Information from the British Society of Plant Breeders Autumn 2014Plant Breeding MattersPlant Breeding Matters

Leading figures from across the food,farming and research sectors gathered atthe Royal Society in October to hear apreview of the wide-ranging study,which involved a systematic review ofpublished scientific literature and otheravailable information sources.

With a focus on UK and EU plantbreeding in key food and forage cropsover the past 10 years, ADAS assessedthe extent to which modern breedingprogrammes and associated research

support the objectives of sustainableintensification in agriculture – as definedin the Foresight Report and otherinfluential publications.

The study found that plant breedingprovides an important foundation toaddress multiple sustainability goals, andis a major contributor to raising yields,increasing resource use efficiency andreducing the negative environmentalimpacts of food production.

Continued overleaf

Plant breeding vital forsustainable agriculture –ADAS studyBy delivering improvements in crop yields, resource use efficiencyand reduced environmental impact, plant breeding has been a majorcontributor to meeting the goals of sustainability in agriculture,according to the interim findings of an independent review by ADAS.

ADAS REPORTHIGHLIGHTS Raising yieldsPlant breeders have helped improve andprotect crop output by selecting forphysical yield and resistance to pestsand diseases, and by improving cropquality to maximise marketable yield.

Disease resistance in particular hasbeen successfully targeted by breeders,with commercial varieties offering adegree of resistance to economicallydamaging diseases, and further researchwork is under way to broaden the scopeof resistance in crops such as oilseedrape and sugar beet.

Pest resistance has also been a focusfor breeders, particularly in wheat(orange wheat blossom midge) andsugar beet (beet cyst nematode), withfurther work in the breeding pipeline toselect for aphid resistance in wheat.

Crop quality has also been a keyobjective of modern plant breeding,with improvements in wheat varietiesfor breadmaking, enhanced quality andprocessing efficiency of malting barley,and oilseed rape bred for specificmarkets, e.g. high erucic acid rape(HEAR) and varieties with a high oleic,low linolenic fatty acid profile (HOLL).

Increasing resource use efficiencyResource use efficiency in the context ofplant breeding focuses on improving theefficiency with which the plant usesresources, principally water andnutrients. Efficiency of resource use islinked to improving yield, with higheryields associated with more efficient useof nutrients and reduced emissions pertonne of output. Traits to target furtherimprovements in nutrient use efficiencyare in the research pipeline, with Noptima traits identified in a range of

crops and genes linked to nitrogen useefficiency found.

There has also been a breeding focuson improving phosphorous useefficiency in herbage crops, whileresearch targeting further improvementsin water use efficiency is under way,with a specific focus on improvedrooting in wheat and herbage crops.

Reducing the negative environmentalimpacts of food productionProtecting yield by targeting increasedresistance/tolerance to diseases and pestsand improving nutrient and water useefficiency via enhanced rooting havehelped to reduce the negativeenvironmental impacts of foodproduction leading to improved soil andwater quality. The contribution of plantbreeders in this area is supported byother measures such as legislation, farmpractices and voluntary initiatives.

P R O M O T I N G I N N O V A T I O N I N P L A N T B R E E D I N G

Defra Minister Lord de Mauleywelcoming the relevance of the studyto government’s sustainable farmingpriorities, at BSPB’s Annual Dinner

Impact of plant breeding on sustainability traits in major cropsUsing illustrative examples, the following table provides a snapshot summary of the ADAS study, with breeding objectives classified bycrop species and according to whether commercial varieties have already delivered impact in the market place (blue) or whether furtherresearch work is in progress, or required (green).

Welcoming the ADAS study, DefraMinister Lord de Mauley said:

“The study is particularly relevantbecause of the global need for moreproductive, climate resilient andsustainable agriculture. It is right in linewith our priorities in the Agri-TechStrategy, Defra’s SustainableIntensification Research Platform, theBBSRC’s Sustainable IntensificationResearch Club and Defra’s GeneticImprovement Networks.

