Climate fit I - III: Working together on varieties with improved eco-stability to adapt to climate change

Project details

The increase in heat waves associated with climate change, atypical rainfall patterns and a changing spectrum of plant diseases or, due to the milder winters, an increase in plant pests will make arable farming in Austria more difficult in the future. These changed growing conditions will have a negative impact on the yield performance of established varieties. Climate change therefore poses an existential threat to food security in Austria. The development of new, climate-resistant varieties is therefore of great importance.

The cooperation project KLIMAFIT I (2017 to 2020) and the follow-up projects KLIMAFIT II (2021 to 2023) and KLIMAFIT III (2024 to 2026) bring together Austrian plant breeding and seed companies (Saatgut Austria, Saatzucht Donau, Saatzucht Gleisdorf, RWA, Saatbau Linz, Probstdorfer Saatzucht, Niederösterreichische Saatbaugenossenschaft, Corteva Agriscience) to work together on the important goal for Austrian agriculture of securing yields and thus supplies under aggravated climatic conditions. As part of the KLIMAFIT projects, the necessary breeding work is being carried out, which forms the basis for the development of climate-fit varieties that are adapted to future climatic conditions in Austria. This involves work on breeding new varieties with increased eco-stability, which deliver stable yields even under different stress and extreme conditions (heat, drought, frost, wetness, storms).

In order to generate a variety of new genetic material for climate-fit varieties, the KLIMAFIT projects also include work on the pre-selection of promising genotypes with a special focus on drought and heat stress tolerance. In this way, new potential crossing partners are identified, which are then tested as selected breeding lines in plot trials with regard to their yield performance and qualities - especially under drought and heat stress conditions. A large number of selected breeding lines are being tested in KLIMAFIT plots all over Europe and Austria, with all relevant crops, from various cereals to maize, oil and protein crops and potatoes, included in the project. Breeding lines that have proven themselves in the plot trials in a variety of environments are then registered for value testing by the breeding companies involved in the project and, if successful, are subsequently made available to Austrian agriculture.

Results

Over the three-year duration of the KLIMAFIT I project, a differentiated picture emerged with regard to climatic cultivation conditions. The first two project years 2018 and 2019 in particular were characterised by persistent drought and longer periods of drought within Austria. In the final project year 2020, after an initial spring drought due to humid summer months, there was significantly less drought stress. However, the occurrence of heavy rainfall and increased disease pressure favoured the selection of climate-fit varieties with increased eco-stability. The climatic trend towards hot and dry summers, which was already noticeable in KLIMAFIT I, continued in the KLIMAFIT II project years. In particular, the first project year 2021 and especially the second project year 2022 were characterised by persistent dryness and longer periods of drought within Austria. 2022 was even one of the fifteen driest years in the 165-year history of measurements. In the final project year 2023, a very mild winter was followed by a wet and cold spring, which is why there was generally much less drought stress. All three project years were warmer than average. The third KLIMAFIT 2 project year 2023 was even the warmest year since the start of the measurement series in 1768.

The integration of a large number of Austrian trial locations led to specific genotypes adapted to the region. This represents a significant contribution to food security with domestic products. By including locations in other European and non-European countries, a very broad experimental network with a wide range of climatic conditions could be established. In this way, promising breeding lines could be tested in regions where climatic conditions already prevail that are to be expected in Austria in the future due to climate change. The large number of trial sites also made it possible to select genotypes with pronounced drought stress tolerance in all crops in each of the six project years. It was also possible to select for disease resistance at many locations. The many variety trials carried out and the subsequent quantification and determination of the qualities of the selected breeding lines form the basis for further steps towards the development of climate-fit varieties.

The crossing trials carried out on the crops included in the project support the development of a broad gene pool that can also be accessed for future breeding activities. An initial pre-selection of the genotypes with a special focus on drought and heat stress tolerance in the breeding garden served to identify potential crossing partners in order to subsequently improve the domestic varieties in the new traits sought. A large number of plot trials throughout Europe helped to select breeding lines that produced satisfactory yields despite drought stress at the trial location. After additional assessments and measurements for quality analysis and to determine the behaviour of the plants in the environment, over 100 breeding lines were registered for official value testing in each project year.

For the future authorisation of climate-fit varieties in Austria, an assessment of performance including the presentation of results under heat and drought stress is of great application-oriented benefit to farmers. For this purpose, variety tests on dry sites, where there is a high probability of drought stress occurring during the performance assessment period, are a feasible approach. Further information on the behaviour in the environments is provided by performance tests of candidate varieties under irrigation. As part of the KLIMAFIT 2 project, preliminary trials were carried out to adapt the presentation of the performance of new varieties with regard to drought stress tolerance in order to increase the benefits of the project for end users such as farmers and seed buyers. The preliminary trials carried out over the three-year KLIMAFIT II project period to adapt the Descriptive Variety List provide a promising database for addressing the application-oriented question of how the performance of new plant varieties can be evaluated and presented in relation to drought stress. The use of new technologies (drone images) for the first time in the KLIMAFIT II project made it possible to add further relevant parameters to the database on which decision-making is based.

Summary

The aim of the KLIMAFIT I and II projects is to develop new, climate-fit varieties that are adapted to the various stress factors (drought, heat, increased occurrence of plant diseases and pests) that are becoming more frequent due to climate change. As part of KLIMAFIT I & II, various breeding lines have already been tested at numerous trial locations throughout Europe. Genotypes that are tolerant to the various stress factors have also been selected. The successful work will be continued as part of KLIMAFIT III. Plot trials will also be carried out at various locations in Europe in order to identify breeding lines that also produce yields in drought conditions. The breeding activities implemented in the project will make an important contribution to future sustainable food security in Austria by developing drought- and heat-stress tolerant varieties. In addition, a significant contribution is made to the preservation of crop diversity in Austria.

Benefits of the project

The work in the KLIMAFIT I - III projects will provide agriculture with varieties that are better adapted to climate change in the future. This will enable grain yields and the quality of agricultural products to be safeguarded in difficult climatic conditions such as prolonged drought or heat waves, thus making a significant contribution to food security with domestic products.

By developing climate-fit varieties, the KLIMAFIT projects actively contribute to the implementation of important political objectives for society, such as the Austrian protein strategy (expansion of supply chains with domestic plant proteins) or the EU Farm to Fork Strategy (reduction of pesticides used, increase in organic farming while maintaining high yields and ensuring food security).