Breeding is an important tool to develop varieties with an optimal adaptation to organic farming. Several important traits are not covered by conventional research and breeding. At the State Plant Breeding Institute we are presently working on (1) resistance of rye to ergot (Claviceps purpurea), (2) nitrogen(N)-use efficiency in triticale, and (3) protein content of sunflower. The inheritance of these complex traits is quantitative. They are analysed in replicated field experiments at two locations in three years at several organic farms in Germany. For testing ergot resistance in rye, 68 populations, 250 full-sib families, 64 lines, and their 90 testcrosses were inoculated at mid-flowering by a spore suspension. All four material groups displayed significant (P<0.01) genotypic variation, indicating that a resistance selection should be feasible. N-use efficiency of 64 triticale genotypes was evaluated at two different N-levels. Significant genotypic variation was found, which is a prerequisite for breeding for improved N-use efficiency. To increase protein content, the 230 sunflower inbred lines investigated showed a high variation for protein and oil content. Only a small negative correlation between both traits was found. Thus, it should be possible to breed lines with high protein and high oil contents
