A look back at our April 10 HelEx webinar
On April 10, 2025, over 80 stakeholders from across Europe gathered online to discuss the future of sunflower in Europe’s changing climate. The webinar, titled “From Field to Market – A Vision for a Resilient European Sunflower Sector”, was part of the HelEx project an EU-funded collaborative research programme aiming to develop a new generation of sunflower varieties adapted to the challenges of the 21st century.
🎥 Watch the full replay of the webinar here:
🌍 Why sunflower, why now?
With projected yield losses of up to 50% in certain regions by 2050, the sunflower sector is facing pressing environmental, economic, and agronomic challenges. Yet, this resilient crop also offers new opportunities especially in the context of low-input systems, soil conservation, and decarbonization.
HelEx mobilizes 18 partners across Europe with one goal: enabling the sunflower value chain—from seed breeders to farmers and industry—to adapt to future climatic, regulatory and market demands.
💬 Key takeaways from the webinar
Moderated by Pierre Compère, the webinar brought together voices from across the value chain:
- Cédric Dufour (Innovation Manager, Saipol) shared insights on evolving oil markets and the need for high-performance varieties meeting both food and bio-based industry needs.
- Sylvain Hypolite (R&I Manager, Agro d’Oc) stressed the agronomic role of sunflower in crop rotations, particularly in low-input systems and under drought pressure.
- Nicolas Langlade (Research Director, INRAE, HelEx Coordinator) presented how HelEx works on yield stability, protein and oil quality, and traits such as dehullability for improved processing.
- Federico Bock (Syngenta) discussed the complexities of breeding for stability under unpredictable conditions—and how HelEx contributes with novel genetic resources.
- Laurent Bourdil (ANAMSO) gave a voice to seed multipliers and called for greater support for innovation at the production level.
🌐 What’s next?
The HelEx project is not just about genetics—it’s about co-constructing the future of sunflower through a broad and open stakeholder community. Already, several participants expressed interest in joining the HelEx network to contribute to upcoming field activities, focus groups, and technical workshops.
If you missed the live session or want to revisit a particular discussion, the full video replay is now available.
🎬 Replay the webinar:
👉 https://youtu.be/WfkPyR4VHik
🔗 Want to get involved?
Join the HelEx stakeholder network: https://www.helex-eu.eu/
The HelEx project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.
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