Well-performing heterogeneous varieties developed by DIVERSILIENCE: results and opportunities for introduction into cultivation

Abstract

The research work carried out by the project DIVERSILIENCE highlighted the high agronomic value of (a) a few populations of wheat in Denmark and Norway, white lupin in Italy, and common or runner bean in Slovenia, and (b) a few cultivar mixtures of wheat and soybean in Romania (see the deliverable D2.1). The current deliverable aims to discuss challenges and opportunities to make the seed of these materials available to organic farmers. Key factors in this respect were the type (population or cultivar mixture), extent of morphophysiological heterogeneity, and ownership of the material, and the potential market size of the species and heterogeneous variety. Cultivar mixtures are far less challenging than populations for adoption by farmers, provided that all the relevant component cultivars are available on the market. Usually, populations ought to be registered as OHM as a precondition for their availability to organic farmers. One exception was represented by a Slovenian composite population originated from four lines that were pre-selected for identity of morphophysiological traits, which achieved sufficient homogeneity and distinctness for ordinary registration under the name of KIS Amand. For registered populations, a crucial challenge is represented by the development of a business model that could sustain the breeding of OHM, within seed systems that have been designed and regulated for genetically homogeneous varieties. The populations bred by a public breeding institution (as in the case of white lupin and bean materials) could be considered as a public good whose marketing does not need to generate funds for breeding work. However, their marketing by a licensed seed firm should involve seed fees able to compensate for seed amounts that are expectedly lower than for ordinary varieties because of wide farmers’ utilization of saved seed for future sowings. The seed marketing of the best wheat populations, which were bred by private breeders, could hardly produce enough income to support breeding activities, at least in this pioneer phase of population adoption by farmers. Agrologica has devised an original system of membership fees for farmers that require population seed. Anyway, some form of public support appears necessary to support at least in part the breeding work on populations performed by interested breeders