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WELCOME TO THE BELIS PROJECT NEWSLETTER | By Bernadette Julier, BELIS Coordinator
Dear reader,
We invite you to read this first newsletter of BELIS, an Innovation project supported by the EU Horizon Europe programme, with the ultimate objectives of creating favourable conditions and tools to increase genetic progress in legume breeding, and making this progress available to farmers and other end-users. The 35 partners involved in legume species grown for grain, fodder and services are committed to coordinating their efforts to solve the main problems identified so far, such as the use of genetic resources, the refinement of phenotyping evaluation and the implementation of markers to increase genetic progress, as well as the optimisation of variety registration and recommendations. We are also working on the conditions for cooperation among actors in a current situation where legumes are recognised for the ecosystem services they provide, while the economic returns from breeding and growing these species are poor. The BELIS partners are also committed to disseminating and communicating the results to other actors in Europe and beyond. To this end, BELIS is creating a network that brings together all public and private actors interested in genetic progress in legumes. Participation in this network, which is free of charge, will enable information to be exchanged, cooperation to be promoted, training to be provided and innovations to be developed.
In this newsletter you will find more details on the project approach and on the BELIS Network, some of the research and innovation activities the partners have started this first year, as well as the dissemination activities and publications achieved so far.
On behalf of all BELIS partners, I hope that our activities and results are of interest to you. We invite you to become part of our community and receive forthcoming news of our project by subscribing to the BELIS Newsletter, and following our social media and website updates.
Bernadette Julier
BELIS Coordinator
Research Director, INRAE URP3F
Lusignan - France
BELIS Website
BELIS X
BELIS LinkedIn |
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BELIS PROJECT NETWORK
BELIS will create and coordinate a network of legume breeders and users, gathering members of the project teams and external actors interested in legume breeding. BELIS Network will bring together the legume breeding community around themes of shared interest, and it will identify areas of technical collaboration on species, target traits, breeding methodologies, protocols for phenotyping and genotyping, registration procedures, technical training and knowledge exchange. The Network will also facilitate business collaborations for carrying out benchmarking activities aimed at policy-makers (such as regulatory institutions and national and EU managers) to promote and request support for legume breeding activities.
The BELIS network, gathering private and public breeders, actors of scientific research, extension services, registration offices as well as seed, food and feed industries will be the first gateway to disseminate and exploit the BELIS activities and results. If you are a professional involved in the legume breeding value chain, and you are interested in receiving more information about BELIS activities and results and joining our Network, subscribe to BELIS Newsletter to stay tuned to the project. |
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Introduction to BELIS | Interview with BELIS Project Coordinator, Bernadette Julier – INRAE
BELIS - Breeding European Legumes for Increased Sustainability, is a Horizon Europe Project (2023 – 2028) aiming to increase the competitiveness of the EU and Associated Countries’ legume breeding industry by improving the methodologies and the governance structures of the breeding sector, as well as to design conditions that allow an efficient delivery of the genetic progress achieved to the breeders and seed industry and to the other actors (registration offices, extension services, feed and food industry, farmers).
"BELIS is dedicated to enhance genetic progress on legumes through technical novelties as well as improve the conditions to deliver the genetic progress to end-users" – Bernadette Julier
To know more about BELIS, check out the Interview with BELIS Project Coordinator, Bernadette Julier – INRAE [Read more] |
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BELIS Kick-Off Meeting | 17 & 18 October 2023 in Ancenis, France
The first BELIS project Kick-Off Meeting was held on 17 and 18 October 2023 in Ancenis, France. This meeting was a great opportunity to present the BELIS objectives and concept: to enable a shared understanding of the project and its aims, as well as an effective collaboration between project partners. The BELIS team took advantage of the occasion to meet the project partners, foster interaction, establish the basis for working together, present the project organisation, management and decision-making and detail the work packages, timetable and roadmap for the first year of the project. The KoM enabled project partners to visit the facilities of the seed company Cérience, a BELIS partner that runs breeding programmes on forage legumes together with INRAE, and uses the latest technologies in seed treatment. [Read more] |
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Phenotyping of Vicia spp. | UNL-ITQB and IAS-CSIC collaborative effort
In a collaborative effort, members from the ITQB-UNL team (Portugal) have visit the IAS-CSIC Vicia spp. field trials at Córdoba, Spain, in the past month of April, in a phenotyping marathon of 300 different accessions with their Portable Spectroradiometer Fieldspec4 (Malvern Panalytical). This equipment will allow to compare the accessions’ spectral signatures in the VIS–NIR–SWIR (350 nm – 2500 nm). [ Read more] |
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UAV | Unmanned Aerial Vehicle technology in red clover breeding programmes
BELIS foresees two approaches with UAV technology in red clover: (1) the development of a model to predict the amount of flower heads – an important predictor of seed yield – in field plots with red clover, and (2) the application of a model for biomass prediction in practical breeding programmes. Up to now, ILVO (Belgium) shared a protocol for UAV data collection with the partner breeders ( DLF, DSV, Agroscope and Barenbrug). [ Read more] |
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Faba bean | Use of NIRs for quality traits and validation of markers linked to drought, yield and broomrape resistance
IFAPA has performed the tannin evaluation in a set of 400 faba bean accessions. Measurements of the remaining seed quality parameters using HPLC, Spectrophotometry and NIRS is scheduled to start in September 2024. Significant SNPs for drought detected by GWAS analyses are being validated. A new RIL population (29H x Vf136) has been evaluated this season for seven yield-related traits. The validation of markers for broomrape resistance will start in October 2024 in collaboration with Agrovegetal. [ Read more]
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Pea | Field trial for the evaluation of 153 lines in Bulgaria
CPSBB started the field trial at the end of February by sowing 153 pea lines in total, where different plant traits such as beginning of flowering, end of flowering, lodging and plant height are being assessed.
