Syngenta is set to launch its first commercial hybrid wheat varieties for planting in France this autumn. It plans to make the varieties available in the UK for autumn 2027.
The company has received registration approval for the use of varieties from its X-Terra hybrid wheat breeding programme in France. It says SY Sphynx and SY Xanthis will be the first X-Terra hybrid winter wheat varieties to be available for the 2026 autumn sowing season in France. Both were bred by Syngenta’s France-based wheat breeding programme.
The French registration secures the right to sell the varieties across Europe – Syngenta says the approval is the start of efforts to introduce the innovation across European markets including France, Germany and the UK.
“We have a strong pipeline of X-Terra hybrid wheat products in registration systems across Europe and the UK,” says Robert Hiles, Syngenta’s head of marketing, portfolio & licensing, Europe field crop seeds. “The first UK commercial X-Terra hybrid wheats are planned for launch in 2027. We currently have 3 X-Terra hybrid wheat products in Variety List Year 2 (VL2), which are all under industry assessment for potential breadmaking quality.
“We also have 4 X-Terra hybrid wheat products in VL1, alongside a pipeline of adapted hybrids being tested across multiple locations in the UK for potential entry into Variety List Year 1 (VL1) in autumn 2026,” he continues. “Growers will get a chance to see X-Terra hybrid wheat products at multiple locations across the UK during Syngenta open days, as well as the Cereals 2026 event in June, where experts will be on hand to discuss these exciting developments.”
Syngenta says it has spent more than 15 years trying to unlock the hybrid potential in wheat, although there has been commercial investment in this area since at least the 1960s. The company is already successful in hybrid barleys through its Hyvido breeding programme.
It says X-Terra hybrid wheats have been developed to help growers address the growing impact of climate change, such as greater climatic variability and more frequent extreme weather events. The hybrid vigour will improve yield stability, resilience to stress, and the overall agronomic performance – supporting the transition towards more sustainable and efficient wheat production while helping optimise the use of key inputs. One example is X-Terra’s strength in resisting septoria disease.
Syngenta intends to market the hybrid varieties through a holistic Crop System approach, assessing factors such as actual field conditions, specific weed and disease challenges – and the viability of biological solutions – to ensure the wheats mature to the best quality and highest yield possible. Using its Cropwise digital agronomy platform would help with alerts of disease pressure and the use of biological products to replace early-stage fungicide applications.
“Wheat is one of the world’s most important crops, accounting for nearly a fifth of global calories,” states Onur Camili, Syngenta’s head of field crop seeds business in Europe. “Being the first to bring a scalable hybrid wheat system to market reflects Syngenta’s long-term commitment to innovation and speed in developing breakthrough technologies that farmers need. X-Terra hybrid wheat provides a level of performance and consistency that will outpace conventional varieties.”
More information: https://www.syngenta.com/agriculture/crop-production/syngenta-solving-wheats-hybrid-challenge