Last week, BOKU had a visit from a small group from the project partner Crop Research Institute in Prague (CZ). They visited the ECOBREED WP2 durum wheat trial in Raasdorf. In the picture (from left to right): Anna Kotrbova Kozak (CRI), Eleonora Pichler (BOKU), Michal Jagr and Petra Hlásná Čepková (both CRI).

Our ECOBREEDERS from WP Soybean presented the results in the SoilAgroIT 2022 “Zemljište u doba precizne poljoprivrede i informacionih tehnologija” organized by the Agriculture Faculty Novi Sad, Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops and Srpsko društvo za proučavanje zemljista! Presented results were related to “Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the flowering phase of soybean grown in different soil conditions” and “Soil penetration resistance in soybean low input production after the cover crops introduction”.

ORGANIX, s. r. o., NPPC and partners are inviting you to the demonstration of the Organic Farming Field Day “How to eliminate growing risks and be successful in organic production” on 28 June 2022 in the Biofarm Kriváň in Važec (former area of Motorest Kriváň). During the demonstration, there will be a presentation of the company ORGANIX, s. r. o., of the ECOBREED NPPC project, and of cereal and potato varieties, demonstrations of technology, and development of organic commodity prices. There will also be a lecture on microbiological preparations in practice. Is this the future of vegetation treatment? Representatives of the production and breeding companies will also be available for discussion. More information about the location and program of the event is available via the link below.

Spoločnosť ORGANIX, s. r. o., NPPC a partneri Vás pozývajú na Deň poľa ekologickej poľnohospodárskej výroby “Ako eliminovať pestovateľské riziká a byť úspešný v ekologickej výrobe” dňa 28. júna 2022 v Biofarme Kriváň vo Važci (bývalý areál Motorestu Kriváň). Počas predvádzania bude prebiehať prezentácia spoločnosti ORGANIX, s. r. o., projektu ECOBREED NPPC, odrody obilnín a zemiakov, ukážky techniky, vývoj cien ekologických komodít, prednáška – mikrobiologické prípravky v praxi. Je to budúcnosť ošetrenia porastov? K diskusii budú k dispozícii aj zástupcovia výrobných/obchodných, osivarských a šľachtiteľských spoločností. Viac informácií o mieste a programe podujatia nájdete na nižšie uvedenom odkaze.

• INVITATION

Unsustainable and conventional agriculture is a larger driver of biodiversity and contributes to climate change and contaminating soils and water with synthetic pesticides and fertilizer.

Organic farming takes care of the natural cycles, climate, people, and biodiversity by maintaining healthy soils and soil fauna. It is based on ethical approaches to farm animals’ protection of the population and combines tradition with innovation.

It is time to re-think!

Dr Jarosław Plich from National Research Institute – Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute (IHAR) was a guest on the Polish Radio Rzeszów. He presented our project, especially breeding potato cultivars for organic agriculture. Take a listen HERE.

The Ecobreed project was disseminated by IHAR-PIB (Poland) on the “XVIII Good Harvest – cooperation in organic farming” seminar organised by Association ZIARNO, Ecological Folk High School, Living Earth Coalition and Polish Ecological Club in Gliwice on 18-19 March 2022 in Jordanów near Płock (Poland).

During 4.3. – 5.3.2022 you are kindly invited to the symposium of Living Farmining for all farmers, consumers, academic workers and activists, which will take place in Prague. PROBIO obchodní spol. s r.o. is one of the guests and will be presenting the ECOBREED project. The following topics are going to be presented and discussed:

• biodynamic and organic agriculture,
• organic wine production,
•  conversion to organic agriculture,
•  sustainability of organic farming,
•  social agriculture,
•  nutrition in organic farming,
•  buckwheat participatory trials in UK, Slovenia and Czech republic”.

More information about the event is available HERE.

ECOBREED project was presented by the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS) at the 56th Seminar for agronomists and farmers (SAPS) and the 2nd Conference of Agronomists of Serbia and Republika Srpska, which took place from 31 January to 3 February 2022.

The SAPS was attended by around 350 farmers, agronomists and other stakeholders.

You can find more information and videos from the event HERE.

Organic breeding needs a long-term commitment that will profit the entire food system. You can ensure the integrity of tomorrow’s products and strengthen consumers’ trust by joining forces with breeders and farmers. Learn more by taking a look at this very educational video of the project Engagement.Biobreeding Europe https://www.biobreeding.org. 

How to heal Czech agriculture? PROBIO sro presented the Ecobreed project at the Symposium for all the farmers, consumers, academic workers or activists organised on June 24th and 25th in Prague, Czech Republic. The event offered many workshops, presentation and discussion on topics as:

• biodynamic and organic agriculture
• community-supported agriculture
• education in organic agriculture
• city farming
• access to land
• market with organic products

More info about the event, program and some highlights are presented below.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jak uzdravit naše zemědělství? PROBIO představilo projekt Ecobreed na sympoziu pro všechny zemědělce, spotřebitele, akademicky i aktivisty pořádané ve dnech 24. a 25. června. Akce nabídla mnoho workshopů, přednášek a diskusí o tématech:

• biodynamické a ekologické zemědělství
• komunitní způsoby hospodaření
• vzdělávání v ekologickém zemědělství
• městské hospodaření
• přístup k půdě
• trh s bio produkty

Další informace o akci, programu a několika důležitých bodech jsou uvedeny níže.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Symposium_program_CZ_24.-25.6.2021

MORE INFO/VÍCE INFORMACÍ ⬇

Symposium živé zemědělství

Naturland e.V. invites you to a field visit of the ECOBRRED potato variety trial at Fam, Germany. Pfülb, Schweinfurter Str. 34, 97727 Fuchsstadt. Focus Is on varieties with tolerance against late blight. The event will take place on Tuesday, August 3rd 2021 at 6 pm.

