The development of integrated pest management will more and more rely upon the identification, utilization and ultimate deployment of effective and durable host resistances to the most important pathogens through the design of new multi-resistant varieties. In oilseed rape, many efforts have aimed at describing the genetic architecture of disease resistance but these studies were performed independently for each disease. Moreover, there is a lack of genetic variability for resistance within OSR for many diseases and some valuable resistance sources have been identified in the progenitors of OSR, especially in B. oleracea. Thus, in order to progress towards multi-resistant varieties, there is a need for a better integration of researches on genetics of disease resistance in Brassica species and for a wider exploitation of Brassica diversity through the identification of valuable resistance alleles for breeding. The general objective of GeWiDis project is to perform a comparative analysis of the structural organization and allelic diversity of resistance factors to most important diseases of OSR in diverse Brassica materials and to optimize the strategy of breeding multi-resistant varieties through the exploitation of a wide genetic diversity. The project aims to (i) investigate the localisation of the resistance factors involved in the different diseases and their relationships (common/specific regions, positive/negative correlations), (ii) study the impact of Brassica genome organization on the genetic diversity and evolution of these resistance factors among different Brassica materials, (iii) identify key genomic regions for resistance and valuable resistance alleles in the Brassica resources and associated makers to be used in breeding and (iv) set up an optimized scheme for the introgression of new resistance variability in OSR. This project will take advantage of the complementarities of the partners from the two countries to generate considerable amounts of new knowledge on OSR resistance through a multi-disease integrated approach and high throughput phenotypic and genomic data production on very original Brassica genetic resources (core collections of OSR and B. oleracea, semi-synthetic and synthetic B. napus). Genome wide association studies and fine scale sequence analyses in key regions will allow to determine how polyploidy affects resistance factors organization/allelic diversity and resistance expression. Common and specific key regions for resistance to the different diseases will be identified as well as resistance haplotypes/alleles either already introduced into OSR or to be introgressed from diploid species through an optimized scheme. GeWiDis, through the combined efforts of public and private partners, will then bring new resources and tools for an efficient breeding of multi-resistant varieties adapted to the current and future environmental context.

The PhotoBoost project addresses the widening gap between agricultural productivity and the global market demand for food/feed and bioenergy crops in an environmentally friendly manner by increasing the efficiency of photosynthetic CO2 fixation. This will be achieved by developing enhanced C3 crops that combine two or more of the following approaches: a) the optimisation of light reactions; b) the integration of an algal CCM; c) the introduction of an engineered photorespiratory bypass mechanism, improved by the knockout of the native plastid glycolate-glycerate transporter; and d) the optimisation of source-sink capacity, improved by the knockout of phloem-mobile tuberisation signal SP6A, thus enhancing the resilience of heat-sensitive cultivars to climate change. The consortium members have increased photosynthetic efficiency by up to 15% using individual approaches, but the stacking of multiple approaches in the same plant has never been attempted before. We will also explore e) the adaptation of stomatal conductance to improve the water-use efficiency, and f) the integration of an O2 scavenging mechanism as a novel strategy to boost photosynthesis. Experience from past and/or ongoing EU and B&MGF projects clearly indicates that although the individual approaches can be effective, they are insufficient to achieve the ambitious objectives of the current call. Therefore, the PhotoBoost project will generate optimised lines representing two major food crops (potato and rice) by simultaneously targeting multiple constraints limiting photosynthetic efficiency. We aim to increase photosynthetic efficiency under diverse environmental conditions by at least 20–25% in terms of photosynthesis rates and by at least 25–30% in terms of biomass yield. Our published results demonstrate that such approaches are viable and there is no a priori reason to doubt that combining multiple approaches in the same plant will achieve even higher levels of biomass yield and productivity.

Flowering in wheat results in the production of grain that is harvested for human, animal and industrial use. Yield is a product of the number of flowers and the proportion of the flowers that successfully set grain. Wheat yields in the UK are generally high but some varieties show infertility (a low proportion of flowers setting grain) under certain environmental conditions. An example of this problem occurred in the winter wheat variety 'Moulin' in the mid 1980's when poor grain set caused losses to growers of up to 90%. Wheat infertility remains a serious threat because a variety with this weakness may slip through the current trialling system and give a serious yield failure. In addition, lower and less obvious levels of infertility may be suppressing wheat yields. Each 1% loss in fertility is estimated to cost £18m to the UK (i.e. 15mt production at a grain price of £120 per ton). Eliminating alleles that cause infertility will therefore enhance yield and protect against yield failure. Despite the seriousness of this problem very little is known about the genes that make some varieties vulnerable to infertility. To address this, Nickerson-Advanta UK Ltd, RAGT Seeds Ltd and KWS UK Ltd, who produce 95% of the current wheat varietes in the UK, have initiated a project in collaboration with the Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA), the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) and the John Innes Centre (JIC). The companies will provide doubled haploid (DH) populations between parent known to differ in vulnerability to infertility. These popluations will be grown by SAC in sites known to induce reproducible levels of infertility. By combining this with genotying data it will be possible to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) that control the trait. This will allow breeders to select against these undesirable effects. Five diverse populations will be studied, and a primary aim is to determine if there are one or several genetic causes of infertility. This is important for developing a strategy to combat this problem. Results will be tested in a larger collection of varieties and lines provided by the companies and results will ultimately feed through into new testing regimes that will help prevent 'at risk' lines from reaching the market place.

To stabilise high yield levels growers require the rapid establishment of optimum plant stands under many different environmental conditions. Because germination refers to the ability of a seed to produce a normal seedling under favourable conditions, selection of seedlots on the basis of germination characteristics alone will not necessarily identify those that will be most successful in seedling establishment. The aim of CONVIGOUR is to determine the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms influencing genetic variation for seed vigour in Brassica napus and develop new bio- and genetic markers for breeding of new cultivars with enhanced vigour and yield stability. In particular the project aims to: i) Understand the impact of seed and seed coat structure and chemical composition on seed vigour; ii) Determine the roles of micronutrients and phytohormones on germination performance and vigour iii) Understand the responses of these seed traits to environmental factors in order to investigate the genotypexenvironment interactions iv) Develop bio-markers and high-throughput metabolic and genetic screening tools for breeding of new cultivars with enhanced seed vigour and environmental stable yield The objectives proposed in this project will be achieved by high-throughput phenotyping and genotyping of a large collection of genetically diverse B. napus genotypes. The industrial partners will provide expertise in field-based phenotyping and Brassica biology, and will benefit from the application of new genetic and bio-markers. A tight partner network has been established according to the respective expertise of the industry and research partners. As a result we first expect to gain major improvements in breeding and seed production by better understanding the phenotypes of seed production failures in certain genotypes or under certain environmental conditions. This will lead to identification of candidate genes and bio-markers that are expected to increase the efficiency of breeding for seed quality traits in B. napus. CONVIGOUR represents a concerted transnational effort to attain a comprehensive systems-level understanding of B. napus seed vigour, its response and adaptation to the environment and its influence on yield. Through the selection of excellent complementary partners, combining four different technology platforms in three countries, we expect to generate considerable amounts of new data and knowledge on seed vigour, and to translate these resources into innovative prediction and modeling tools in commercial breeding practice. The CONVIGOUR network will consolidate and expand existing transnational research efforts and bring together some of the leading partners in European oilseed rape and North American canola breeding and research.