The future challenges of organic plant breeding

Transcription

1 The future challenges of organic plant breeding Edith Lammerts van Bueren Wageningen University & Louis Bolk Institute, The Netherlands Korea, 9 October 2015

2 Relative yield gap organic versus conventional production: what can breeding do? (De Ponti et al., 2012)

3 Conventional versus organic varieties The degree of overlap between conventional and organic suited varieties depends on: the crop requirements applied breeding techniques conven&onal varie&es organic varie&es

4 Developments in conventional breeding (1) From farmer-breeding to scientific-breeding From breeding as an art to more technical science From low-cost to increasingly capital-intensive Small crops get less attention in breeding From open source to closed system (see e.g. patents) Regulations first to protect the farmers/community, now to protect the companies Different opinions on underlying values

5 Organic values for plant breeding Organic values in plant breeding: - Ecological (no pesticides, no herbicides): what traits? - Ethical (no GM, no patents): how to breed? - Social (role of stakeholders?): multi-actor approach? - Economical (scale): diversity of variety assortment, including small crops? Breeding is not only a technical activity, but also a socio-economic activity with legal issues!

6 Development in conventional breeding (2) Aggregation levels in breeding Systems breeding Plant breeding Trait breeding

7 Trait oriented research Aggregation levels in breeding Systems breeding Plant breeding Adding traits for low-input systems: Durable resistances (stacking genes, horizontal) Nutrient efficiency, Improved root systems Ability to cope with Myccorhiza s Weed suppression Baking quality Trait breeding (incl Marker assisted selection) E.g.: NUE CROPS (EU) Green Breeding (NL)

8 Towards systems breeding How can we put more emphasis on systems breeding? Systems breeding Plant breeding? Trait breeding (incl MAS)

9 Systems varieties: supporting multi purposes for food & feed for straw, compost for weed suppression for soil structure

10 Systems varieties: supporting buffering capacity Populations versus pure lines Breeding for diversity Crop mixtures Breeding for combinability

11 Systems varieties: flexible varieties? Some lettuce varieties are capable to quickly form extra roots when drought or nutrient stress occurs. Kerbiriou et al., 2014

12 Systems varieties: supporting increasing soil organic matter There is genetic variation in root biomass in grasses without compromising on above soil biomass. J. Deru et al., 2014

13 Why systems breeding? Organics not only needs varieties that fit in a low-input system (additional traits), But that enable the system to work! ecologically Contribute to resilience socially economically

14 From Control towards a Resilience model

15 New models for breeding and IPR (1) Community breeding Common good, open source Plant breeding Breeder s and Farmer s Rights? Trait breeding Patents

16 New business models, new approaches How to organise and finance breeding for systems varieties? for more diverse, regional varieties? Need for new business models! E.g.: Farmer-based breeding Chain-based breeding Community-based breeding

17 Chain based breeding in Bioimpuls organic late blight resistance potato breeding 6 breeding companies LBI and WUR 12 farmerbreeders

18 Supporting farmer-breeders and retailers

19 New models new research approaches Systems-based breeding and research Not only technical aspects (epigenetics?), but also: On-farm Research Participatory Research Multi stakeholder networking Action Research Open Source models Restoring/renewing lost relationships among partners in the community!

20 Future research and breeding? Community based breeding Systems breeding Plant breeding Trait breeding Plant/Crop breeding Systems breeding Trait/gene breeding