentPigmented maize material in the breeding programme.
Ears developing on the plant.
In the cropEars developing on the plant.
Harvested ears compared for size and presentation.
Ear selectionHarvested ears compared for size and presentation.
The maize crop during the growing season.
In the fieldThe maize crop during the growing season.
Variation in kernel colour across harvested ears.
Kernel diversityVariation in kernel colour across harvested ears.
Harvested ears laid out for assessment.
From husk to earHarvested ears laid out for assessment.
FROM AMBITION TO A BREEDING PLAN

A better ear.
From a different starting point.

Discuss sweet corn