Our company functioned as a state-owned institution from its foundation to 2008 under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. It was taken over by the State Property Agency Ltd. 1st January 2009, and due to mandatory restructuring, it started to function as a non-profit ltd. handling state property and having the facility and staff to manage the complete process of innovation.
Since September 2013 it has been operating with unchanged research profileas a state-owned, self-financing non-profit ltd. under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and belonging to the network supervised bythe Centre of the National Agrarian Research and Innovation (NAIK). The sources of its revenue (HUF 2.2-2.5 billion/year) come from royalties, seed trade, contractual seed conditioning, and granting and funding of scientific projects. The company has preserved its solvency despite of the unfavourable tendencies in the economy during the past years.
Gabonakutató Nonprofit Közhasznú Kft. is one of the largest agricultural research institutions and can currently provide 128 registered plant varieties and hybrids of 22 plant species domestically, and 60 ones abroad, for cultivation, being present on the market in 20 foreign countries.
Plant species
The following plant species are currently improved at the Company
- winter and spring types of bread wheat, barley, triticale and oats; and winter durum wheat and winter rye;
- corn, grain sorghum, silage sorghum and Sudan grass;
- sunflower, winter rapeseed, soybean, millet, linseed, red clover, Hungarian millet and buckwheat.
The company is the variety owner of the following plant species:
- broomcorn, onion, garlic, pumpkin, melon and paprika.
Main spheres of activity
- Conventional breeding is an efficient tool to breed cultivars exhibiting excellent quality, high yield, disease and pest resistance, drought tolerance and winter hardiness, and to develop a range of cultivars to be used as food, feed, and bioenergy sources or industrial crops.
- The applied research work done at the company has resulted in 48 currently viable and 15 pending PVPs and patents.
- Production technological researches, such as long-term fertilization trials, chemical plant protection experiments (application of fungicides, herbicides and insecticides) are carried out to aid sustainable agriculture and environmental protection. The results reflect reliably the response of new genotypes, lines, plant varieties and hybrids and the efficacy of chemicals. Based on the results, our research workers elaborate the variety specific, intensive, semi-intensive, organic and precision crop production technologies for various soil types.
- The quality parameters of F1 hybrid seed, basic seed, and first and second grade certified seed produced at our seed plants are superb. The seed conditioning is assured by the ISO 9001:2008 standard.
- Dietetic and diabetic food products and recipes have been developed at the company in order to improve the life quality of patients suffering from alimentary diseases. The dietetic product line FE-MINI involves 24 gluten-free food products with low protein and phenylalanine content for patients suffering from celiac disease, renal failure or phenylketonurea (PKU). The diabetic baking industrial product line DIABET-MIX (a joint patent with Diabet Trade Ltd.) includes five products for diabetic patients and people wishing to lose weight.
Locations where the breeding work is done
The breeding work is realized in a proper integration at the headquarters in Szeged and research sites around Szeged, namely in Szeged-Öthalom and Szeged-Kecskés-telep; research station in Táplánszentkereszt; and on the research premises in Kiszombor and Fülöpszállás.
These locations represent various climatic conditions, soil types and other environmental factors within Hungary. The breeding work and the selection at these locations allow the improvement of plant varieties with broad adaptability and their seed production in top quality.
Field trials and breeder’s seed multiplications can be accomplished on 1800 hectares of land in our management and at two seed plants.
Well-established scientific and technical background
- The efficient scientific and research activity that is well-known and appreciated in a number of foreign countries as well, can be attributed to 40 highly qualified research workers with a member of HAS, four academic doctors; and 17 candidates and scientists with Ph.D. degree among them, respectively. The research workers participate both in the domestic and foreign scientific public life, are members and chairs in numerous associations and corporations, and they are also co-operators in joint projects with foreign partners.
- Farmers may rely on our extension service for crop production. The company publishes the journal Kutatás és Marketing (Research and Marketing) and the quarterly Cereal Research Communications.
- The company’s research workers were authors or co-authors of more than 1400 scientific and popular scientific articles in the past decade.
- The scientific achievements of our company recognized across a number of countries, encouraged our colleagues to organize four international symposiums during the past decade.
- As visiting lecturers of universities and professors of the affiliated doctoral departments, the company’s research workers have integrated researches and agricultural education.
- Crop improvement and seed trade is accomplished in co-operation with more than 200 domestic and 50 foreign partner companies embracing the research and market sphere.
- The company’s innovations and novel products were awarded by the Grand Prize of the Hungarian Innovation Foundation (3 times), the Prize for Agrarian Innovation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Prize for Innovation of OMFB (Committee of National Technical Development) and the Certificate of Merit of the Hungarian Innovation Foundation. On agricultural exhibitions and shows, our commitment to high quality was acknowledged by the Grand Prize for Produce (3 times); Prize for Produce (8 times), Special Award for Produce, Award for Produce II, and the Prize for Agrarian Development of OMÉK (National Agriculture and Food Exhibition). NÉBIH (Directorate of National Food Safety and Quality Assurance) honoured the company on the 90th Anniversary of its foundation with the Award for Innovations Enhancing Plant Production. The international recognition of the company is highlighted by the Prize for Seed of International Exhibition in Canada and the International Trophy for Seed Export.
- The research workers of the company are the laureate of governmental, scientific and professional awards in abundance.