The use of Composite Cross Populations (CCPs) as an alternative breeding approach, has gained significant interest, particularly due to the potential adaptability of evolving populations to specific locations. Three winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) CC populations were created in 2001 through collaboration between Elm Farm Research Centre (ORC) and the John Innes Institute in the UK. The populations were created through the inter-crossing of 20 parental varieties, in order to create a high yielding (Y) population; a high baking quality (Q) population and a population consisting of the 9 x 12 (YQ) intercrosses. Since 2005/6 (F5), the populations have been maintained at Kassel University without conscious selection.
The objectives of the study are to increase the resilience, adaptability and performance of winter wheat through increased genetic diversity, as well as the improvement of breeding efficiency and the introduction of a novel breeding method that has the potential to provide an alternative source of germplasm in the form of CCPs. The adaptation of CCPs into mainstream practice is hampered by a number of factors including legal and quality aspects, but yield performance and stability of the CCPs are important criteria in view of increasing climatic unpredictability and for farmers (Finckh et al. 2000). Actual yields, as well as the yield stability of the populations relative to a common reference variety will be presented