Der Naturland e.V. lädt ein zu einer Besichtigung des ECOBREED Kartoffel-Sortenversuches bei der Familie Pfülb, Schweinfurter Str. 34, 97727 Fuchsstadt. Der Schwerpunkt des Versuches liegt auf Sorten, die gegen Krautfäule tolerant sind. Die Veranstaltung findet am Dienstag, 03. August 2021 um 18 Uhr statt.

NATURLAND_Potato_FD_03.08.2021_Invitation

Dear followers,

We would like to inform you that an open access peer-review article was published on the web page MDPI. To read the article Breeding Buckwheat for Nutritional Quality in the Czech Republic prepared by the Crop Research Institute and the Agricultural Insitute of Slovenia, click here: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/7/1262.

Dear followers,

We would like to inform you that a short article about the ECOBREED project was published in the EOL Magazine. To read the article and learn more about the ECOBREED project, click here (page 21): https://www.zelenaslovenija.si/media/uploads/revija/EOL_160/EOL%20160.pdf .

We would like to invite you to the second part of the Potato Field day, organized by the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia and the ECOBREED project. The event will take place at the Infrastrukturni Center Jablje test field in Mengeš, Slovenia on July 2, 2021. The presentation of the ECOBREED project and fieldwork will start at 12 o’clock.

V petek, 2. julija 2021, vas vljudno vabimo na drugi del dogodka Dan krompirja, ki bo potekal na poskusnem polju Infrastrukturnega centra Jablje Kmetijskega inštituta Slovenije, s pričetkom ob 12 uri. Na dogodku bodo predstavljeni rezultati projekta ECOBREED. Več informacij o dogodku: Dan Krompirja 2021.

On Thursday, 17 and on Monday, 21 June 2021, we would like to invite you to the field day Wheat, barley, peas, clover, organized by SELGEN. The field day will start at 9:00 am at the breeding station Stupice in Czech Republic and will be guided by Pavel Horčička, together with breeders. There is going to be a possibility to see several weat varieties from the ECOBREED project.

Today, 18^th of June, 2021, an organic arable demonstration farm VH Agroton in cooperation with Czech organics and PRO-BIO obchodní společnost is organizing a field day: Precision farming in organic system – pilot experiment of landscape management optimalization. PRO-BIO company will introduce principles and benefits of ongoing farmers’ participatory trials within the ECOBREED project. Demonstration farms project is supported by Ministry of Agriculture of Czech republic.

Dne 18.6.2021 demonstrační farma VH Agroton s.r.o. ve spolupráci s Czech organics a PRO-BIO obchodní společnost pořádá den otevřených dveří na téma Precizní zemědělství v EZ – pilotní využití optimalizace půdních bloků. Firma PRO-BIO obchodní společnost představí principy a přínosy probíhajících farmářských participačních pokusů v rámci projektu ECOBREED. Projekt Demofarmy 9. F.m. je podpořen MZe.

We would like to invite you to the event that will take place between 24.6. – 25.6.2021: How to heal the Czech agriculture? 🌱  Symposium for all the farmers, consumers, academic workers or activists.

You can look forward to workshops, presentation and discussion on the following topics:

✅ biodynamic and organic agriculture,

✅ community supported agriculture,

✅ education in organic agriculture,

✅ city farming,

✅ access to land,

✅ market with organic products.

Czech partners Crop Research Institute and PRO BIO obchodní spol. s r.o. are among the organisers of the symposium.

You can check more information about the event here Katalog odrůd_ECOBREED_červen_21_v3 and on the following link: https://www.asociaceampi.cz/co-delame/symposium/.

Jak uzdravit naše zemědělství? 🌱 Symposium pro všechny zemědělce, spotřebitele, akademiky i aktivisty.

Těšit se můžete na workshopy, přednášky a diskuze na témata:

✅ biodynamické a ekologické zemědělství,

✅ komunitní způsoby hospodaření,

✅ vzdělávání v ekologickém zemědělství,

✅ městské hospodaření,

✅ přístup k půdě,

✅ trh s bio produkty.

Pozvání: Katalog odrůd_ECOBREED_červen_21_v3.

URL: https://www.asociaceampi.cz/co-delame/symposium/.

We would like to invite you to the Field Day dedicated to diversification in biological resources and agrotechnics for sustainability. The field day is a co-event of several H2020 projects, including ECOBREED. The event will take place in Hungary (József Attila u. 066. hrsz., Szár, 2066) on 22 June 2021. To get more information about the event and registration, see the invitation attached bellow.

Tisztelettel meghívjuk a 2021. június 22-én tartandó a diverzifikált biológiai alapok és agrotechnikák a fenntarthatóság jegyében szervezett Szántóföldi Szakmai Napra. A rendezvény több EU H2020 projekt, köztük az ECOBREED projekt közös bemutatója. Helyszíne: 2066, Szár, József Attila u. 066. hrsz. További információ a rendezvényről és a regisztrációról a csatolt meghívóban található.

ÖMKi_DEMO_22.6.2021_invitation

BioAustria Burgenland is organizing the traditional Bionet-Field day on Friday, 11 June 2021. The common wheat trial includes several varieties from the ECOBREED project. The tour through the variety trial will be guided by Heinrich Grausgruber, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, together with representatives of the breeding companies. The field day will start at 9:00 a.m. at Café Mocca, Hauptstr. 1, 7151 Wallern im Burgenland. Current COVID regulations have to be followed.