“My work on Agri-Tech has shownme how much my colleagues across theGovernment recognise the importance ofa productive, competitive and sustainableagricultural industry, with a thrivingcommercial plant breeding sector,working with the public sector.”

BSPB chairman Dr Richard Summerssaid:

“The concept of ‘sustainableintensification’ in agriculture – producingmore output per unit of resource andenvironmental impact – is widelyestablished as the necessary response toSir John Beddington’s ‘perfect storm’ ofpopulation growth, climate change anddeclining natural resources. Less clear isprecisely what this means in practice for

P R O M O T I N G I N N O V A T I O N I N P L A N T B R E E D I N G

different product sectors and farmingsystems.

“Unpacking the components ofsustainability is the starting point fordeveloping new metrics in agriculture,paving the way for common, agreeddefinitions of what sustainableintensification means in practical terms –so that we can benchmark currentperformance, measure improvements overtime, understand the best technologies,farming systems and practices to deliver it,and use all that information to frame theR&D agenda going forward.

“This latest report from ADAS makesa valuable contribution to that process,and clearly demonstrates the role of plantbreeding innovation as a major contributorto more sustainable farming systems.”

Trait Wheat Barley Oats Oilseed Field Field Forage Herbage SugarRape Beans Peas Maize Beet

Increaseharvestableyield

Plantbreedingaccountablefor 92%improve. inW.B & 87%in S.B since1982

Improveharvestindex andno. grainper sq.metre

0.5t/haincreaseper decadesince 1980

Littleincreaseseen

Averageincrease ofyields of0.05t/ha/year

Focus onDM andstarch yield

Focus onDM yield

Yieldincreasedfaster thanany UKarable cropsince 1980

Increase by0.7t/hadecadesince 1980

Low ß-glucanlevels, lowß-amylase

Naked oats,oil content

Decreaseglucosino-late & fibre

Reducetannins,amino acidcontent

Digestibilityenergycontent

Sugarcontent

Breadmakingquality

Mildewrust,Rhyncho.Ramularia,Net blotch

Rust,mildew

LLS stemcanker

Verticillium,Alternaria

Leaf andpod spot

Ascochytablight, rust

Pea wilt,Downymildew

P. mildew,Ascochyta

Eyespot

Fusarium BMYV, BYV

Mildew,Rhyncho.rust

AYPREyespotSept., rust

Little work TuYV Stemnematoderesistance

Little workcarried out

Corn borerresistance

Little work BCNtolerance

Little workOWBM

Aphid,BYDV

End use quality

Resistanceto disease

Resistanceto pests

Adaptionto env. extremes

Little work Little work Little work Traitsfound

Traitsfound

QTLs found Droughttolerant

Traitsidentified

Droughttol. QTLs

A significant conclusionfrom the report is that plant

breeders’ focus onselection for marketableyield delivers benefits to

resource efficiency and theenvironment

P R O M O T I N G I N N O V A T I O N I N P L A N T B R E E D I N G

Disease control is critical for successfulcrop production, and the importance ofvarietal resistance is increasing aspathogens develop resistance to existingchemical controls and regulatoryconstraints limit the range and availabilityof active ingredients.

For example, Septoria tritici isdeveloping resistance to the major azolefungicides – the primary control methodfor this important disease of UK wheat.Light leaf spot in oilseed rape, which usedto be confined to the North, now affectsmore than 85% of UK crops, yet availablefungicides offer limited control and currentgenetic resistance is starting to break downin high pressure locations.

The host-pathogen arms raceThe genetic basis for much diseaseresistance is a gene-for-gene relationshipbetween major resistance or R genes inplants, and virulence or Avr genes inpathogens. Provided the R gene canrecognise the pathogen, plant resistance

works. Eventually, however, andaccelerated by widespread use of thesame R gene in different varieties,selection pressure causes new mutant Avr genes to evolve. The host resistanceconferred by the R gene is no longereffective and the variety becomessusceptible until the breeder can find anew source of resistance. This breakdownof resistance can be dramatic anddevastating, as in the case of the highlyaggressive Warrior race of yellow rust inUK winter wheat.

