Breeding Better Vegetables

This product is free for FCP DPG members.

This webinar was presented live on March 12, 2024.

When it comes to passionate discourse about flavor, few foods are discussed as much as vegetables. What does it take to breed for flavor while balancing farmer needs for sustainability? Join Stephanie Pedroni, New Technologies Coordinator- Vegetable Trait Discovery from Bayer Crop Science as she explains the science and innovation behind some of our consumer's favorite fruit and vegetable varieties. This webinar will also include background on different plant breeding techniques as well as on-farm practices that ensure food gets from seed to consumer.

CPE Level: 2
CPEU: 1
Performance Indicators: 11.1.1, 11.1.5, 12.4.3

Learning Objectives

• Identify the nutrition and health benefits of vegetables, including the unique attributes of processed vegetables.
• Discuss the many aspects of vegetable breeding for different applications.
• Utilize information in designing educational programs, recipes and information for clients and consumers.

Speaker

Stephanie Pedroni, MS

Stephanie Pedroni is a graduate of the University of California at Davis, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and her master’s degree in Genetics. Following graduation, she took a research position at the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Lab where she focused on studying equine genetics. In 2009 she traded horses for plants and joined the Vegetable Seeds R&D division in what is now Bayer Crop Science (previously Monsanto). Over the past 13 years, Stephanie has introduced innovative solutions to deliver desirable genetics into Bayer’s breeding pipelines and products and developed a passion for working in the agricultural industry. Stephanie currently lives in Vacaville, CA with her husband Erik, and their three boys Aiden (13), Ethan (11) and Jackson (9). When she isn’t working you will likely find her training, hiking, showing, doing public events or just hanging out with her llamas Sno (2) and Karalahna (9 mo), and her alpaca Piper (4).