Am Freitag, 11. Juni 2021 findet der Bionet-Ackerbautag mit Begehung der Sortenversuche von Winterweizen, Dinkel und Mais statt. Heinrich Grausgruber von der Universität für Bodenkultur Wien begleitet die Veranstaltung für das ECOBREED Projekt welches mit einigen Sorten im Winterweizenversuch vertreten ist. Der Feldtag beginnt um 9:00 Uhr, Treffpunkt ist das Cafe Mocca, Hauptstraße 1, 7151 Wallern im Burgenland. Die Feldbegehung findet gemeinsam mit Vertretern der Saatgutfirmen statt. Es müssen die aktuell gültigen Covid-19-Sicherheitsmaßnahmen eingehalten werden. Es gilt die 3-G-Regel: Genesen, Geimpft, Getestet. Es ist ein entsprechender Nachweis vorzuweisen.

We would like to invite you to the Field Day of Wheat Farmers Participatory Field Trial, organized by Universität für Bodenkultur Wien and the ECOBREED project. The event will take place at on June 15, 2021, at two sites in the Weinviertel (i.e. Aspersdorf and Starnwörth). Please, see the invitation below. In case you are interested in attending the event, please register via email heinrich.grausgruber@boku.ac.at. The number of participants is limited to 15 per site; registration should be done by June 14.

Am Dienstag, 15. Juni 2021, findet die Besichtigung der Weizen-Sortenversuche des Ecobreed Projektes statt. Veranstalter: Universität für Bodenkultur Wien. Ort: Aspersdorf bei Hollabrunn und Starnwörth (siehe Programmlink unterhalb). Anmeldungen bis 14. Juni 2021 unter heinrich.grausgruber@boku.ac.at

BOKU_DEMO_15.6.2021_invitation

This Sunday, 06. 06. 2021, the Agricultural Advisory Center in Boguchwała (Poland) organizes the II Field Day. During the event visitors will have opportunities to visit field trials belonging to various agricultural and scientific institutes. Among these experiments, one belongs to IHAR-PIB and is performed in the frame of the ECOBREED Project. The aim of this experiment is assessment of resistance to Late Blight of 65 potato cultivars from Ecobreed work collection as well as selected breeding potato clones. During the event Jarosław Plich from IHAR will give some information about this experiment and ECOBREED project, and will answer the questions of visitors.

W najbliższą niedzielę 06. 06. 2021 na poletkach Podkarpackiego Ośrodka Doradztwa Rolniczego w Boguchwale odbędzie się II Dzień Pola. W ramach tego spotkania można będzie zwiedzać pole doświadczalne tego Ośrodka, na którym zlokalizowane są eksperymenty polowe realizowane przez różne ośrodki naukowe. Wśród tych doświadczeń znajdują się poletka doświadczalne założone przez IHAR-PIB w ramach Projektu ECOBREED. Celem tych doświadczeń jest ocena odporności na zarazę ziemniaka 65 odmian ziemniaka zgromadzonych w ramach projektu kolekcji oraz wybranych rodów hodowlanych ziemniaka. Na spotkaniu będzie obecny przedstawiciel IHAR-PIB dr Jarosław Plich, który przedstawi informacje na temat doświadczeń, projektu ECOBREED oraz odpowie zainteresowanym na wszystkie pytania dotyczące tych doświadczeń.

More information / więcej informacji: https://dzienpola.podrb.pl/

Experimental field at the mid-June 2020

The same experimental field at mid-July 2020

We would like to invite you to the Cereal Field Days, organized by the Centre for Agricultural Research and the ECOBREED project. The event will take place at 2462 Martonvásár, Lászlópuszta (GPS:47.302750,18.808700), Hungary on June 15-16, 2021. To get more information about event and registration, see the invitation attached bellow.

Az Agrártudományi Kutatóközpont Mezőgazdasági Intézete tisztelettel meghívja Önt és munkatársait a 2021. június 15-16-án tartandó Martonvásári Országos Kalászos Fajtabemutatóra. Az esemény helyszíne: 2462 Martonvásár, Lászlópuszta (GPS:47.302750,18.808700). További információ a rendezvényről és a regisztrációról a csatolt meghívóban található.

ATK_Cereal_FD_15.-16.6.2021_Invitation

We would like to invite you to the Organic cereal production field day, organized by the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia and the ECOBREED project. The event will take place at Infrastrukturni Center Jablje, Grajska cesta 1, 1234 Mengeš, Slovenia on June 9, 2021. This year’s traditional event is dedicated to the production of organic cereals in (central) Slovenia.

V sredo, 9. junija 2021, ob 9. uri se bo na Infrastrukturnem centru Jablje Kmetijskega inštituta Slovenije pričel tradicionalni Dan žit. Tematika letošnjega dogodka je namenjena ekološki pridelavi žit v (osrednji) Sloveniji.

KIS_cereal_DEMO_9.6.2021_invitation

As part of the Slovenian-Bavarian intergovernmental cooperation, between May 27 & 28, 2021, the Slovenian-Bavarian Scientific Forum will be held under the organization of Slovene Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the Bavarian Academic Center for Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (BAYHOST). The purpose of the event is to strengthen scientific cooperation and enable the establishment of new contacts between interested institutions and researchers.

We are proud that the ECOBREED project is part of the opening plenary session. The project will be presented by Dr Vladimir Meglič, project coordinator and Werner Vogt-Kaute, representative of the German partner NATURLAND e.V.