Breeding objectives and strategiesPlant breeders constantly search for newsources of disease resistance. Theobjective is not to rely on single R generesistance, because of the limited lifespanand catastrophic effect of breakdown butto breed for durable resistance – moreeffective control over multiple years ofwidespread use – for example bypyramiding multiple R genes or usingcombined sources of partial resistance.

Breeding for disease resistanceFaced with constantly changing disease pressures, reduced efficacy of chemical controls and the potentialloss of key fungicides, the availability of crop varieties with in-built resistance to economically damagingdiseases is a critical component of sustainable, productive agriculture.

Disease can suppress yields, damage crop quality and harbour infestations for following crops. In extreme cases, uncontrolled disease outbreaks can lead to total crop failure.

In this article, Plant Breeding Matters explores breeding for disease resistance, its complexity, and hownew breeding techniques can open up opportunities to breed for more durable resistance and identifysolutions to intractable disease problems.

Promising lines are grown in the fieldin areas with high disease pressure sothat susceptible plants can be easilyidentified and discarded

Breeders are working to find newsources of durable resistance to yellowrust in wheat; resistances based onmajor R genes are overcome as newstrains of the pathogen emerge.

CASE STUDYEYESPOT RESISTANCE IN WHEATThe Pch1 gene is the most potent knownsource of eyespot resistance in wheat, derivedfrom goatgrass (Aegilops ventricosa) andcrossed into wheat. Pch1 is associated withhigher protein content but also causes yielddrag which has limited its commercial use todate. Breeders have been trying for 40 yearsto segregate the desirable eyespot resistanceand protein content from the deleteriouseffect on yield. Research is now under wayto identify markers and to clone the geneto help breeders separate out theundesirable traits.

Screening wheat linesfor eyespot resistancein the glasshouse ‰

‰

Photos: RAGT

P R O M O T I N G I N N O V A T I O N I N P L A N T B R E E D I N G

Genetic markers are now an essentialcomponent of breeding for diseaseresistance, and genomic selection is usedincreasingly. Genomic selection uses severalthousand markers across the whole genomeand predicts statistically from thedistribution of markers which genes arelikely to be in early crosses, allowingbreeders to identify high potential materialmore quickly.

Selection and evaluationPromising early stage material is grown onin breeders’ selection trials, all untreatedand grown in settings conducive to disease.Susceptible lines are discarded at this stage.

As material moves through thebreeding funnel and into National andRecommended List trials, selection fordisease resistance becomes even morerigorous and includes use of disease

nurseries in which plants are deliberatelyinoculated to guarantee infection and testresistance.

RL disease ratings are calculated fromthe inoculated nursery data, informationfrom untreated trials and diseaseobservation plots situated in areas wherethe disease is most prevalent. Data from allof these are combined and analysed toproduce the familiar 1-9 ratings where 9 isfully resistant and 1 highly susceptible.

The RL system sets minimum diseaseresistance standards for recommendationand provides robust, independent data onwhich farmers can base variety choice,balancing yield against disease resistance,quality and agronomic characters to suittheir individual circumstances.

Intractable disease problemsAlongside the increasing use of genomicsand marker-assisted selection, new breedingtechnologies may offer potential solutionsto intractable disease problems.

UK plant scientists at NIAB and theJohn Innes Centre, for example, are usingGM techniques to introduce novel sourcesof take-all resistance in wheat. Take-all is aparticular problem for wheat growers, withno truly effective means of chemical controland no sources of genetic resistance withinthe wheat gene pool. Sources of take-allresistance have been identified in oats, butthe only possible means of transferring thatresistance into wheat is by using GMtechniques. This early stage research showspromise as a means of boosting wheatyields and saving growers hundreds ofmillions of pounds a year.

