Preserving biodiversity
Our company actively supports the independent seed research. This is important to avoid seeds being owned by a few large concerns word-wide. The focus is on true-to-seed varieties, which are reproducible. So, for example, only true-to-seed Demeter varieties are used for our fresh-from-the-field vegetable and sauerkraut juices and our ciders.
What does true-to-seed mean?
True-to-seed varieties result exclusively from selection in organic cultivating and without any genetic engineering. They pass on their characteristics and are fully capable of propagation. A so-called hybrid is the exact opposite as it comes from crossing two inbred lines. Seeds resulting from hybrids are worthless for farmers as good yields are only guaranteed in one generation; after that, the cultured properties are lost. The use of hybrids puts an end to the free reproduction as well as the regional adaptation and improvement of varieties. For this reason, Voelkel specifically relies on true-to-seed varieties.
What are the advantages of true-to-seed varieties?
In today’s agriculture, mostly hybrids are used as they have a uniform shape, produce large fruit and result in high yields. However: With the help of imaging methods, it has been proved that true-to-seed varieties have a higher vitality than hybrids. They have a higher share of plant-specific sugar, with a higher proportion of disaccharides, which is an indicator of a good ripening ability. True-to-seed varieties have a higher content of dry substance, at the same time their content of nitrate is often lower than in hybrids. They are very aromatic and sweet, and their characteristic taste is clearly more distinctive and very convincing.
