Research projects

ECOBREED was a European research and innovation project aimed at improving the availability of seeds and cultivars suitable for organic and low-input agriculture. Coordinated by the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, the project focused on four important crops: wheat, potato, soybean and common buckwheat.

The main objective was to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of organic crop breeding by developing innovative breeding methods, improving existing approaches and developing cultivars better adapted to the specific requirements of organic production.

Particular attention was given to traits such as resistance to diseases and pests, tolerance to environmental stress, improved nutrient-use efficiency, weed competitiveness and nutritional quality.

Main Activities and Results

ECOBREED combined advanced genomic and phenotypic research with practical variety testing under different European growing conditions.

Key activities and results included:

• Characterisation and evaluation of genetic resources of wheat, potato, soybean and buckwheat, identifying traits relevant to organic breeding.
• Development and application of innovative breeding methods, including the use of molecular markers.
• Development of improved breeding material and new cultivars suitable for organic production.
• Improvement of organic seed production and multiplication methods.
• Implementation of participatory plant breeding and field trials in cooperation with farmers.
• Preparation of technical materials, training activities and demonstrations to facilitate knowledge transfer into agricultural practice.

An important aspect of the project was the active involvement of farmers in variety testing and selection. Through participatory field trials, researchers and growers jointly evaluated the performance of different genotypes under real farming conditions, contributing to the development of cultivars adapted to local organic farming needs.

The project also established a publicly accessible database containing genotypic and phenotypic data on the plant genetic resources studied. Its research findings, breeding material and technical resources provide a valuable foundation for the further development of organic plant breeding in Europe.

Partnership

ECOBREED was coordinated by the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (KIS) under the leadership of Dr Vladimir Meglič. At its conclusion, the international consortium comprised 24 organisations, bringing together research institutions, universities, plant breeding organisations and companies from Europe, China and the United States.

Project Coordinator:

• Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (Slovenia)

Project Partners:

• University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna – BOKU (Austria)
• National Centre for Agricultural and Food Research (Czech Republic)
• Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Novi Sad (Serbia)
• National Agricultural Research and Development Institute Fundulea (Romania)
• HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research (Hungary)
• Newcastle University (United Kingdom)
• L.C. Smales & Son Limited (United Kingdom)
• SELGEN a.s. (Czech Republic)
• University of Tuscia (Italy)
• Naturland (Germany)
• University of Vigo (Spain)
• Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute – IHAR (Poland)
• PRO-BIO (Czech Republic)
• BIOMILA (Slovakia)
• National Agricultural and Food Centre – NPPC (Slovakia)
• RGA, Raziskovalna genetika in agrokemija, d. o. o. (Slovenia)
• Saatzucht Gleisdorf GmbH (Austria)
• Global Seed d.o.o. Čurug (Serbia)
• Secobra Saatzucht GmbH (Germany)
• Vereinigung der Pflanzenzüchter und
  Saatgutkaufleute Österreichs (Austria)
• Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (China)
• Washington State University (United States)
• Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences – MATE (Hungary)

Funding

ECOBREED received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 771367.