More info, registration, and programme: https://www.kooperation-international.de/en/events/detail/info/slovenian-bavarian-scientific-forum/

Program_SBSF_2021_Online

V okviru Slovensko-bavarskega medvladnega sodelovanja, bo med 27. in 28. 5. 2021 potekal Slovensko-bavarski znanstveni forum v organizaciji Ministrstva za izobraževanje, znanost in šport in Bavarskega akademskega centra za Srednjo, Vzhodno in Jugovzhodno Evropo (BAYHOST). Namen dogodka je okrepiti znanstveno sodelovanje in omogočiti vzpostavljanje novih stikov med zainteresiranimi institucijami in raziskovalci.

Ponosni smo, da je projekt ECOBREED del uvodnih plenarnih predavanj. Projekt bosta predstavila dr. Vladimir Meglič, koordinator projekta in Werner Vogt-Kaute, predstavnik Nemškega partnerja NATURLAND e.V.

Program Slovensko-bavarskega znanstvenega foruma 2021

Prijava na dogodek

We would like to invite all interested farmers to the Field Day of Wheat Breeding, organized by the SECOBRA Saatzucht GmbH, the Naturland e.V. and the ECOBREED project. The event with an opportunity to see an extensive variety of wheat will take place in Feldkirchen 3, 85368 Moosburg a. d. Isar, Germany on June 17, 2021. To get more information about event and registration, see the invitation attached bellow. The registration should be done by June 10th.

Am Donnerstag, den 17.06.2021, findet bei der SECOBRA Saatzucht GmbH in Feldkirchen ein Öko-Feldtag statt. Zusammen mit Naturland werden die Feldversuche des Ecobreed-Projeks vorgestellt. Interessierte Landwirte können eine Vielzahl an Weizensorten für den ökologischen Landbau im Feld sehen. Dazu laden wir herzlich ein.

SECOBRA_DEMO_17.6.2021_invitation

We would like to invite you to the Training event on Organic Plant Breeding for farmers and students, organized by the Naturland e.V. and the ECOBREED project. The event will take place at Dottenfelder Hof, 61118 Bad Vilbel, Germany on June 8, 2021. Please, see the invitation in English language and German language bellow. In case you are interested in attending the event, please register yourself via email w.vogt-kaute@naturland-beratung.de. The registration should be done by June 3rd.

Am Dienstag, 08.06.2021, 10:00 Uhr, veranstaltet der Naturland e.V. im Rahmen des Ecobreed Projektes einen Trainingskurs Ökologische Pflanzenzüchtung für LandwirtInnen und StudentInnen. Ort: Dottenfelder Hof, 61118 Bad Vilbel. Die Teilnehmerzahl ist begrenzt. Anmeldung bis 03.06.2021 unter w.vogt-kaute@naturland-beratung.de

Naturland_training_event_8.6.2021_invitation

We would like to invite you to the demonstration event Field Day of Soya Farmers Participatory Field Trial, organized by the Naturland e.V. and the ECOBREED project. The event will take place at Florian Jobst, 84164 Moosthenning, Germany on Avgust 19, 2021. Please, see the invitation in English language and German language bellow. In case you are interested in attending the event, please register register yourself via email w.vogt-kaute@naturland-beratung.de. The registration should be done by Avgust 17th.

Am Donnerstag, den 17.06.2021, findet bei der SECOBRA Saatzucht GmbH in Feldkirchen ein Öko-Feldtag statt. Zusammen mit Naturland werden die Feldversuche des Ecobreed-Projeks vorgestellt. Interessierte Landwirte können eine Vielzahl an Weizensorten für den ökologischen Landbau im Feld sehen. Dazu laden wir herzlich ein.

Naturland_DEMO_19.8.2021_invitation

We would like to invite you to our first online training on advanced phenotyping, which will be organized by the National Agricultural and Food Centre and PSI (Photon Systems Instruments), spol. s r.o. on May 24-25, 2021. If interested, please register by May 20th, using the link below. For more information see the Official Program also provided below.

Registration Form

Official Program

We would like to invite you to the second ECOBREED Online Training on Advanced Genotyping, organized by the Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy, the SAFE-Med and the ECOBREED project. The event will take place on June 21 through June 25, 2021. Please, see the Official Invitation and the First Draft Program bellow. In case you are interested in attending the event, please register yourself via email pagnotta.lab@gmail.com using the Information Consent and the Registration Form provided bellow. The registration should be done by June 10th.

Official Invitation

First Draft Program

Information Consent

Registration Form

Information Sheet

The XXI International Workshop on Bunt and Smut Diseases will take place online tomorrow. In case you are interested to participate, do not forget to register and get you link to the virtual meeting: https://bokuvienna.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Hj5fvcq8R0a2ald1aozO-A

This is what the Nafferton Farm looked like throughout the year.

If you want to follow us regularly, do not forget to check our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Photo credits: Paul Bilsborrow on https://twitter.com/BilsborrowPaul

The ECOBREED project has found its place on the Slovene national TV show Točka preloma. The video is available at  https://4d.rtvslo.si/arhiv/tocka-preloma/174765427.

The International Conference on Breeding and Seed Sector Innovations for Organic Food Systems has started on March 8 and it will run until March 10, 2021. This year it is organized online by the EUCARPIA Section Organic and Low Input Agriculture jointly with LIVESEED, BRESOV, ECOBREED, FLPP projects and ECO-PB. At the conference, scientists are informed about the latest scientific news.

Slovenia depends on imports of foreign plant varieties and seeds. If you are interested in knowing how ECOBREED project will improve the situation in Slovenia, you can read the article that was published on 26th February 2021 in the newspaper Delo, the central daily newspaper of Slovenia: https://www.delo.si/novice/okolje/ekoloskih-semen-premalo-odobrena-konvencionalna/.

