Breeding for Resilience: Focus on Root-Based Traits

Deadline: 06-Oct-21

European Commission is calling for proposals for Breeding for Resilience: Focus on Root-Based Traits.

Scope

• With increasing effects of climate change and a shift towards low(er) input production systems, there is the need for crops that are capable of capturing resources more efficiently and are resilient to abiotic stresses.
• The root system and its interaction with soil biota is crucial for nutrient and water acquisition as well as for the capacity of plants to adapt to changing environments and to be more tolerant against pests and diseases.
• Phenotypic plasticity is key for plants to respond to varying soil conditions and highly dynamic distribution of soil resources.
• The size and architecture of the root system also determine the allocation of carbon in the soil.
• Breeding for root traits is therefore a promising strategy to increase plant stress resilience while also enhancing soil carbon sequestration.
• Proposals should:
  • Identify root traits that increase resource efficiency of plants in different environments, taking into account beneficial plant – microbe interactions and the restitution of plant-fixed carbon to the soil;
  • Increase their knowledge on the (molecular and biochemical) plasticity of root responses and their metabolic mechanisms to environmental cues;
  • Improve existing and/or develop new root phenotyping tools (including image analysis protocols) to be used in controlled and on-field conditions, thereby overcoming the root data bottleneck;
  • Develop strategies to implement “root breeding”, i.e. select for desirable root characteristics and exploit the genetic variation in root traits.

Funding Information

Grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000 except for:

• public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
• cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).

Expected Outcomes

• In line with the objectives of the biodiversity and farm to fork strategies, a successful proposal will support the transition to more sustainable practices in agriculture by reducing the need for external inputs and supporting biodiversity in agroecosystems.
• The project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
  • A better understanding of root-based traits (including the capacity to establish beneficial interactions with soil biota) and their genotypic variability as well as increased insight into the (adaptive) phenotypic plasticity of roots;
  • Enhanced capacities for root phenotyping under controlled and on-field conditions;
  • The delivery of strategies for breeding for below-ground traits capitalising on more effective interactions between plants and microorganisms in the rhizosphere;
  • An increased use and valorisation of genetic resources (in situ and ex situ) for root based traits.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
• A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
• To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e:
  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
  • eligible non-EU countries:
    • countries associated to Horizon Europe
    • low- and middle-income countries

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3qOVYMR