France
September 29, 2010
The SOLIBAM project has been launched in March 2010. SOLIBAM will develop specific and novel breeding approaches integrated with management practices to improve the sustainability, quality, performance and stability of crops adapted to organic and low-input systems, in their diversity in Europe and taking into account the “small-scale farms” in Africa.
Performance of current high input agricultural systems relies on intensive production based on high fossil energy consumption and large-scale use of plant protection products and fertilisers. The growing consumer’s demand for healthy food with diversified organoleptic qualities, as well as the increasing awareness of the need to preserve endangered environments and biodiversity while limiting greenhouse gas emissions and resource use, stimulates organic and low-input production..
The establishment of organic and low input production systems needs to consider environmental conditions, agronomical improvements and crop management innovations linked to breeding activities. SOLIBAM main focus is the “diversity” : genetic diversity within crops, diversity in cropping systems and in management practices, and wild biodiversity in agro-ecosystems. Our research hypothesis is that developing diversity at all levels is the best strategy for improving crop adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions and for increasing yields and yield stability. Thus many aspects of soil quality management, such as husbandry practices, tillage practices, host plant resistance, crop rotation, and intercropping are fundamental measures to enhance adaptation of plants and the sustainability of these agricultural practices.
SOLIBAM will develop innovative breeding and management strategies, considering genotype-environment-management interactions, using smart breeding techniques such as monitoring diversity with molecular markers, creating new populations with plant breeders and participatory breeding with farmers.During 4.5 years, SOLIBAM will gather 22 organisations coming from 12 countries (10 in Europe and 2 in Africa) and ICARDA, International Center for Agricultural Research In the Dry Areas. The consortium represents many different regions from the North of Europe to Africa and thus, numerous agro-climatic conditions and cultural contexts. A large space is managed for participatory researches to better answer to key adaptation criteria of organic and low-input agriculture, from the soil to the market.
To achieve this, SOLIBAM will:
- Identify traits specific for adaptation to low-input/organic conditions over a wide range of agro-climatic conditions in Europe
- Develop efficient phenotyping, genotyping and molecular tools to monitor heritable variation during the selection process. Molecular analysis of functional polymorphisms will increase accuracy in breeding methodologies and improve monitoring of genetic diversity and adaptation along generations and will increase the understanding of adaptive phenomena
- Develop the use of within-crop diversity to cope with current and increasing variation in organic and low input agriculture
- Design, develop and test innovative arable and vegetable cropping systems based on integration of a high level of diversification in crop management with the use of genetically diverse populations or varieties
- Compare the effectiveness of different breeding strategies under conventional, low input and certified organic farming conditions to set up optimal breeding strategies for the production of varieties suitable for organic and low input farming taking into account the traits avoided in conventional breeding
- Quantify the effects and interactions of breeding and management innovations on crop nutritional, organoleptic and end-use quality
- Develop methodologies for farmers’ participatory research in the context of low-input and organic farming in relation to local market needs
- Assess the environmental, food quality, cost and profit margin impacts for the breeding and management innovations to identify farm business, consumer demand and legislation related issues that are likely to influence their adoption
The Inra laboratory of SAD Paysage (Rennes, France) is the coordinator of this project.
Scientific contacts:
Véronique Chable
Unité de recherche "SAD Paysage"
Centre INRA de Rennes
Tel: +33(0)2 23 48 70 49
chable@rennes.inra.fr
Isabelle Goldringer
Unité de recherche "Génétique végétale"
Centre INRA de Versailles-Grignon
Tel: +33 (0)1 69 33 23 70
isa@moulon.inra.fr
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