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Pea | A diverse collection of pan-European pea field trials established to boost genomic prediction models
A total of 170 pea genotypes from LAMMC, KWS Group, Agritec, CPSBB, CREA, and IAS-CSIC were sown in the field trials at the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (LAMMC). The collection of pea genotypes has also been sown by partners in five locations across Germany (KWS), the Czech Republic (Agritec), Bulgaria (CPSBB), and Lithuania (LAMMC). This experiment is part of WP5, which focuses on legume phenotypic and molecular breeding as proof of concept. [ Read more] |
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Lupin | Analysing of cooperation and partnership between breeding actors
A total of 24 case studies are to be carried out in relation to the cooperation model structures of legume research and breeding organisations. The first of these case studies related to the white lupin breeding programme of Deutsche Saatveredelung AG ( DSV) in Germany as part of a private-public partnership has already been successfully completed. Qualitative interviews were used to identify interesting structures as well as success factors within the breeding cooperation such as the absorption of the initial risk and quality assurance as well as inter-organisational communication and diplomacy. This is supported by a statistical report on the situation of white lupins in Germany. As part of a LivingLab approach an in-person lupin workshop will be organised by DSV and the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences ( FH-SWF) this autumn. Furthermore, a presentation of the results of the case studies obtained to date is planned at the national legume congress hosted by the German Agricultural Research Alliance. |
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Chickpea | KASP marker development for time of flowering and Ascochyta resistance
The development of a pair of NILs (Near Isogenic Lines) for flowering time allowed to identify new targets associated with this trait. Ascochyta blight (AB) is a devastating biotic stress that poses a significant threat to chickpea cultivation, infecting all above-ground parts of the plant. A region strongly associated with AB resistance in Ca4 has been detected in the framework of Task 4.3 – Genotyping collections and research populations, led by IFAPA. [ Read more] |
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Lucerne | Activities in the framework of WP 4, 5 & 6 by INRAE
The trial with 50 lucerne varieties from various geographic and breeding origins has been sown in Lusignan (France) by INRAE, in May 2024. A large collection of more than 400 lucerne accessions has been collected for genotyping. Leaflet sampling is ongoing, before DNA extraction and GBS. This will enrich our knowledge on genetic diversity in Medicago sativa complex for a better use of genetic resources in breeding programmes. Twelve lucerne varieties from France, Italy and Serbia have been chosen to represent the diversity of non-dormant material. The trial with these 12 varieties has been sown in four locations in France and two locations in Italy. Four breeders from BELIS ( Barenbrug, Cérience, DLF and RAGT) are testing genomic selection, in comparison to phenotypic selection on their breeding material. Genotyping has been done and genomic prediction is ongoing at INRAE, while polycrosses will be carried out in the next weeks by the breeders. |
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Value for Cultivation and Use | Increasing the efficiency of the VCU assessment
This work, led by INRAE, BELIS aims to facilitate and increase the efficiency of the VCU (Value for Cultivation and Use) assessment of varieties to be registered. The goal is to generate a preliminary assessment of how countries might share the VCU process to enhance variety evaluations. One of our first activities, coordinated by GEVES (France) and IFVCNS (Serbia), was to collect VCU protocols already existing in partner countries and conduct comparisons. The collection of VCU protocols from different geographical regions of the EU is ongoing. |
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Soybean | Activities within the southeast-European group
Main phenotyping trials of CREA (Italy), UNIZG FAZ (Croatia) and IFVCNS (Serbia) developing the genomic selection models for selection of various traits (grain yield and quality, drought tolerance, etc.) will start in 2025, but in 2024 they are actively preparing genetic materials which will be included in trailing. In the experimental field of UNIZG FAZ, a set of 115 soybean genotypes (cultivars and breeding lines) has been sown in late April this year for the purpose of seed multiplication and screening of flowering and maturity time. [ Read more] |
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CPSBB | Exhibition on research activities in the centre of Plovdiv
CPSBB organised a public exhibition in December 2023 at the "Tsar Simeon" Garden in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Twenty billboards were installed, including research projects conducted by the scientific team of CPSBB, such as BELIS. The exhibition presented the historical framework of the establishment of CPSBB – from 2015 till nowadays and paid tribute to the Municipality of Plovdiv and the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science, both of them partners of CPSBB with a significant contribution to the realisation of the PlantaSYST project. [ Read more]
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RFL4 – Francophone meeting on Legumes | BELIS present at the 4èmes Rencontres Francophones sur les Légumineuses in Dakar, Senegal.