The progress of the ECOBREED project and its potential impact on the development of the organic plant breed was outlined on the Slovenian national TV, show Ljudje in Zemlja, on 28th February 2021: https://www.rtvslo.si/4d/arhiv/174757396?s=tv.

The ECOBREED’s partner, National Research Institute – Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute (IHAR), presented the ECOBREED poster at the online Plant Protection Conference – 61. Scientific Session of the Institute of Plant Protection ‒ NRI, that was held on 10‒12 February 2021. At the event there were presented 142 oral presentations and 275 posters. The event was attended by more than 2.000 participants, among whom scientists involved in plant health and/or protection, representatives from the Plant Health and Seed Inspections and policy makers from the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. You can read more about the event at https://www.snior.pl/.

See the programme: Program_KOR-61SNIOR_2021

See the Book of abstracts: Streszczenia KOR_61.Sesji Naukowej IOR-PIB_2020

This year the BIOFACH, the biggest business and congress fair with the focus on organic food in Europe, will take place online from 17 – 19 February 2021.

Dr. Vladimir Meglič, Head of the Crop and Seed Science Department – Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, and Prof. dr. Branca Ferdinando, Associate Professor of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops – University of Catania, Italy, are going to speak about strategies of H2020 projects LIVESEED, BRESOV and ECOBREED on boosting organic seed and breeding across Europe. The focus is going to be on the new EU organic seed router database that will make it possible for seed suppliers to manage their seed offers to all EU Member States with one single login.

For more information about the event, visit: https://www.biofach.de/en.

Dear followes,

we would like to invite you to the XXI International Workshop on Bunt and Smut Diseases that will happen at the beginning of May 2021. In case you are interested in the participation as presenter or participant, please find all the necessary information here: https://bunt.boku.ac.at/.

On Thursday, 28^th January 2021, the first ECOBREED’s paper (Preizkušanje različnih bioinsekticidov za zatiranje koloradskega hrošča) was presented by nine researchers on a two-day symposium NEW CHALLENGES IN AGRONOMY 2021.

On second day of the symposium, Friday, 29^th January 2021, two ECOBREED’s papers were presented. The first one was prepared by the Crop Research Institute from Czech Republic (WP5 leader) and the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia. It presented the Importance of Organic Breeding.

The second one was prepared by the Slovenian group of researchers from Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (Program ekološkega žlahtnjenja sort krompirja na Kmetijskem inštitutu Slovenije v okviru projekta ECOBREED) and presented results from organic breeding of potato varieties at the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia.

The Slovenian Society for Agronomy is organizing a symposium NEW CHALLENGES IN AGRONOMY 2021 with international participation. The symposium that takes place every other year is aimed to all who by their research and professional work constructively influence the development of Slovenian agronomy and related activities. This time, the two-day event is going to take place online and presentations from the wider field of agriculture are going to be grouped into eight thematic sections.

On 28^th January 2021 the first ECOBREED’s paper (Preizkušanje različnih bioinsekticidov za zatiranje koloradskega hrošča) is going to be presented, followed by two paper presentations (Importance of organic breeding by Dagmar JANOVSKÁ, Gabriela MÜHLBACHOVÁ, Petra HLÁSNÁ ČEPKOVÁ and Vladimir MEGLIČ, and Program ekološkega žlahtnjenja sort krompirja na Kmetijskem inštitutu Slovenije v okviru projekta ECOBREED by Peter DOLNIČAR, Eva BLATNIK and Vladimir MEGLIČ ) and one poster presentation on 29^th January 2021 (ECOBREED – Povečanje učinkovitosti in konkurenčnosti ekološkega žlahtnjenja by Vladimir MEGLIČ, Peter DOLNIČAR, Aleš KOLMANIČ, Lovro SINKOVIČ, Barbara PIPAN, Eva BLATNIK, Ana VOJNOVIĆ, Primož TITAN and Antoaneta G. KUHAR).

Are you interested in this event? You can still register today at https://www.agronomsko-drustvo.si/symposium.php.

The ECOBREED project found place in the specialized booklet Pametno kmentijstvo that was published today as part of the Slovene magazine Finance Manager. 7.950 subscribers can now learn what is Consortium doing to reach a better supply of organic seeds and how the multi-actor approach is benefiting it: https://pro.finance.si/8968410/(Brezplacna-priloga-Pametno-kmetijstvo)-Preverite-katere-tehnologije-krojijo-pametno-kmetijstvo?cctest&src=NAT_UREDNISKE_4&fbclid=IwAR1OxlnDNKFpKo5kT5Q2JosDauDHUW14sBv4EqbP6259Mu9DRQWGM_TmOSA.

Participatory Plant Breeding is an important pillar of the ECOBREED project. Our Italian partner University of Tuscia (UNITUS) was sowing on a farmer’s field for participatory organic wheat production as part of the ECOBREED project.

Photo credit: Prof. Mario Pagnotta on Twitter https://twitter.com/pagnotta_mario

Dear followers,

We would like to inform you that a short article about the ECOBREED project with Prof. Mario Pagnotta was published in Italian language on the web page ScienzaInsieme. To read the article and watch a video about the project, click here: https://www.scienzainsieme.it/ecobreed-project-con-il-prof-mario-pagnotta/?fbclid=IwAR251hsmW3SBMlQ9geKYpCqm7y2r9ddwSwRsFyfHGPLKExcjODI3tLYI0RE.

