1. 15.04.2014 Ilmar Tamm Ülle Tamm Anne Ingver Organic projects in Estonian Crop Research Institute (ECRI)

2. ERA–NET CORE ORGANIC: C oordinating O rganic plant Br eeding A ctivities for diversity ERA-NET - Networking the European Research Area Duration: 2013-2017 COBRA

3. Project brings together over 40 partner organizations from 18 European countries: UK, Turkey, Denmark, Italy, Austria, Norway, Luxemburg, Slovenia, Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, Switzerland COBRA

4. Aims: COBRA aims to support and develop organic plant breeding and seed production in Europe with a focus on increasing the use and potential of plant material with High genetic Diversity (Hi-D), such as Composite Cross Populations (CCPs) COBRA

5. Specific objectives: (1) To improve methods to ensure seed quality and health (develop the testing of germination and diseases on NIRS eqipment); (2) to determine the potential to increase resilience, adaptability, and overall performance in organic systems by using crop diversity at various levels; COBRA

6. Specific objectives: (3) to improve breeding efficiency and to develop novel breeding methods to enhance and maintain crop diversity (selection for quality based on single seeds; Marker Assistent Selection etc). COBRA

7. Specific objectives: (4) to identify and remove structural barriers to organic plant breeding and seed production (embedding the CCPs to the production chain; funding of organic breeding through cooperation to the production chain, regulatory framework of organic seed systems) (5) to improve networking and dissemination in organic plant breeding. COBRA

8. Crops included: wheat barley pea faba bean COBRA

9. Role of ECRI: trialling selected entries of spring and winter wheat and spring barley with focus on: a) disease resistance b) weed suppression ability c) food quality COBRA

10. Trials (ECRI): Wheat: yield, quality, weed suppression ability (early qrowth vigour, allelopathic ability); CCPs and variety mixtures Barley: disease resistance (loose smut, leaf stripe), increasing genetic diversity (different barley types :2 ja 6-row, hulless, awnless, dark coloured), yield, quality COBRA

23. Project Title: An integrated approach to diversify the genetic base, improve stress resistance, agronomic management and nutritional/processing quality of minor cereal crops for human nutrition in Europe Healthy minor cereals (HMC) (EU 7. framework project)

24. Duration: sept 2013–aug 2018 Participants: 16 partners from 10 countries Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom Healthy minor cereals (HMC) (EU 7. framework)

25. General aim : to enhance the exploitation of five of the so- called 'minor cereal' species: oat rye spelt einkorn emmer Healthy minor cereals (HMC)

26. Research topics: Breeding (food quality, biotic (diseases) and abiotic (drought) stresses, yield etc) Agro- technology (fertilisation, variety mixtures, weed control) Improving processing technologies, development new products

27. Healthy minor cereals (HMC) Research topics: Assessing nutritional content of minor cereals Enhance the market prominence for minor cereals

28. Healthy minor cereals (HMC) Role of ECRI: Breeding: multiplicatin and phenotyping wide range of genotypes, crossings Biotic stresses: testing of disease resistance of rye and oat in field and lab conditions

29. Healthy minor cereals (HMC) Role of ECRI: Fertilisation trial: Crops: rye, oat (4 varieties per crop) Fertiliser types: compost, farm manue, biogas digestate, mineral fertiliser Fertiliser rates: N0, N50, N100

30. Healthy minor cereals (HMC) Role of ECRI: Testing of variety mixtures Farm trials (including organic farms)

31. Thank you! Ilmar.tamm@etki.ee