For the first time outside France, the 4th edition of the RFL has been held in Senegal in January 2024, co-organised by CIRAD and ISRA. This meeting brings together all the actors involved in legumes, from breeding, agronomy to their use in human and animal nutrition and economic and social sciences. The 148 African and European attendees debated on common concerns such as protein autonomy, food transition for sufficient and healthy diets, sustainability of agronomic systems and the collective organisations. Bernadette Julier, Research Director at INRAE and BELIS Coordinator, presented the project as an important research initiative for advancing on breeding legumes and providing farmers with better adapted legume seeds.
RFL4 was the place for multidisciplinary interactions involving actors from the entire value chain. In both continents, the need for more research to increase acreage, production and use of legumes became apparent. Initiatives, such as the Protein Plan in Europe, the Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel in Western Africa, as well as the TSARA collaboration plan between France and African institutions, are places to facilitate projects aimed at achieving agriculture and food transitions. [ Read more] |
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MEDIET seminar | BELIS presentation
CIHEAM Zaragoza presented BELIS during the “International Seminar on Nutritional Properties and Environmental Impact of Legumes in Mediterranean Countries”, organised by CIHEAM Bari to share the results of the MEDIET project on 8 March 2024 at CIHEAM Bari. [ Read more]
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Agrovegetal | Visit from the School of Agricultural Engineering of Cordoba
Last 17 April our partners of Agrovegetal received the visit of students from the School of Agricultural Engineering of Cordoba in Escacena del Campo (Huelva) and presented BELIS and explained their participation in the project. [ Read more] |
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LAMMC | BELIS presentation to attendees at the Annual Science Days of the EJP SOIL project
Researchers from the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry ( LAMMC) had the opportunity to introduce the BELIS project and the pan-European pea field trials at LAMMC. Over 250 participants attended the Annual Science Days of the EU-funded European Joint Programme on Soil (EJP SOIL) project and visited the LAMMC Institute of Agriculture’s fields on 12 June. |
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Elucidating the Response of Diverse Faba Bean Genotypes to Powdery Mildew Infection
Villegas-Fernández, Á.M.; García, L.; Barilli, E.; Rispail, N.; Rubiales, D. Elucidating the Response of Diverse Faba Bean Genotypes to Powdery Mildew Infection. Agronomy 2024, 14, 663. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14040663
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IAS-CSIC. Faba bean ( Vicia faba) is a temperate grain legume of major importance for food and feed. Powdery mildews are an important group of diseases in many crops, although in faba bean, it is still considered to be of only minor and local relevance. Here, we report the occurrence of powdery mildew in southern Spain, which was identified through ITS sequencing as Erysiphe trifolii. Resistance screenings allowed the identification of a wide range of responses to the disease, with accessions BPL-710 and ILB-4708 outstanding due to their high levels of resistance. Histological studies showed that the mechanisms of resistance may involve the inhibition of germination and impairment of fungal development, as shown by a limited number of primary and secondary hyphae compared to those of the susceptible accessions. This work permitted a better understanding of the interaction of faba bean and powdery mildew, laying the ground for breeding programs for resistance if needed in the future. [ Read more]
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Optimization of inoculum production of Stemphylium botryosum for large-scale resistance screening of lentils
González, M., Barilli, E., Rispail, N. et al. Optimization of inoculum production of Stemphylium botryosum for large-scale resistance screening of lentils. Plant Methods 20, 51 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-024-01177-4
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IAS-CSIC. Stemphylium blight incited by Stemphylium botryosum poses a significant threat to lentil crops worldwide, inducing severe defoliation and causing substantial yield losses in susceptible varieties under favourable conditions. While some moderate levels of resistance have been identified within lentil germplasm, a low number of resistant cultivars are available to farmers. Adding to the common constraints of resistance breeding, a notable challenge is generating a sufficient number of spores for large-scale screenings, which are essential for pinpointing additional sources of resistance for integration into breeding programs. Therefore, there is a pressing need to improve existing screening methods and tailor them for large-scale material selection. In pursuit of this objective, a protocol for the efficient production of fungal material has been adapted. The findings from this study underscore the critical importance of maintaining high level of humidity during inoculation and disease progression development for accurately assessing resistance to stemphylium blight. The optimization of mycelial production for suspension inoculation emerges as a more reliable and efficient approach for conducting large-scale screening to assess germplasm resistance against stemphylium blight in lentil crops. [ Read more]
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Broomrape (Orobanche crenata), the main limiting factor for legume production in the Mediterranean basin
Rubiales, D., Cobos, M.J., Barilli, E., & Villegas-Fernández, Á. M. (2024).
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IAS-CSIC. Although genomic advances have been slower in legumes than in other crops, classical breeding has enabled the development of resistant varieties in beans, peas, lentils and vetches. Here, the achievements and prospects in the management of vetch and the development of resistant varieties by classical methods, and the future benefits of the application of recent developments in phenomics and genomics, are presented and critically discussed. [ Read more]
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