Jesús Martínez, Director of R&D&I at Berryneo: "Plant genetics will be the key to adapting crops to climate change with the impetus of the CDTI Innovation and FEDER funds"

For decades, much of the varieties of red fruits grown in Spain have been developed outside our borders. Although many offer excellent results, they were conceived for climatic, agronomic and productive conditions different from those of southern Europe.

That reality was precisely Berryneo’s starting point. The Onubense company was born with the desire to create its own model for the development of new varieties. "Spain, and especially Huelva, needed to have their own varietal acquisition program capable of generating knowledge, technology and intellectual property in an area as strategic as the genetics of berries, explains Jesús Martínez, technical and R+D+I director of the company.

Rather than obtaining a new commercial variety, the company sought to build a permanent scientific capacity capable of continuing to innovate for decades. This approach led to Berryum®, a varietal development model that integrates classical genetic improvement, genomic analysis, advanced phenotyping and molecular tools to better understand the behavior of each plant and obtain plant materials that are more productive, resilient and adapted to climate change. "Our goal has never been only to obtain a better variety, but to understand the biological mechanisms that determine their agronomic behavior," he adds.

From Essay to Knowledge

Plant genetic improvement has traditionally been a long process based on observing for years thousands of plants until identifying those that gathered the desired characteristics. The NUMOR project, promoted by Berryneo with the support of the CDTI Innovation and the European ERDF funds, aims to incorporate a new layer of scientific knowledge into that process.

As Jesús Martínez explains, "NUMOR represents a paradigm shift within our genetic improvement program", as it combines traditional selection with tools capable of analyzing the genome of each plant from very early phases. In this way, researchers can identify which materials have the greatest potential before even completing the field trials.

Berryneo’s varietal program works on the development of new fruits adapted to the growing conditions

Thanks to molecular markers, genomic studies and new methodologies of physiological characterization, Berryneo seeks to understand which regions of the DNA intervene in aspects such as adaptation to heat, fruit quality, productivity or its conservation after harvest. It is about relating the genetic information with the real behavior of each plant in growing conditions. “We do not replace the traditional selection, we make it more efficient. We reduce uncertainty, optimize crosses and concentrate research efforts on those materials that are most likely to be successful,” he adds.

A genetics designed for the Mediterranean climate

The project focuses much of its efforts on developing varieties specifically adapted to the growing conditions of Huelva, one of the main areas producing soft fruit in Europe. Genetic adaptation allows us to maintain productivity in the face of climate change, optimize the use of water and nutrients and reduce both treatments and fruit losses after harvest.

A better adapted plant needs fewer resources to express its full productive potential and better maintains its performance in the face of environmental stress, which has an impact both on the profitability of the farmer and on the environmental impact of the crop.

In this way, the project contributes to the fulfillment of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), by promoting more productive and resilient agriculture; SDG 12 (Responsible Production and Consumption), through more efficient use of resources and reduction of post-harvest losses; and SDG 13 (Climate Action), by developing crops better adapted to new climatic conditions.

Building today the varieties of the next decade

Beyond the development of new varieties, NUMOR also seeks to generate the scientific knowledge necessary to understand which genes and biological mechanisms determine the most important traits of red fruits. This basis will allow the incorporation, when science and regulations make it possible, of new biotechnological tools to make genetic improvement more efficient.

Therefore, the project studies candidate genes, develops genetic maps and identifies molecular markers that allow us to understand in greater depth how the main agronomic traits are regulated. "Innovation begins long before the application of a specific technology, it begins by building knowledge," says the director. Therefore, the company is working to lay the foundations for the next generation of genetic improvement programs: “Our goal is for Berryneo to have the knowledge and tools necessary to incorporate, when it is scientifically timely and regulatively feasible, the technologies that will mark the future of plant breeding.”

This knowledge will also allow Berryneo to continue expanding one of its main assets: its own germplasm bank made up of thousands of genetic combinations obtained during years of research. “Each new generation incorporates new combinations that expand the possibilities for future acquisition. The Berryneo genetic bank is, in short, the raw material on which the varietal innovation of the next twenty years will be built.”

Testing of new varieties of red fruits under growing conditions

In addition, having this scientific heritage offers a strategic advantage over the historical dependence of varieties developed in other countries and contributes to strengthening the national technological capacity in a sector where Spain occupies a position of productive leadership. “Our ambition is to contribute so that part of that innovation is also generated here, creating knowledge, intellectual property and technology from our own scientific and business system,” he adds.

The impulse of the CDTI Innovation

Plant genetic improvement requires sustained investments for years and projects whose results may take more than a decade to materialize, which implies a bet of high technological risk. In this context, the support of the CDTI Innovation and the European ERDF funds has allowed Berryneo to strengthen its research activity, incorporate new methodologies and accelerate the development of Berryum®. “The support of the CDTI has allowed us to approach a line of research whose return cannot be measured only in economic terms, but also by the scientific capacity it generates”, emphasizes the director of R+D+I.

For Jesús Martínez, the value of this support goes far beyond financing, since it contributes to "consolidating a model of innovation based on the creation of its own intellectual property and the strengthening of national technological capacity" and recalls that "investing in plant genetics is investing in future competitiveness. The varieties that will be grown in ten or fifteen years’ time depend on the scientific decisions that are being made today.”

Preparing the agriculture of the future

Climate change, water shortages, new regulatory requirements and the growing demand for sustainable food will force the development of increasingly resilient and efficient crops. For Berryneo, genetic improvement will be one of the main tools to respond to these challenges. Therefore, the company will continue to expand the capabilities of Berryum®. “Our objective is to build predictive models that allow us to understand more accurately the interaction between genotype and environment and to anticipate the agronomic behavior of new materials from increasingly early stages of the selection process,” explains Jesús Martínez.

With this vision, the Onubense company aspires to reinforce the role of genetics as the engine of a more resilient and sustainable agriculture. “Our aspiration is to help position Spain as one of the European leaders in varietal innovation applied to berries, generating knowledge, technology and new varieties capable of responding to the needs of the agriculture of the future,” he concludes.

CDTI Innovation

The Center for Technological Development and Innovation, CDTI E.P.E. It is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose objective is the promotion of technological innovation in the business environment. The mission of the CDTI is to ensure that the Spanish business fabric generates and transforms scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth. In 2025, within the framework of the Strategic Plan 2024-2027, the CDTI provided 2,423 million euros of support to Spanish companies and startups.

 
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