Projects

Betterwheat - Genomic and proteomic architecture and environmental variability of quality and health related traits in wheat for innovative new wheat varieties and products

The overall aim of the project is to deepen our knowledge on the basics of quality characters in wheat under changing cropping and climate conditions in Central Europe. This will be achieved by combining latest technology of phenotyping, genomics, proteomics, and spectrometry in a multi-disciplinary consortium. Three large field trial sereis will be performed and harvested samples will be intensively investigated on dozens of dough characteristics, baking volume as well as hundreds of ingredients. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture via the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food under the innovation support programme.

GeneBank: Genomics-based exploitation of wheat genetic resources for plant breeding

The overall goal of GeneBank2.0 is to leverage the wheat ex-situ collection hosted at the IPK Gatersleben to an actively deployed one in plant breeding by applying an integrated concept encompassing cutting-edge genomics, phenomics, biodiversity informatics, and precision (pre)breeding.

We will fingerprint with latest marker technology the entire wheat collection of the IPK, ~22,000 accessions. The marker profiles form the basis for four innovative and complementary strategies to identify valuable novel alleles or gametes:

1)    The 22,000 accessions will be screened for resistance against three devastating wheat diseases, leaf and stripe rust as well as Fusarium head blight. The phenotypic and genotypic data will be analyzed with a new algorithm that facilitates composing a high-resolution association mapping (GWAS) panel with minimal impact of population stratification. The selected core set will be profiled using RenSeq in order to perform gene/allele mining through haplotype-based GWAS.

2)    Novel trait discovery will be performed focusing on genetic variation important for hybrid wheat breeding redesigning the wheat flower. We will implement a genomics-based select-and-backcross method identify major genes promoting open pollination.

3)    We will combine physiology and population genomics in order to perform a targeted allele mining in genetic resources for promising candidate genes contributing to nitrogen-use efficiency.

4)    We will open the toolbox of genomic selection for pre-breeding by implementing a novel hybrid strategy to identify genetic resources with high breeding value for grain yield and introgress best genetic resources in elite germplasm. This task is mainly done by University of Hohenheim.

These four strategies are embedded in biodiversity informatics activities to analyze the comprehensive data with novel population genomics and quantitative genetic tools. Project partners are Leibniz Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung, Julius Kühn Institut, KWS Lochow GmbH and Limagrain GmbH.

 Funded by: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

Increase of biodiversity in bread wheat by means of pre-breeding - Extension of the existing conventional test system to organic field trials.

In the genebank project, the implementation of a pre-breeding program in bread wheat is still funded until 2025. This project is an extension, where breeding lines will be additionally tested for two years on four organically managed locations in parallel with the conventional locations. In addition, baking tests and ingredient analyses (fiber, minerals, free asparagine) will be performed in the breeding lines in both cropping systems. In this way, we will elaborate how great the correlation is between the cultivation systems for the various traits in this genetically diverse material. Based on a possible extension of the project, a long-term optimized breeding program for efficient pre-breeding for conventional and organic agriculture will be developed, the financing of which is still open.

Funded by: Ministerium für ländlichen Raum und Verbraucherschutz Baden-Württemberg.

Establishment of genomic and phenomic selection in durum and wheat

Phenomic selection uses data from near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict measured traits in the field or quality laboratory in a similar way to so-called genomic selection. The LSA has already demonstrated the high potential of this method in soya and triticale. In this project, the accuracy and stability of NIRS prediction over years and breeding cycles will now be tested using data from the existing durum breeding programmes. Different designs of the calibration data sets and breeding scheme optimisation will be consulted. If the evaluation is positive, phenomic selection will be finally integrated into the existing breeding programmes. For wheat prebreding program, on the other hand, genomic selection is to be developed for the breeding programme. In addition, the proportion of the genetic resource in the new prebreeding lines is to be determined on the basis of the genetic markers. Various models will be established and compared for this purpose.

Funded by Universität Hohenheim.

FagoBreed – Testing of breeding material and cultivar development in common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) using genome-wide diversity and association analyses

Due to its very short vegetation period, common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is suitable as a second or catch crop for diversifying arable crop rotation systems. Buckwheat is very frugal in its cultivation, it requires neither plant protection nor fertilisation and grows relatively well even in poor soils. The low yields observed in practice are due to lodging and, above all, to seed loss during harvesting.

The overall objective of the project is to create a basis for the development of sustainable, preferably regional value chains for buckwheat through extensive phenotyping, the development of innovative breeding methods and practical breeding work. With the provision of the first adapted high-yielding and easy-to-process varieties, the aim is both to increase the attractiveness of buckwheat cultivation and expand agrobiodiversity, and to create an incentive for processors and consumers.

Our main task in the joint project is the technical implementation and realization of a breeding program for buckwheat. Thereby, we want to use the remnant seed method based on selected half-sib families. In multi-location and multi-year field trials, the best half-sib families will be selected and the best ones will be used to built populations, which are offered to interested breeders for maintenance breeding and variety registration according to the guidelines of the University of Hohenheim.

Partners are: Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft (LfL), Institut für Pflanzenbau und Pflanzenzüchtung; ETH Zürich (ETH) Departement Umweltsystemwissenschaften Molekulare Pflanzenzüchtung; Bundesforschungsinstitut für Kulturpflanzen, Institut für Züchtungsforschung an landwirtschaftlichen Kulturen (JKI-ZL); Saatzucht Streng-Engelen GmbH & Co. KG; Saatzucht Steinach GmbH & Co KG; Alterseeds; Südwestdeutsche Saatzucht GmbH & Co. KG

Funded by: Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft – Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung - Innovationsprogramm

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