Breeding in a World of Scarcity

This book includes papers presented at the 2015 meeting of
the Fodder Crops and Amenity Grasses Section of Eucarpia. The theme of the
meeting “Breeding in a world of
scarcity” was elaborated in four sessions: (1) scarcity of natural
resources, (2) scarcity of breeders, (3) scarcity of land and (4) scarcity of
focus. Parts I to IV of this book correspond to these four sessions. Session 1
refers to the consequences of climate change, reduced access to natural
resources and declining freedom in using them. Plant breeding may help by
developing varieties with a more efficient use of water and nutrients and a
better tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Session 2 refers to the shrinking
number of field breeders. There is a
need for a mutual empathy between field- and lab-oriented breeding activities,
integrating new methods of phenotyping and genotyping. Session 3 underscores
the optimal use of agricultural land. Forage needs to be intensively produced in a sustainable way, meeting
theenergy, protein and health requirements of livestock. Well-adapted
varieties, species and mixtures of grasses and legumes are needed. Session 4
refers to the fading of focus in primary production triggered by a range
of societal demands. There are few farmers left and they are asked to meet many consumer demands. Both
large-scale, multi-purpose species and varieties and specialized niche crops
are required. Part V summarizes the conclusions of two open debates, two
working group meetings and two workshops held during the conference. The
debates were devoted to the future of
grass and fodder crop breeding,
and to feed quality breeding and
testing. The conference hosted meetings of the working groups “Multisite
rust evaluation” and “Festulolium”. Workshops focused on “genomic selection and association mapping” and on “phenotyping”
with applications in practical breeding research. Part V contains also short
sketches of breeding ideas presented as short communications.