Peter van Duin joins BreedWise
Peter van Duin has joined BreedWise, where he will combine his consultancy work with supporting the company through his extensive experience in plant breeding and operations. A graduate of Wageningen University & Research, Peter has held various positions in both the vegetable and ornamental sectors.
Idy herself graduated from the same university in 1980, specializing in Plant Breeding, Genetics, Plant Pathology and Statistics. Since 1992, she has been teaching and organizing courses for the plant propagation materials sector, both in the Netherlands and abroad.
Practical experience with large-scale processes
“Peter’s extensive practical experience in the breeding sector and his broad network are a valuable addition to BreedWise,” says Idy about his appointment. She adds: “He brings a wealth of hands-on experience and is used to managing large breeding processes.”
This experience is highly valuable for the specialized company based in Geldrop. From there, Idy runs the office and regularly travels within the Netherlands and abroad on behalf of clients in the breeding industry. With Peter joining the team, he too will start offering consultancy services and courses. “It’s wonderful that now I’ve decided to slow down a bit, I’ve found someone who can gradually take over my work in the coming years,” Idy says.
New technologies
In recent years, several of BreedWise’s courses have also been incorporated into the programs at HAS University of Applied Sciences in Den Bosch. In addition, BreedWise continues to offer many customized in-company training courses. “Companies appreciate that we tailor our training to their specific needs,” says Idy. The open-enrollment course on Seed Technology will start again in early 2025.
The plant breeding world never stands still, and Idy knows this better than anyone. CRISPR-Cas, for example, has now become a standard topic in BreedWise courses. “I explain to company employees what the technology is and how it can be applied. Larger companies are already working with it at a research level, but it also offers opportunities for smaller ones,” she explains.
While producing commercial varieties using new genomic techniques such as CRISPR-Cas is not yet permitted in Europe, breeding companies continue to explore other advanced methods. “Larger companies often bring these technologies in-house, but others can rely on specialized service providers for tasks such as DNA analysis using molecular markers.”
As these technologies become more mainstream, new questions continue to arise — keeping BreedWise, more than thirty years after its founding, in a constant state of innovation. The arrival of Peter van Duin marks the next step in this ongoing evolution.