Dear followers,

We would like to inform you about the latest video of the ECOBREED project. Our Czech partner PROBIO sro (PROBIO) performed harvesting and cleaning winter wheat for Farmer Participatory Trials and prepared a YouTube video about it: https://youtu.be/ExJ3-4VIBJs.

Today, results of the ECOBREED project were presented at the Online International Workshop BIOCONTROL AGENTS AND NATURAL COMPOUNDS: IMPORTANT TOOLS FOR ORGANIC VEGETABLE FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS. The presentation was prepared by University of Vigo, Spain.

Wireworms are major pests of crops including maize, wheat and potatoes. Several chemical pesticides used to successfully manage Wireworms in the past are being phased out because of their ecotoxicity. Wireworms are troublemakers especially in organic farming, where granular soil insecticides are not available. The good news comes from Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) research showing that EPF are successful in controlling Wireworms. In this year’s potato trial in Slovenia the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia used EPF to control Wireworms. You can read more about the management of Wireworms in the article Bioaugmentation of Entomopathogenic Fungi for Sustainable Agriotes Larvae (Wireworms) Management in Maize, available at the following link: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.535005/full?report=reader.

Common bunt is a seed-borne fungal disease caused by Tilletia tritici & T. laevis. Organic farms have a heavy cross to bear when their fields are infected, as common bunt reduces grain yield and quality, even at a very low incidence. The unpleasant fishy odour of bunt balls can transform a wheat field swaying in the wind into a sea of rotten fish. Systemic fungicides are not allowed in organic system, so resistant cultivars are considered the most effective management strategy.

Identifying and introgressing resistance to common bunt in winter wheat is challenging and time-consuming. The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) embarked on this journey of illuminating the effects of QTL and resistance genes (BT-genes) on different wheat chromosomes as well as their interplay in crosses between elite varieties and exotic resistance donors.

Trade-offs between disease resistance from non-adapted sources and good agronomic performance are a common problem. The ECOBREED project combines marker- and genomics-assisted selection to lead breeding programs towards a successful selection strategy.

The ECOBREED project was presented at the 35th Annual Conference of Slovene Agricultural Extension Services. The event was held online and gathered vaious stakeholders. The ECOBREED presentation was attended by 245 people. You can read more about the event at www.kgzs.si/jsks/posvet.

Dear followers,

If you are interested to get some recent information on ECOBREED’s progress on wheat and soybean, you can registrate for the 71st Plant Breeder’s Online Conference, organized in collaboration with two of our Austrian partners, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) and the Saatzucht Gleisdor GmbH (SZG). The conference is going to happen on 23-24 November 2020. The registration form and the program are available here: http://www.saatgut-austria.at/page.asp/-/105.htm?fbclid=IwAR3y88OJ5sNIx4gASHuL71ScFrgFw_nSxMYUv-7Qjkwh2ToVeApJJ6L-qws.

Photo credit: BRESOV_eu on Twitter https://twitter.com/BRESOV_EU

As part of the ECOBREED project the Organic Potato Field Day event occurred in Boguchwała, Poland. The event was organized by National Research Institute – Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute (IHAR).

The actors of the ECOBREED project met organic farmers in Poland. They discussed on potato varieties performance.

Organic potato trials took place at the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia. Researchers are looking forward improving seed tuber quality and vigour via the use of cover crops.

On the photos bellow there is a selection of the best clones.

Ph.D. students from the Kazakh National Agriculture University (KazNAU) visited the ECOBREED’s Serbian partner, the Instiute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS), and were introduced to ECOBREED trials for innovative cultivation practices in soybean production such as cover crops and inoculants use.

The ECOBREED project was on the Slovene national TV show Ljudje&zemlja that is highly appreciated by farmers and other stakeholders. Dr. Jaka Razinger presented sustainable wireworm control strategies in organic potato breeding (video: 4:25-7:22′). The video is available at https://4d.rtvslo.si/arhiv/ljudje-in-zemlja/174729350.

As part of the ECOBREED project the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (UNEW), England, United Kingdom, set up an experiment looking at variation in wheat for production of allelochemicals for activity against weeds. The experiment may give a route to the potential for bioherbicide production.

Photo credit: Paul Bilsborrow on Twitter https://twitter.com/BilsborrowPaul

Agricultural Institute of Slovenia is a public research institute founded in 1898 making it the oldest institution of its kind in Slovenia. It is a non-profit state institution rendering a public service. The founder, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, exercises its founder rights through three ministries: the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, and the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning.

The Institute is registered for the performance of the following activities: basic, applied, and developmental research; expert tasks determined by law; laboratory and infrastructure services; supervision and control of the quality of agricultural products and products used in agriculture; consultancy; training and postgraduate education of researchers; publication of the findings and results of its research, expert, and control tasks and sales of own marketing products.

Areas of activity:

• Crop and seed science and vegetable production;
• Genetics, breeding, maintenance breeding, and genebanks for food and agriculture;
• Animal production (cattle production, pig production, apiculture);
• Fruit growing, viticulture, and oenology;
• Plant protection;
• Control of the fertility and quality of agricultural land;
• Agricultural ecology;
• Soil use and protection;
• Agricultural engineering and energy production;
• Analysis of soil, mineral, and organic fertilisers, animal feed, honey, pesticide residues, and pesticides;
• Analysis of wine, must, and spirits;
• Agriculture economics.

The Institute performs its activity within 13 departments and an independent Service for Official Certification of Seed and Plant Propagation Material. The Institute also houses a library and an INDOC centre with more than 33,000 books of specialised literature.

