H2020 ECOBREED Project: Increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of organic crop improvement

Initially, the project focused on the identification, selection, evaluation, and multiplication of genotypes and other materials for further evaluation, along with initial breeding activities. The selected material was subsequently multiplied to improve the accessibility of the genotypes for breeding purposes and FTP field trials. Advanced phenotyping and genotyping techniques were applied, and new crosses were made to produce new breeding material that will serve as the basis for new varieties suitable for organic farming.

Participatory farmer trials, participatory plant breeding, and training activities facilitated the rapid transfer of project technology to commercial practice. The final period was dedicated to finalizing the work and linking all results in a meaningful way. The publicly accessible database (https://ecobreed.eu/outcomes/database/) was published on the ECOBREED website for accessions/varieties of the four crops being evaluated and used in the project. Phenotypic variability in many traits was assessed in multi-environment field trials (2019–2022) and described for four wheat diversity panels. For grain yield, grain protein content, and protein yield, statistical analyses of genotype-environment interactions were performed, and genotypes with high absolute yield across all environments, as well as genotypes with high yield stability, were identified.

In vitro bioassays revealed that wheat genotypes had different effects on the germination of two weed species. Protocols for marker-assisted selection (MAS) were developed for disease resistance genes and genes related to end-use quality. New germplasm was developed and distributed among partners for further development. Potato trials were evaluated for yield, quality, utilization, and other postharvest traits. In addition to conventional phenotyping, RGB and multispectral cameras were used. Cover crop (CC) trials revealed differences in tuber quality. Marker-assisted selection for late blight (LB) and PVY was routinely employed, and advanced breeding lines with multiple R genes were produced. We successfully created new crosses with LB- and PVY-resistant parents and generated new progeny.

We also included new candidate potato varieties from the KIS breeding program in the VCU trials. Six comprehensive tasks for soybean focused on activities such as phenotyping for the detection of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. A marker-assisted selection program was established to identify genes/QTLs for organic soybean breeding, and the organic variety NS ECOB was nationally registered in Serbia. Buckwheat work was completed with data generation and statistical evaluation. Participatory field trials with farmers, including the development of newsletters, provided a valuable opportunity to assess data, improve their quality, and foster knowledge transfer through additional workshops and field visits. We disseminated the results at European and international levels, targeting scientific audiences, policymakers, and the general public. In January 2024, we organized an international scientific conference, the ECOBREED Organic Breeding Conference, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Regarding exploitation, the ECOBREED project partners and the IP subcommittee focused on the following areas: negotiation and signature of IP agreements, creation of an intellectual property management framework, development of a feasibility analysis questionnaire, and development of individual exploitation plans for new organic varieties.