Agriculture that requires less water: quinoa spin-off builds on WUR expertise

Despite quinoa’s many benefits, it is still cultivated on a limited scale worldwide. Quinoa can cope well with drought and certain forms of salinisation and is also rich in protein and minerals. “For many solutions to global problems such as heat and drought, we can look into nature,” says Andres Salvador Torres, director of Radicle Crops. “However, large companies are currently investing to a limited extent in the development of these solutions.”

Radicle Crops wants to make broader use of that potential. Using innovative breeding techniques, the company is working on quinoa and other crops such as white lupin and Andean lupin (also known as Tarwi). These crops contain more protein of a higher quality than wheat and potatoes. And they are more resilient to changing climatic conditions. “We want to contribute to a form of agriculture that is less dependent on a small number of crops and better prepared for the future.”

The search to make quinoa suitable for cultivation in the Netherlands and Europe began in Wageningen in the 1990s. By crossing a variety from Chile with one from Ecuador, WUR developed a quinoa variety that is less bitter and requires fewer hours of daylight to reach maturity.

Cultivation gained momentum particularly in France, where a market emerged. “Quinoa attracted more attention, which enabled us to further expand the breeding programme,” says WUR researcher Robert van Loo. “This led first to the formation of a quinoa cultivation group in the Netherlands (the Dutch Quinoa Group), which later developed into a breeding company now known as Radicle Crops,” adds Torres Salvador.

“Radicle Crops took over the quinoa breeding programme from WUR in 2023”, says Torres Salvador. “Including nine patented, saponin-free varieties (saponin is a bitter substance found on the outer seeds of the quinoa plant), genetic material and breeding technologies. But the collaboration with WUR remains very important.”

Radicle Crops is based at Wageningen Campus and collaborates with WUR researchers. “It is difficult for a young company to build up all the necessary expertise and research facilities on its own”, says Torres Salvador. “WUR has specialist expertise in the field of DNA and RNA sequence analysis, and how these can be used to link traits to DNA markers or to variation in genes.”

WUR’s research facilities also play an important role. For example, Radicle Crops makes use of WUR’s high-tech facilities such as NPEC, an infrastructure for plant phenotyping. There, plants can be studied in detail under controlled conditions. Researchers can, for example, set the level of drought or salt stress to which a plant is exposed. “There, we measure and analyse, for example, what makes quinoa so efficient at withstanding drought.”

For WUR, the main benefit lies in the direct link to real-world application, says van Loo. “Wageningen’s expertise on quinoa can be transferred more quickly from the laboratory and the trial field to practical application. It is also interesting that Radicle Crops raises new research questions based on practical experience.” Torres Salvador adds: “From day one, we have been flying drones and using NPEC’s ultra-high-resolution images to record detailed growth and trial data from our breeding lines. This immediately raised a question: how do we store this data efficiently, and how do we organize and utilise it? That question forms the basis of the project DAS-CROPPER.”

“By using data, we can develop models that predict how quinoa responds under different growing conditions,” says van Loo. “We are looking at how we can use AI to interpret datasets more effectively.”

The first phase of WUR”s quinoa development was funded by the Dutch government and the EU. To further accelerate the breeding programme, Radicle Crops invested subsequently almost four million euros. One of the techniques used is F1 hybrid breeding, in which different parental lines are crossed to produce offspring that combine desirable traits such as drought and salt tolerance.

However, a good new variety is not enough on its own. Growers must be able to cultivate it profitably, food producers must be able to use it and consumers must find the product appealing. “That is why Radicle Crops is not only focusing on the development of the plant, but also on building partnerships and a market”, says Torres Salvador. “The Wageningen Campus brings together a broad network of scientists, students, growers and businesses. It is also home to a wealth of knowledge, ranging from crops and cultivation to food technology and consumers.”

Radicle Crops’ quinoa is now grown commercially in 18 countries, covering a total of more than 10.000 hectares. From European countries to North America and New Zealand. In doing so, the company is building an international network of partners. 

“For us, quinoa is not the end goal but the starting point. Together with WUR, we are also considering other crops”, says Torres Salvador. He cites camelina as an example. “That crop requires little water and has potential as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel.”

Developing such crops does, however, require a long-term commitment. “WUR must remain competitive, particularly when it comes to the costs of facilities, such as the use of NPEC”, says Torres Salvador. “Funding large, long-term research projects also poses a challenge,” adds van Loo. “In the past, this type of research was largely supported by public funding from the Dutch government and the EU, as the public interest in broadening the scope of agriculture for the benefit of society as a whole was recognized. Now, companies are expected to invest in the long start-up phase themselves. This requires companies to have the courage to accept a long payback period.”

Radicle Crops is a company that accepts that challenge, says van Loo. “As is the case now, by taking the lead on a Top Sector project proposal centred on a major initiative focused on camelina for sustainable aviation fuel.” Torres Salvador: “We are also excited about something even bigger: developing technologies that accelerate plant breeding. Together with scientists from WUR, we are investigating new crossing systems that will enable us to utilize polyploidy – plants with multiple sets of chromosomes – to make new crops more robust and productive.”

Torres Salvador: “The finest innovations arise when you dare to think beyond what seems possible today. Together with WUR, we want to keep pushing those boundaries.”