The majority of research and professional work is done at the laboratories and in experimental fields and plantations:

• Experimental Station for Fruit Growing – Brdo pri Lukovici,
• Infrastructure Centre Jablje,
• Trials Centre for Potato Moste pri Komendi,
• Selection-experimental station for bees at Senično pri Golniku and
• Collection-experimental blueberries plantation at the Drenovi grič.

The video presentation is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDohR5PiQB0.

The ECOBREED’s demonstration event was held on 22nd July 2020, on the field of organic farm Kozina in Hrastje pri Kranju, Slovenia, and was dedicated to organic potato production. On the following link you can watch a video that contains a short presentation in Slovene language and was filmed on the field: https://youtu.be/fH6bmtrP2Zs.

Dear followers,

You are welcome to read an article about the organic potato breeding as part of the ECOBREED project, its importance for the competitiveness of local farmers, and its positive impact on the environment, published in Slovenian daily newspaper Dnevnik: https://www.dnevnik.si/1042940219?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jutro20201003.

Dear followers,

On 15th October 2020 you are welcome to join us at the online event HOW ORGANIC BREEDING ADDS VALUE TO THE FOOD CHAIN, organized by FiBL and BÖLW. You will learn about the organic breeding and its importance to the future growth of the organic sector. You can register for the event here: https://www.liveseed.eu/2020/how-organic-breeding-adds-value-to-the-food-chain-online-event/.

Dear followes,

We would like to inform you about the 21st Eucarpia General Congress BREEDING: THE KEY TO INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS that will occur in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on 22-27 September 2021. On this occasion, experts and researchers from all over the world will present and discuss their findings and visions for meeting the great challenges that plant breeding will face in the next decades to integrate the many new technologies, skills and human experience into coherent breeding strategies. More information about the congress is available here: https://www.eucarpia.org/general-congress.html.

Dear followers,

We would like to inform you about the Organic World Congress that will occur in Rennes, France on 6-10 September 2021. More than 2500 ogranic stakeholders, farmers, researchers, and citizens will come together to address questions around resilience, societal transformation, ecosystem regeneration, health, and food sovereignty. More information about the event: https://owc.ifoam.bio/2021/en.

Dear followers,

We would like to inform you about two upcoming events. The first event is the Fam to Folk virtual conference, scheduled on 15 and 16 October 2020 (World Food Day). Registration is open until 9. 10. 2020. More information about the conference is available here: https://ec.europa.eu/info/events/farm-fork-2020-oct-15_en.

The second event is the FOOD2030 conference that will bring together researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, food system stakeholders, and citizens to exchange ideas on how research and innovation can accelerate the transformation of food systems. The event is going to occur on 16 October 2020 (World Food Day). More information about the conference is available here: https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/event/food-2030-%E2%80%93-transforming-food-systems-through.

Dear followers,

From 8th until 10th of March 2021 the International conference BREEDING AND SEED SECTOR INNOVATIONS FOR ORGANIC FOOD SYSTEM will be held in Latvia. The conference is co-organized by Eucarpia, LIVESEED, BREDOV_eu, ECOBREED and FLPP. If you are interested in presenting an abstract, visit this link: https://bit.ly/2YJt2cx. If you want to participate in the event without presentations, click here: https://bit.ly/32MFbyH.

Photo credit: www.eucarpialiveseedconference2021.lv

The ECOBREED project, RGA and dr. Primož Titan in the search for heterotic combinations for buckwheat.

Photo credit: Jernej Iskra on https://twitter.com/IskraJernej

Part of the ECOBREED project is evaluation of the effect of cover crop species on pest and disease in potato.

On the photo: trial evaluation

Photo credit: Paul Bilsborrow on Twitter https://twitter.com/BilsborrowPaul

The wheat was harvest in Germany at SECOBRA Saatzucht GmbH (SEC).

The green southern stink bug (Nezara viridula) has a negative economic impact on the Soybean production in Europe. For this reason it is important to monitor and assess its behaviour. In the photos is experiment set in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Dear followers,

You are welcome to read the latest peer-review article in Agronomy titled Prediction of Soybean Plant Density Using a Machine Learning Model and Vegetation Indices Extracted from RGB Images Taken with a UAV by Ranđelović, P.; Đorđević, V.; Milić, S.; Balešević-Tubić, S.; Petrović, K.; Miladinović, J.; Đukić, V. The article is available on the following link: https://zenodo.org/record/3978167#.XzQZDCgzaUk.

Dear followers,

We are happy to announce the publishing of the book Hyperspectral Remote Sensing. Are you interested in the non-invasive detection of plant parasitic nematodes using hyperspectral and other remote sensing systems? Then check Section V, to which project contributed: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780081028940000152.

Genetic variation in buckwheat is being evaluated in ECOBREED project including in Farmer Participatory Trials in north-east England, United Kingdom, in the spring of 2021.

On the photo is Phosphorus uptake trial in Slovenia.

On 22nd July 2020, the first demonstration event on the organic production of potatoes took place in Slovenia. The event was participated by people coming from all around the country (farms, seed merchants and Slovenian advisory services). The number of people was limited to fifty participants.

In July 2020, the buckwheat sowing for phosphorus uptake trial happened in Slovenia.

Dear followers,

You are welcome to check out ECOBREED’s brand new video presenting a short tour of the Farmer Participatory Wheat Trials and organic farming practices used at Smales Organic Seeds, United Kingdom. The video is available on the following link: https://youtu.be/EFMbYcjQB2E.

In recent years, interest in the introduction of cover crops to soybean cropping systems has increased as their potential benefits have become more widely recognized.

The SME Global Seed is working on the improvement of the soybean seed multiplication via the use of cover crops and seed inoculants. More information on the Global Seed company: https://www.globalseed.info/en/about-us.php.

