Plant genetic resources and their use in organic agriculture

Organic agriculture and plant genetic resources are closely related topics, as organic farming relies on the conservation and use of diverse and adapted varieties of crops. Plant genetic resources are the raw materials that can help improve the productivity and quality of organic agriculture, as well as enhance its resilience to environmental stresses and pests. Organic agriculture also contributes to the in-situ conservation of plant genetic resources by maintaining and selecting local varieties that have a high degree of genetic variability. An important goal of the ECOBREED project is to identify genetic and phenotypic variations for morphological, abiotic/biotic tolerances/resistance and nutritional quality traits that can be used in organic breeding. The first step to achieve this goal was to make the inventory of available genotypes of four crops: wheat, potato, soybean, and buckwheat. For this purpose, we have examined genetic resources of four crops stored in gene banks, used in previous European and national research projects, and available through plant breeding programmes and seed companies. We have also used agronomic data on available and used varieties in organic farming, varieties characterized by good disease resistance and quality. Selected 200 wheat genotypes originate from 12 different European countries, 197 potato accessions were identified from several databases, the list contains 242 soybean accessions that originated all around the world and of buckwheat were identified through international databases. Much of the material represents cultivars that were released in the last two decades and are included in either the European list or national lists

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

SELECTION OF POTATO PARENTAL LINES WITH COMPLEX RESISTANCES TO POTATO PATHOGENS AND PESTS

The efficiency of breeding new potato cultivars may be increased by pre-breeding that is by developing parental lines, which have new traits, not present in the genetic pool available for breeders or have new combinations of genes, or have improved level of economically important traits. The use of parental lines in commercial breeding programs is expected to ensure the biological progress in the newly created cultivars of potato. At the beginning, the development of parental lines in Młochów Research Center of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute – Nation-al Research Institute (IHAR-PIB) was focused on resistance to viruses and later on resistance to late blight and other pathogens. The procedures of selecting resistant parental lines are described. These procedures were initially based on purely phenotypic tests for resistance, which lately were supplemented with marker assisted selection (MAS) apply-ing molecular markers linked with some resistance genes

Selection of Potato Parental Lines with Complex Resistances to Potato Pathogens and Pests

The efficiency of breeding new potato cultivars may be increased by pre-breeding that is by developing parental lines, which have new traits, not present in the genetic pool available for breeders or have new combinations of genes, or have improved level of economically important traits. The use of parental lines in commercial breeding programs is expected to ensure the biological progress in the newly created cultivars of potato. At the beginning, the development of parental lines in Młochów Research Center of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute - National Research Institute (IHAR-PIB) was focused on resistance to viruses and later on resistance to late blight and other pathogens. The procedures of selecting resistant parental lines are described. These procedures were initially based on purely phenotypic tests for resistance, which lately were supplemented with marker assisted selection (MAS) applying molecular markers linked with some resistance genes