Agroecology 3 min

INRAE and its subsidiary Agri Obtentions announce the commercial launch of a highly productive multi-resistant bread wheat variety

PRESS RELEASE - Farmers in the main production areas of northern France and the Paris Basin will have a new bread winter wheat variety available for sowing in autumn 2025. Named GEOPOLIS, this variety not only features very high yields and excellent protein levels, but is also one of the first wheat varieties to be considered agroecological, being resistant to diseases such as septoria leaf blotch, eyespot and leaf rust and efficient in terms of nitrogen fertiliser use. This varietal innovation, the result of 10 years of research and experimentation by INRAE teams, now registered in the Official Catalogue of Species and Varieties of Cultivated Crops in France, is one of Agri Obtentions' most important launches in recent years, with an estimated potential growing area of 30,000 hectares beginning with the 2026 harvest.

Published on 09 January 2025

© Agri Obtentions

Winter bread wheat is the main crop grown in France, mainly for the production of bread flour both for the domestic market and for export. In the field of varietal innovation, the start of 2025 is marked by the inclusion of a new multi-resistant winter wheat variety in the Official Catalogue of Species and Varieties of Cultivated Crops in France[1] designed for low-input farming practices (reduced use of fungicides and nitrogen fertilisers). After 10 years of field evaluations supervised by scientists and technicians from INRAE's experimental units (Estrées-Mons (80), Le Rheu (35) and Crouël (63)), GEOPOLIS has achieved remarkable results in terms of both agronomic and agroecological efficiency during the two years of official trials for registration under contrasting climatic conditions (hot and dry in 2023, cold and wet in 2024).

A combination of remarkable agronomic and agroecological characteristics

On the French seed market, where some thirty new winter bread wheat varieties are released every year, GEOPOLIS stands out for its characteristics as assessed by the Technical Committee for Plant Breeding (CTPS)[2]. As an example, it currently has the best score for resistance to septoria leaf blotch, underlining the effectiveness of the INRAE-Agri Obtentions breeding programme. These characteristics, combined with appropriate crop management practices, will enable farmers to reduce their costs while complying with the environmental objectives set out in the Ecophyto II+ Plan.

  • Fewer fungicides and insecticides: thanks to its high resistance to diseases such as septoria leaf blotch, leaf rust and eyespot, and its tolerance to orange wheat blossom midge, farmers can limit their phytosanitary treatments.
  • Good yields and protein levels: the variety guarantees high yields, while maintaining excellent protein levels considering its yield.
  • Continued profitability: the variety was ranked first by the CTPS on a large network of field experiments combining intensive management with total protection and without fungicide treatment and delivered high yields (113.6% of the average yield of controls in northern France over 2 years). In the 2023-2024 growing season, which was characterised by high disease pressure, GEOPOLIS yielded 110.7% of the control yield in fungicide-treated conditions and 125.0% in non-fungicide-treated conditions. A good yield and a good protein rate guarantee good profitability for farmers.

The result of 10 years of research

The development of a new variety is the result of a breeding scheme that lasts an average of 10 years, involving scientific experts and cutting-edge selection tools. The various stages involved in obtaining GEOPOLIS were:

  1. Initial crossbreeding: the work began by crossing lines with complementary characteristics. For GEOPOLIS, the crossing was carried out at Estrées-Mons (Somme) using varieties with interesting genetic and agronomic characteristics.
  2. Breeding in the nursery, again at Estrées-Mons: over 5 generations, the progeny of promising crossbreeds were observed and chosen to assess their agronomic characteristics.
  3. Tests under field conditions: from the 6th to the 9th year, trials were carried out on several sites of experimental units in France, simulating different types of management: intensive fungicide-treated and untreated, low input (reduced sowing density, reduced nitrogen input, no fungicide, insecticide or growth regulator). Line EM19135 proved particularly interesting in these trials.
  4. Final validation: the trials and tests subsequently carried out during two years by the CTPS confirmed the strengths of line EM19135, justifying its inclusion in the Official Catalogue under the name GEOPOLIS.

For the 2024-2025 season, Agri Obtentions has already begun seed multiplication on 600 hectares, marking an important step in making this innovation accessible to as many farmers as possible.


[1] Catalogue managed by GEVES, the French Variety and Seed Study and Control Group, which conducts trials and studies for the description, evaluation of varieties, analysis and control of seeds and has a role of expert and reference at national and international level for all cultivated species.

[2] In France, each new variety is registered by decision of the Minister for Agriculture, published in the Official Journal of the French Republic. The Ministry relies on the advice of an advisory committee, the CTPS.

Constance Moreau

Agri Obtentions Communications Department

Scientific contacts

Jacques Le Gouis

Genetics, Diversity & Ecophysiology of Cereals Unit

Rémi Perronne

Institute for Genetics, Environment and Plant Protection

Emmanuel E. Heumez

Crop Innovation & Environment Facility – Picardy

Jérôme Auzanneau

Director of Research & Development, Agri Obtentions

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