Breeding for organic agriculture: the example of winter wheat in Austria

• Published in: Euphytica Vol. 163; no. 3; pp. 469 - 480
• Main Authors: Löschenberger, Franziska, Fleck, Andreas, Grausgruber, Heinrich, Hetzendorfer, Herbert, Hof, Gerhard, Lafferty, Julia, Marn, Marion, Neumayer, Anton, Pfaffinger, Georg, Birschitzky, Johann
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01.10.2008; Springer Netherlands; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agronomy; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; artificial selection; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; breeding for organic agriculture; Crop science; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; genotype-environment interaction; Genotype-environment interactions; Genotypes; germplasm; grain yield; indirect selecition; Life Sciences; low input agriculture; Organic farming; organic production; Plant breeding; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant reproduction; Plant Sciences; selection criteria; Sustainable agriculture; Triticum aestivum; value for cultivation and use; varieties; variety trials; Wheat; Winter wheat; Austria; Central Europe; Europe; Low input; VCU; Indirect selection; DUS; Breeding strategy; Low input agriculture; Monocotyledones; Cereal crop; Genotype environment interaction; Gramineae; Organic agriculture; Winter crops; Angiospermae; Genetic improvement; Spermatophyta; Triticum aestivum
• ISSN: 0014-2336; 1573-5060
• DOI: 10.1007/s10681-008-9709-2

Breeding for organic agriculture (BFOA) is a strategy for a commercial breeding company based on the exploitation of the frequently observed high correlation for many traits between conventional, low input (LI) and organic agriculture (ORG). Indirect selection under LI can be useful to roughly divide the germplasm into the genotypes better adapted to high input and those better adapted to LI or ORG conditions. BFOA is an evolving process, in which two methods are currently applied: early generations are either selected following the pedigree system under LI, or grown as bulk populations on ORG fields. In the latter case the system switches to LI after individual ear selection under ORG conditions. In both methods, the first replicated yield trial is grown parallel under ORG and LI. Subsequently, the genotypes are grouped into conventional or ORG advanced trial series. The BFOA strategy allows that the larger genetic variability of both the organic and conventional gene pool can be exploited in the selection for ORG. Hitherto, seven winter wheat varieties were released in Austria after exclusive organic VCU testing.