Syngenta Flowers breeder retires
After 25 years of service, Senior Breeder Shifeng Pan is retiring from Syngenta Flowers. In that time, Shifeng has made countless contributions to the company and the horticulture industry as a whole. His 2013 AAS Award for Geranium Pinto Premium White to Rose F1, also the recipient of a Fleuroselect Gold Medal award, is just one example!
Shifeng has worked on countless series over the years, including Tuscany Seed Verbena, Wonderfall Pansy, all Dianthus seed products (Super Parfait, Venti, Dulce, and Fandango), Geraniums (Maverick, BullsEye, Multibloom), Lantana (Bandana, Bandito and Bandana trailing series), Cora XDR Vinca and Sunfinity Sunflowers.
Sunfinity was developed using creativity, years of breeding knowledge, and a dare to try! Crossing those species was unconventional at the time, and the key was the ability of the breeders, Shifeng and Jason Jandrew, to merge essential attributes of the wild species into modern germplasm without the support of modern breeding tools. A testament to its power, Sunfinity has received several awards, including the Cultivate 2017 Industry Choice Award, The 2017 Reader's Choice Award and the 2018 HTA New Plant Award (Gold Award).
Shifeng is a hardworking and dedicated breeder; his colleagues can attest to that. When Nicolas Champouret, Head of Global Flowers Seeds Development, asked colleagues to describe Shifeng in one word, he got humble, knowledgeable, brilliant, thoughtful, big visions, open-minded and erudite. "Shifeng is always positive, loves a good challenge and never relinquishes the opportunity to transfer his knowledge," Nicolas said.
Over the past year, Shifeng has mentored breeders Baylee Miller and Li Jiang tremendously, allowing them to carry the torch of his breeding programs into the future. We're excited for Shifeng to start this next chapter and look forward to continuing to build upon his breeding work. Please join Syngenta Flowers in thanking Shifeng for his invaluable contributions to flower breeding over the past 25 years and wishing him the best in retirement.
