A Collaborative Breeding Strategy for Organic Potatoes in the Netherlands

The ability of the organic farmer’s agronomic toolbox to reduce the susceptibility of a potato crop to late blight is limited, certainly under the Dutch climatic conditions. Conventional breeding programs do not generate either a sufficient number nor appropriate types of resistant varieties for organic systems; and a separate breeding program for the limited area of organic potato production is simply not viable. Therefore, all concerned forces have joined together in an umbrella program called Bioimpuls for organic potato improvement

Future breeding for organic and low-input agriculture: integrating values and modern breeding tools for improving robustness

Organic production and also the attention for plant breeding for organic agriculture is still increasing in Europe. The question often raised is how much does plant breeding for the organic sector differ from modern plant breeding and does a ban on GMO also include refraining from molecular marker assisted selection (MAS)? In this paper I will first elaborate on the values in organic agriculture and it related systems approach as a central focus in organic agriculture and will then discuss in which way molecular marker assisted selection can be of use for plant breeding for organic and low-input agriculture

Enhancing Resilience Through Plant Breeding Requires an Integrated and Interdisciplinary Approach

Breeding in the organic sector is not only a technical activity improving certain desired variety traits but breeding priorities are also determined by the organizational system based on cultural values anchored in specific socio-economic and legal constructions. So, if we want to stimulate breeding for a regionally diverse assortment of varieties of crops that both enhances short-term needed productivity and long-term improved resilience within the frame of the organic principles of health, ecology, fairness and care, we will need to address both the technical and organizational aspects in an integrated and interdisciplinary approach

Commitment of organic value chain for marketing phytophthora resistant potato varieties by 2020

Challenges and solutions for organic potato breeding

Organic 3.0

Biologische landbouw groeit. Maar kan de sector zich ook snel genoeg ontwikkelen om voorop te blijven in de duurzaamheidsbeweging? Afgelopen herfst presenteerde de wereldkoepelorganisatie IFOAM – Organics International haar visie op de toekomst van de biologische landbouw: ‘Organic 3.0 – voor echte duurzame landbouw en consumptie’. Wat behelst deze visie en wat doet de Nederlandse biosector ermee

European perspectives of organic plant breeding and seed production in a genomics era.

For further optimisation of organic agricultural systems, more focus is required on organically produced seeds and the development of better adapted varieties. Organic plant breeding and seed production need to comply with the concept of naturalness as applied in organic agriculture, which not only includes the nonchemical and agro-ecological approaches, but also the integrity of life approach. As organic environments are less controllable and are more variable, breeding should aim at improved yield stability and product quality by being adapted to organic soil fertility as well as sustainable weed, pest and disease management. Also the ability to produce economicacceptable seed yield avoiding seed-borne diseases should be included. On the short term, organic plant production can gain better yield stability by increasing within-crop diversity by the use of mixtures of conventionally bred varieties or crop populations. Because of expected genotype by environment interaction more research is needed to define the best selection environment for selecting organic varieties. To arrive at better adapted varieties for organic farming systems the role of practical participatory plant breeding may be crucial. Although organic farming is clear on excluding the use of genetically modified organisms and their derivates, the use of molecular markers is still under debate. Questions arise with respect to their efficiency in selecting the most important organic traits, such as yield stability, and on the compounds and substances to produce and apply them. A major concern for a GM-free organic agriculture is an increasing contamination with genetically modified organisms in organic production and products, i.e., the problems related to co-existence of GM and non- GM agriculture. This paper discusses some important factors with regard to possible impact of co-existence on organic farming. Perspectives to a global scale of organic plant breeding and seed production are given from a European point of view

The prevention of potato volunteers in organic farming systems by using pigs.

In organic agriculture potato volunteers, presenting an important primary inoculum source for late Blight (Phytophthora infestans), are controlled by mechanical meth-ods. These may be partly replaced by ‘foraging’ livestock animals, such as cattle, sheep, horses, ponies or pigs. Most animals eat only the remaining potatoes on the field surface; however, pigs also dig up potatoes. This paper reports on two experi-ments with pigs (sows or finishing pigs), which appear to be very effective in digging up potatoes that are left in the field after the potato harvest within a reasonable time period. However, the workload for the farmer, problems with animal health and meat quality and possible damage to the soil structure seriously limit the applicability of pigs for the control of potato volunteers. Aspects of animal health, animal nutrition and environmental aspects (nutrient excretion) are discussed

Searching for crop characteristics correlated with nitrogen efficiency in potato

Breeders lack knowledge about genetic variation in nitrogen response of potato under low-input conditions and about relevant crop traits associated with variation in nitrogen efficiency. Can the parameters of the ground cover curve be used as selection criteria for nitrogen efficiency in potato

Groene Veredeling: Lupineveredeling voor kalkrijke bodems - Onderzoek naar perspectiefvolle lijnen

Lupine (Lupinus spp) trekt belangstelling van zowel biologische als gangbare akkerbouwers die zoeken naar een vlinderbloemig gewas om hun vruchtwisseling te verruimen. In 2010 en 2011 zijn eerste verkenningen uitgevoerd met respectievelijk 30 en 57 kalktolerante witte lupinelijnen van de Deense veredelaar Jørnsgård. Sommige lijnen leken geschikt qua kalktolerantie, vroegheid en opbrengst. In 2012 kon het onderzoek onder het programma Groene Veredeling breder worden opgezet en zijn naast de lijnen van Deense herkomst ook lijnen van de Nederlands veredelaar Van Mierlo meegenomen in vier veldproeven, zowel gangbaar als biologisch. Waarnemingen zijn gedaan voor opkomstpercentage, symptomen kalkgevoeligheid, bodembedekking, plantlengte, begin bloei, vroegheid van afrijping en opbrengst. Van de perspectiefvolle lijnen zijn alkaloïdegehaltes gemeten. Op enkele lijnen na, is de opbrengst van de lijnen vergelijkbaar of hoger dan de referentierassen. De referentierassen brachten 2,2 ton/ha op en de meest productieve vroege lijnen 2,9 ton/ ha hetgeen duidt op een redelijke aanpassing aan kalkrijke gronden. De meeste lijnen lieten geen zware symptomen van kalkgevoeligheid zien

Crop traits relevant for selecting potato genotypes adapted to low nitrogen availability

Canopy cover development was measured for 6 to 18 different potato varieties, under 3 different nitrogen regimes. This canopy cover development can be expressed in several paramaters. Of these parameters, the 'Area Under Cover Progress Curve' and the 'percentage of maximal ground cover' show the highest correlation with the final yield in low-nitogen conditions