On the organic farm Kozina, near Kranj, Slovenia, fourteen organic potato varieties are grown. Most of the potatoes are being late blight resistant varieties that are suitable for cooking.

Part of the ECOBREED project are wheat trials on the farm of the Newcastle University in England, United Kingdom. Bellow, there are some visible and thermal images.

Czech PROBIO sro (PROBIO) multiplied fourteen wheat varieties:

1. Alessio (Probstdorfer Saatzuch, AT)
2. Arnold (Probstdorfer Saatzuch, AT)
3. Capo (Probstdorfer Saatzuch, AT)
4. Aurelius (Saatbau Linz, AT)
5. Albertus (Saatbau Linz, AT)
6. Wendelin (Secobra Saatzucht GmbH, DE)
7. Purino (Secobra Saatzucht GmbH, DE)
8. Viki (Selgen, CZ)
9. IS Laudis (Istropol Solary, SVK)
10. PS Dobromila (NPPC Viglas-Pstrusa, SVK)
11. Edelmann (Edelhof, DE)
12. Ehogold (Edelhof, DE)
13. Hungary population (MTA, HU)
14. Liocharis population (Dottenfelder Hof, DE)

Today, WP5 group was at Saatzucht Gleisdorf, where they evaluated the the buckwheat working collection using common descriptors.

The collaborative EU-USA buckwheat trials at the WSU Organic Farm in Pullman, USA, are in excellent condition. The WSU Organic Farm is one of the location of a phosphorus uptake efficiency trial that is part of the ECOBREED project.

The first ECOBREED demonstration event is scheduled for tomorrow in Slovenia. The event is going to be focused on organic potato production. The programme is available here: http://ecobreed.eu/media-events/.

In July 2020, RGA research genetics and agrochemistry, Ltd. (RGA) inspected Magic fields in Slovenia just before harvest.

The latest ECOBREED peer-reviewed article has been just published in the Plant Science journal. The merits go the buckwheat group with scientists coming from China, India, Czech Republic and Slovenia. Follow the link to access the article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.01073/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Plant_Science&id=536624.

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), SECOBRA and Naturland met in Germany to check the status quo of the wheat trials of SECOBRA, which is one of ECOBREED’s SME partners.

SECOBRA Saatzucht GmbH is the German subsidiary of the French breeder SECOBRA Recherches SAS. Their breeding focus is on wheat and barley varieties for autumn and spring sowing.

Farmers and policymakers visited ECOBREED’s fields in Romania in order to be acquainted with the behavior under severe drought conditions of a varied assortment of organic wheat varieties.

In July 2020, the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad (IFVCNS) measured height, amount of light, canopy cover, and leaf area of soyabeans, and dry weight of the above-ground part of soyabeans. The obtained results were compared with measurement results of weeds. On photos below is visible progress of the soybean fields located in Novi Sad.

Photo credit: Dr. Goran Malidža

The ECOBREED project is one of the Horizon 2020 projects that were presented to the policymakers of the Slovak Republic.

Photo credit: National Agricultural and Food Center (NPPC)

Due to the COVID-19, the Field Days in Martonvásár, Hungary were organized in smaller groups. The organic breeding section was led by Mária Megyeri and Peter Mikó.

Photo credit: Attila Vécsy

The graph above illustrates the relevance of the ECOBREED project. The need for certified organic seed and adapted varieties is steadily increasing. Over 68.000 ha of soybean has been planted in Austria in 2020, around 39% of the total soybean acreage is organic.

In June 2020 Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS) in Serbia screened soyabean cultivars to diseases.

Today we started with the 2nd Annual Online Meeting of the ECOBREED project that will run for two full days. All partners and members of the Scientific Advisory Group were presented. Some plans for the year three were rearranged due to COVID-19.

An important outcome of the Horizont 2020 projects is the transfer of knowledge.

Potato and wheat trials at the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia were interesting also for fourty Agronomy students from the Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, who joined guided tour.

There followers,

are you working or interested in high-throughput phenotyping for crop improvement and breeding? Then submit a manuscript or follow the special issue that is led by dr. Ankush Prashar from the Newcastle University: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/12725/high-throughput-phenotyping-for-crop-improvement-and-breeding.

On 5th June 2020 project partners held the WP3 Potato online meeting, where the progress of trials in the United Kingdom, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia was checked.

On 10th June 2020 project partners held the WP5 Buckwheat online meeting, where the progress of work was monitored.

On 11th June 2020 National Agricultural and Food Center (NPPC) held the WP1 “Creation of core collections and seed multiplication” online meeting, where the process of field experiments with the multiplication of wheat, potatoes, soybeans and buckwheat was checked.

The National Agricultural and Food Center (NPPC), in cooperation with IFVC, NARDI, MTA-ATK, SEC, SEL, KIS, RGA, UNEW, UNITUS, BIOMILA, and GEO, evaluate the collection of wheat genetic resources from participating partners (DE, IT, SI, HU, AT, RO, RS, CZ, GR, UK), which are currently popular in organic farming in Europe.

Within ECOBREED project, we performed preliminary trials on wheat genotypes weed competitiveness. Classical and advance phenotyping approaches were used to evaluate and validate the potential to get a fast and more accurate method of screening and selection for crop vigour and competitiveness.

An important outcome of the Horizont 2020 projects is the transfer of knowledge.

Today, Agronomy students from the Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, were guided by Dr. Aleš Kolmanič, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, through wheat and multiplication trials.

In the photo: the canopy cover on wheat trials in Slovenia.