Acknowledgement

1. 100 F4 linesfromconventionalbreedingmaterial 2009 COMPARISON OF TRITICALE, WHEAT AND OAT SELECTION RESULTS IN ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL CONDITIONS 100 F4 linesinorganicfield, about 10 bestlinesselected the same F4 linesinconventionalfield, about 10 bestlinesselected 2010 Kronberga A.1, StrazdinaV.2, Vicupe Z.2 State Priekuli Plant Breeding Institute, Latvia State Stende PlantBreedingInstitute, Latvia www.priekuliselekcija.lv, artakron@navigator.lv Testingselectedlinesinbothconventional and organicfields 2011 Testingselectedlinesinbothconventional and organicfieldsintwolocations Materials and methods Experiment with winter triticale, winter wheat and oat breeding lines was started parallel under organic and conventional growing conditions. The experimantalstudywasconductedat the Priekuli PlantBreedingInstitutefortriticale and atState Stende CerealBreedingInstituteforwinterwheat and oats. The same lines were grown under both conditions and selection of the best ones according to breeder’s opinion with a respect to suitability for organic farming was done. 100 F5 winter triticale lines, 110 F3 and F4 winter wheat lines and 100 F4 oat lines were taken from conventional breeding material and sown in conventionally and organically managed fields in 2010. The conventional field was treated according to standard agricultural practices, including the use of herbicides and synthetic fertilizers. During the vegetation in 2010 different traits essential for growing under organic farming were evaluated for genotypes in both growing systems: winterhardiness, resistance to diseases, time of maturity, weed suppression ability as well as grain quality characteristics and plant productivity.Aboutbest 10 lineswereselectedfromeachgrowingconditions and evaluatedin 2011 paralellyinorganic and conventionalconditions 2012 Evaluatedtraits Triticale Wheat Oat Winterhardiness Lodgingresistance Plantheight Earlenght Yield Grainsize Grainquality Resistance to diseases Experimentshemefortriticale, oatandwheat Plant growth habit Lodging resistance Plant height Spike length Yield Grain size Grain quality Resistance to diseases Winterhardiness Lodging resistance Plant height Soil coverage Yield Grain size Grain quality Resistance to diseases • Introduction • About 9% of Latvian agriculturallandisfarmedorganically. Sofaronlyonebarleyvarietyisregisteredespeciallyfororganicfarming and farmersneedvarieties, whicharesuitablefororganicfarming. • For creating varieties suitable for organic farming special triticale and barley breeding programmes has been started in Priekuli Plant Breeding Institute and oats and wheat breeding programme in Stende Cereal Breeding Institute. • Several breeding strategies were used in breeding programs for organic farming (Wolfe et al, 2008): • Currently available varieties from conventional breeding programs were used in organic fields; • Breeding programs, where first steps (selection) are conducted under conventional conductions and further steps – in organic environments ; • Breeding programs in which all breeding steps were done in organic fields with selection and propagation techniques that comply with organic principles. • Currently in cereal breeding programmes for organic farming in Latvia second breeding strategy is used due to economic reasons. However, because of genotype by environment interaction more research is needed to define the best selection environment for selecting organic varieties (Lammerts van Bueren et al., 2007) • Results of selection in 2010 • The preliminary results showed differences in breeders decisions about best genotypes selected in organically and conventionally managed fields. • For triticale 10 breeding lines from organic growing conditions and 11 ones from conventional growing conditions were selected; 6 of them were selected in common from organic and from conventional field. • For wheat 16 lines from each growing conditions were selected. Only 4 genotypes where selected in common from both fields. • From 100 evaluated oat genotypes 10 lines were selected in each growing conditions according to breeder’s decision. Only one line was selected in common from organic and conventional fields. • For oat 10 lines from each growing conditions were selected also according to selection index (mathematical model). Only one line was the same as selected by breeder’s decision. Preliminary evaluation results of selected breeding lines in 2011 • WHEAT • Lines selected in common from organic and from conventional field did not have high yield in both growing conditions in 2011;Therewerenegativesignificantcorrelationbetweenyield of theselines r=-0.85* • OATS • Lines selected in common from organic and from conventional field have high onlyinorganicconditions in 2011; Differencesinyieldfortriticalegenotypesselectedfromconventional and organicconditions • TRITICALE • Triticale lines selected from organic field provided lower yield in 2011 in both growing conditions; it could be explained by effect of the growing conditions inpreviosyear • There was positive and significant correlation between yield in organic and conventional fields in 2011 for triticale lines selected under organic conditions, but no correlation was stated for lines selected under conventional conditions; Figure 1. Yield of wheatgenotypes, selectedinbothgrovingconditions, 2011 • Conclusions • Lines selected in common from organic and from conventional field did not have high yield in both growing conditions in 2011; • Triticale lines selected from organic field provided lower yield in 2011 in both growing conditions; it could be explained by effect of the growing conditions on the seed material; • There was positive and significant correlation between yield in organic and conventional fields in 2011 for triticale lines selected under organic conditions, but no correlation was stated for lines selected under conventional conditions; • The preliminary results are contradictious and does not provide sound conclusions about effect of selection environment; the experiment will be continued in 2012 References Lammerts van Bueren E.T, Wilbois K-P., Ostergard H. (2007) European perspectives of organic plant breeding and seed production in a genomics era. Journal of Agriculture and Rural development in the Tropics and Subtropics, Supplement 89:101-120. Wolfe M., Baresel J., Desclaux D., Goldringer I., Hoad S., Kovacs G., Loschenberger F., Miedaner T., Ostergard H., LammertsvanBueren E. (2008) Developmentsinbreedingcerealsfororganicagriculture, Euphytica 163, 323-346. Acknowledgement This study was performed with financial support of European Social Fund co-financed project 2009/0218/1DP/1.1.1.2.0/09/APIA/VIAA/099.