Researchers in China have usedadvanced gene editing techniques – knownas TALEN and CRISPR – to producedisease resistant wheat plants by inducinghighly targeted mutations leading toheritable broad spectrum resistance topowdery mildew. The research is an earlyindication of the potential power of these

BREEDING FORDISEASE RESISTANCE– A STEPWISEPROCESS1. Identify resistance sources and

genetic markers – from withinthe species or wild relative

2. Introduce new gene, often notdirectly into elite germplasmand nearly always at theexpense of yield

3. Use markers to pinpointpromising offspring carrying thedesired resistance genes

4. Backcross into adapted materialto fix the resistance in a usablegenetic background

5. Catch-up period to combine thedesired resistance with higheryields

Screening for disease resistance can bepainstaking work; identification ofgenetic markers for resistance genescan help to speed the process

Septoria infection on the flag leaf leadsto serious loss of yield potential in wheat

Photo: Mike Saull Landline PR

Photo: Mike Saull Landline PR

Light leaf spot resistance is a priority for oilseed rape breeders as the diseasebecomes more prevalent across the UK

new breeding techniques in inducing moretargeted genetic changes than the mutationbreeding approaches previously availableto breeders.

Disease resistance is a major objective forUK plant breeders. It is a complex andongoing challenge, working on a 10 yearhorizon to ensure varietal resistance keepspace with constantly evolving diseasepressures, and to combine durableresistance with other desired characters.

Genomics and marker-assisted selectionare widely used by breeders to improve theselection process. Advanced breedingtechniques such as GM and gene editingalso offer exciting opportunities to tackleintractable disease problems such as take-allin wheat and BYDV in barley, although theregulatory position of these technologiesremains uncertain within the EU.

P R O M O T I N G I N N O V A T I O N I N P L A N T B R E E D I N G

New booklet promotes plantbreeding to a wider audience

The new Plant Breeding Matters bookletprovides a lively and accessible guide tohow plant breeders develop, test and bringnew varieties to market, and howcontinued investment and innovation inplant breeding improves the quality,performance and productivity of ouragricultural and horticultural crops.

Launching the new publication at theCereals event earlier this year, BSPBchairman Dr Richard Summers said:

“Plant Breeding Matters provides anew platform to highlight the importanceof crop genetic improvement, not only insupporting a competitive UK food andfarming economy, but also in tackling keyglobal challenges of food security, climatechange and sustainable development.

“Against a background of renewedinterest in modern, science-based

agriculture, we hope this new publicationwill engage and appeal to a wide-rangingaudience.”

An electronic version of the booklet isavailable on the BSPB website atwww.bspb.co.uk, or contact BSPB if youwould like to receive a hard copy.

A new Twitterfeed has beenlaunched as partof the PVR

campaign, providing fast-trackaccess to latest developments inthe seed industry.

Sign up tofollow@PVR_orgfor updateson the PVRcampaign andfor links tonews stories,publicationsand events ofrelevance to innovation in plant breedingand quality seed production.

The PVR campaign is a joint initiativeof BSPB and AIC, established last year tohighlight the importance of Plant VarietyRights (PVR) as a unique form of IPprotection supporting access to qualityseed of proven, high-performing cropvarieties.

Central to the campaign is the PVRtrademark, a symbol of the dedicatedprocess of research investment,innovation and independent evaluationbehind each new variety and bag ofpurchased seed.

For further information about thePVR campaign go towww.plantvarietyrights.org

Follow thePVR campaignon Twitter

BSPB has launched a colourful newpublication explaining the businessand science of plant breeding.

That’s why BSPB is encouraging morefarmers to go paperless on FSS – by optingto receive declaration forms and othercommunications electronically. This willhelp streamline the FSS process while savingprinting, stationery and postage costs.

BSPB will shortly be emailing allgrowers who have not already opted outinviting them to submit their FSS returnsonline and to receive all subsequentcommunications electronically.

