Flowering time, which is the moment that a plant switches from vegetative to generative development, is a crucial event in a plants life cycle to ensure optimal reproduction. Flowers are the basis for fruit and seed production and as a consequence flowering time is a key parameter for crop production, crop yield and crop adaptation to growing conditions. The process of floral induction is under tight control by environmental factors, such as light and temperature. Although, this process has been studied in detail in the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana and various crop species, the way how changes in ambient temperature are sensed and integrated is not very well understood. The aim of this project is to decipher the molecular pathways underlying ambient temperature-mediated flowering time control in Arabidopsis and to apply this knowledge for the improvement of Cauliflower varieties. Currently, cauliflower curd initiation (flowering time) is varying significantly due to changes in ambient temperatures in the field. Climate conditions are highly variable and as a consequence prediction and synchronization of harvest time by plant growers is difficult and the quality of curds and crop yield strongly fluctuate. In this project we will study the effect and role of alternative splicing, epigenetic regulation, and physical properties of key flowering time regulatory genes and proteins in ambient temperature regulated floral timing in Arabidopsis. The gained knowledge will be transferred to cauliflower using both an experimental and bioinformatics/modelling approach. Together with gene expression profiling of selected cauliflower accessions with different temperature sensitivity regarding to curd initiation this will lead to the identification of genes that play a role in the regulation of flowering time under changing ambient temperatures. A diverse collection of cauliflower accessions will be phenotyped in field experiments with recorded environmental conditions (temp, light) and allelic variation for candidate genes involved in this trait will be determined via selected sequencing of target genes. Altogether, these efforts will result in models that can predict flowering time under various temperature regimes and will give a better understanding of the ambient temperature flowering time pathway, which will ultimately lead to cauliflower varieties less sensitive and adapted to fluctuating environmental conditions, with increased production capacity.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) intend to provide incentives for innovation by providing an exclusive right on commercialisation. IPR systems are expanding, both in terms of the number of countries, and the subject matter to which these regulations apply. Yet, the incentive for breeding new plant varieties for poor farmers is unclear since they commonly depend on informal seed sources. On the other hand, more advanced technologies may be available to developing countries when IPRs are effectively implemented. Ethical dilemmas arise as to who will benefit from the different types of IPRs. The research project will analyse the different seed systems for commercial and food security crops using System Dynamics methods. This provides insights to analyse the impact of different IPR systems (Trademarks, Patents and Plant Breeders Rights). The project concentrates on South Africa, Uganda and Ethiopia and involves case studies that have a strong link with The Netherlands (potato biotechnology and vegetable breeding). The project will inform African countries that are to introduce or upgrade their IP systems, managers of the breeding organisations in Africa and abroad that have to adjust their IP-strategies accordingly in such a way that innovation, and (poor) peoples access to its products, is indeed stimulated. The project has an interdisciplinary management team with scientists from these African countries, and secured involvement of African NGOs, private sector and research managers in the valorisation team. The scientific publications and policy briefs, and the linkages of the project with ongoing initiatives, contribute to its societal relevance.

There is hardly a more Dutch icon to be found than the tulip. Economically, with an annual production value of €600M, the Dutch bulbous sector is flourishing. Despite, the sector is facing serious threats, such as increasing disease pressure and incessant pesticide usage. Although genetic resources for disease resistance are available, development of new cultivars through “breeding by design”, as is common practice for many crops, is seriously hampered by the lengthy breeding cycle in tulip. Main drawbacks are the long juvenile period, the strictly one-year-life cycle of full-grown adult bulbs, and the low vegetative propagation rate. Consequently, starting from seeds, it takes 3-7 years before first flowering, 10 years for hybrid selection, and then another 10 years for production of bulbs for commercial release. The main goal of this project is to enable tulip ‘life cycle shortening’ (LCS) and ‘flowering-on-demand’ during breeding and initial propagation of plant material. We hypothesize that the long breeding cycle can be shortened by intervening in sink-source relationships and by precocious activation of key flowering time integrators. Research will focus on evolutionary conserved regulatory components involved in juvenile-to-adult transition, floral induction, resource allocation and usage, and bulbing. In collaboration with the private partner, the knowledge gained from this fundamental research will be translated into new breeding tools for tulip LCS. Ultimately, this will provide the opportunity for a paradigm shift in tulip production and the introduction of a sustainable ‘tulips from seed’ concept, comprising rapid trait integration and true F1-hybrids.

In this third year we have submitted and published a number of scientific articles. Annemarieke de Bruin has analysed how people in our learning process perceive the Dutch food system transition from a justice perspective. Jelle Silvius and Anne Hoogstra have analysed the transformative potential of 29 out of 174 circular agriculture initiatives in the region. Durk Tamsma has started a scenario analysis about consequences of closing nutrient cycles in the North of the Netherlands in terms of agricultural productivity, land use, and our diet. We also organized the third workshop of our learning process in Groningen.

The NWA-route ‘Sustainable production of safe and healthy food’ has set its goal on realizing radical changes in the agricultural food system. These radical changes are described in eight so-called Gamechangers (GCs). In this proposal we have selected three subprojects who are contributing to three different GCs. Subproject 1: This project explores the role of strategic, wilful ignorance of sustainability, health, and animal welfare issues by consumers that facilitate (too) high levels of meat consumption. A behavioural intervention is designed with the aim to reduce ignorance of such issues in order to curtail meat consumption, and promote plant-based consumption. Subproject 2: Light intercepted by the canopy of a crop dictates the energy available for efficient photosynthesis, however its measurements in the field is challenged by its large temporal and spatial variability. Here we want to test the suitability of low-cost continuous line ceptometers for high-throughput phenotyping. Subproject 3: Exploring new protein sources requires multidisciplinary collaboration. P-PRO aims to leverage this effort by taking the lead in constructing a shared ontology (a machine-readable network of concepts and relations). P-PRO will allow researchers, product developers and others to access relevant data in a transparent and efficient way using their terminology.