Österreichisches Projekt Grundlagen zur Züchtung, Vermehrung und Sorten-/Saatgutprüfung für den Biolandbau: Ergebnisübersicht

Summary

In the Austrian research project “Basic principles for breeding, multiplication and
variety testing for organic agriculture” (from 2004 until 2008) novel methods for the
assessment of the suitability of seed and cultivars for organic farming were developed
and evaluated by an interdisciplinary co-operation of researchers, breeders and
variety testers. Organic farming requires specific combinations of crop plant
characters, especially seed health and resistance against seed-borne diseases.
Another crucial feature is the competitive ability against weeds. Early development
was found to significantly increase the competitiveness of different crop plants.
Genotypic variation in characters necessary for an efficient utilisation of below-ground
resources was also investigated, e.g. interrelations between root development and
drought stress tolerance and between mycorrhiza formation and nutrient use
efficiency. Based on the results obtained in various cultivar trials, it can be concluded
that genotypes suitable for organic growing conditions may be pre-selected from early
breeding material of conventional breeding programmes. The selected breeding
material must subsequently be rigorously tested on organically managed fields starting
from the first yield trials at the latest. The project results were communicated to
farmers and advisors during field days and excursions. They will be applied in the
breeding of new cultivars.