Vegetable seed companies, managing portfolios that often encompass hundreds or even thousands of varieties, face a complex challenge: determining which varieties are best suited for growers across diverse markets and climates. The task goes far beyond simple yield calculations. Growers need seeds that perform optimally under specific environmental conditions, soil types, and climate patterns unique to their region. Traditionally, seed companies have relied on labor-intensive processes—evaluating extensive trial data, conducting field experiments, and gathering feedback from growers and supply chain partners—to make these decisions. While these methods remain critical, advances in technology are now offering a way to streamline and enhance this process, allowing for faster, more accurate decision-making.
In a significant move for the industry, Syngenta Vegetable Seeds and Heritable Agriculture have announced a collaboration aimed at leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize the placement of vegetable varieties. This partnership seeks to combine Syngenta’s global seed portfolio with Heritable’s AI-driven analytics to predict which varieties will perform best in specific growing conditions. By analyzing historical data on geographic conditions, climate trends, and crop trial results, the collaboration aims to provide growers with data-driven insights that can enhance productivity, reduce risk, and ensure consistent quality in produce.
“Planting the right seed is critical to a grower’s success,” said Matthew Johnston, Global Head of Vegetable Seeds and Flowers at Syngenta. “New technologies such as AI can help us bring the best innovation to the field or greenhouse. We’re thrilled to partner with a leader in AI and decision science in the agricultural space. This partnership provides an exciting opportunity to explore how we can better leverage our portfolio to benefit growers worldwide.”
Heritable Agriculture, founded within Google X—Alphabet’s famed Moonshot Factory—is at the forefront of applying AI to agricultural challenges. Their technology focuses on understanding the complex interactions between genetics and environmental variables, including weather patterns, soil characteristics, and other proprietary datasets. By integrating this approach with Syngenta’s vegetable seed offerings, the collaboration seeks to generate predictive models capable of determining scalable seed performance for growers anywhere in the world, down to a 10-meter resolution. This high level of precision could represent a transformative shift in how vegetable seed companies approach regional variety recommendations.
Brad Zamft, CEO of Heritable Agriculture, emphasized the potential impact of the partnership. “We are excited to work with Syngenta to bring cutting-edge AI tools that help place products more efficiently,” Zamft said. “This collaboration with their vegetable seeds team exemplifies the markets and applications that can be unlocked when AI is applied thoughtfully across all sectors of agriculture. Our goal is to provide insights that drive tangible improvements in crop performance, reduce trial-and-error planting, and ultimately support growers in achieving their production goals.”
For Syngenta, the collaboration aligns with a broader strategic focus on incorporating AI and digital tools across its operations. The company has already embraced AI in multiple areas, from crop inputs and bio-stimulants to digital platforms. A notable example is Cropwise AI, a specialist chatbot integrated into Syngenta’s Cropwise platform, which provides growers with data-driven recommendations for crop management and decision-making. The new partnership with Heritable represents the next evolution of Syngenta’s digital strategy, targeting precision variety placement to improve productivity, sustainability, and food security on a global scale.
The timing of this collaboration is particularly significant given the growing pressures on agriculture from climate change, fluctuating weather patterns, and evolving market demands. By harnessing AI to predict which vegetable varieties are most likely to thrive in a given location, Syngenta and Heritable aim to mitigate risk for growers, ensure consistent quality and yield, and support the efficient use of resources. This approach not only benefits individual farmers but also contributes to broader food security goals by helping ensure a reliable and affordable supply of fresh produce for consumers.
Syngenta’s leadership in vegetable breeding stretches back over 150 years, a legacy of innovation and commitment to the industry. Today, the company operates in more than 60 countries and distributes seeds to 124 countries, making it one of the most globally connected players in the sector. Its Vegetable Seeds teams work closely with local growers, leveraging both traditional breeding expertise and modern technology to meet the diverse needs of agricultural communities worldwide. The integration of AI into this ecosystem represents a new frontier in precision agriculture, combining decades of breeding experience with cutting-edge predictive analytics.
The collaboration also underscores a broader trend in the agricultural sector: the growing importance of technology and data-driven decision-making. While traditional trials and grower feedback remain essential, the sheer scale and complexity of global seed portfolios make AI an increasingly valuable tool. By analyzing vast amounts of environmental, genetic, and market data, AI systems can identify patterns and predict outcomes that might otherwise take years to observe through conventional field trials. This capability can accelerate the breeding cycle, optimize variety recommendations, and ultimately help growers make more informed, profitable, and sustainable decisions.
Moreover, the application of AI to seed placement has implications beyond individual farms. By optimizing the selection of vegetable varieties for specific regions, companies can reduce waste, improve resource efficiency, and contribute to more resilient food systems. In regions facing unpredictable climate conditions or limited access to high-quality seeds, data-driven variety recommendations could be especially impactful, helping farmers achieve better yields with fewer inputs.
The Syngenta-Heritable partnership is just one example of how AI is beginning to reshape the agricultural landscape. By combining deep agronomic expertise with advanced data analytics, the collaboration has the potential to transform how vegetable seeds are developed, recommended, and grown. The ultimate goal is simple yet ambitious: to ensure that growers worldwide have access to the right seeds, in the right places, at the right time, enabling them to grow crops that are productive, sustainable, and profitable.
As the global population continues to rise and the demand for fresh, nutritious produce increases, innovations like this will be crucial for meeting future food needs. Through predictive AI and strategic collaboration, Syngenta and Heritable Agriculture are taking a significant step toward smarter, more precise agriculture—helping farmers grow the right crops, maximize their potential, and strengthen food systems around the world.