If you are interested in the paperlessoption but do not currently receiveelectronic communications from BSPBplease contact the FSS helpline on 01353653209 or email fss@bspb.co.uk to ensurewe have your email address.

Reducing the paperwork and bureaucracy of the FSS declarationprocess is a key priority for BSPB, not only to reduce the burden forindividual growers, but also to minimise the costs of administeringthe system, ensuring more money is invested in future varietydevelopment.

UPDATE

COVER CROPS – A REMINDERBSPB is reminding growers that covercrops – such as crop protection and weedsuppression covers, green manure andenvironmental scheme cover crops – aresubject to the same farm-saved seed rulesas cash crops.

Although these cover crops are nottaken to harvest, the farm-saved seedpayment is still due at the time of sowing.

Farm-saved seed used to establishcover crops must have been originallyproduced from certified seed on thefarmer’s own holding. In all circumstances,it is illegal to use uncertified grain broughtin from another farm as seed.

On-line FSS declaration savestime and cost

P R O M O T I N G I N N O V A T I O N I N P L A N T B R E E D I N G

British Society of Plant Breeders LtdBSPB House, 114 Lancaster Way Business Park, ELY CB6 3NXTel +44(0)1353 653200 Fax +44(0)1353 661156Email enquiries@bspb.co.uk Website www.bspb.co.uk

As the new European Commission prepares plans for an overhaul of EU seed legislation, Europe’s plantbreeders are supporting the regulatory pillars of variety registration and seed certification as the basis for aninnovative and market-focused plant breeding and seeds sector.

BSPB sets out key priorities for new EU seed rules

Earlier this year, the European Parliamentvoted to reject the Commission’s draftproposals for a new regulatory frameworkon Plant Reproductive Material (PRM). Itis widely expected that a revised text fromthe Commission will be presented earlynext year for consideration by EUministers and the new EuropeanParliament.

The shape and direction of the revisedPRM Regulation is critical to thecontinued success of the UK’s research-intensive, science-based approach to plantbreeding, and must support IP protection,encourage private sector R&D investmentand guarantee seed quality, health,identity, traceability and performance.

A legislative framework whichsupports continued investment in aprogressive EU plant breeding and seedssector is needed to maintain productive,competitive and sustainable farmingsystems in Europe.

In particular, BSPB is calling for the keyprinciples of existing seed legislation to beretained:

Transparent consumer protection The basic components of variety registration– Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability(DUS) and, where it applies, Value forCultivation and Use (VCU) – provide aguarantee of transparency and traceabilityfor customers and an assurance thatapproved varieties meet the demands ofsustainable, efficient, productive agriculture.

Seed certificationSeed certification provides an independentassurance of the health, identity, purity andquality of seed and forms the basis forinternational trade. Existing, pre-definedcategories of seed (pre-basic, basic, certifiedand standard) represent different qualitylevels and meet consumer demands forchoice.

Counting off-types in DUS growingtests to ensure new varieties meetrigorous standards for distinctness,uniformity and stability

ProfessorJackie Hunter,chief executiveof BBSRC withBSPB chairmanDr RichardSummers

BBSRC funds much of the early-stagescientific research on which futurebreeding advances depend, and therenewed R&D policy focus on deliveringproductive, sustainable and climateresilient agriculture has seen closercollaboration between BBSRC scientistsand commercial plant breeders, forexample through BBSRC’s CropImprovement Research Club.

In particular, the visit highlighted theimportance of translating our rapidlyadvancing knowledge base in basic plantscience into commercially accessiblebreeding tools and germplasm, through

co-ordinated pre-breeding researcheffort and strongpartnershipsbetween publicand private sector.

Professor Jackie Hunter, chief executive of the Biotechnology andBiological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), visited RAGT’splant breeding station near Cambridge in August to meet BSPBrepresentatives and tour the cereal breeding facilities.

BBSRC chief visits plant breeding station