BIO-RESOURCES
Plants for the Future
Healthy, safe and sufficient food and feed
1. Develop and produce safe and high-quality food
2. Create food products targeted at specific consumer groups and needs
3. Produce safe, high quality, sufficient and sustainable feed
Sustainable agriculture, forestry and landscape
1.
2.
3.
4.
Improve plant productivity and quality
Reduce and optimise the environmental impact of agriculture
Boost biodiversity
Enhance the sustainability and aesthetical value of the landscape
Green products
1. Plants as a basis for renewable resources
2. Plant-based pharmaceutical and diagnostic products
Competitiveness, consumer choice and governance
1.
2.
3.
4.
Vibrant basic research
Human resources, infrastructure and networking
Public and consumer involvement
Ethics, safety, legal and financial environment
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Sustainable
agriculture, forestry and landscape
BIO-RESOURCES
1.
2.
3.
4.
Improve plant productivity and quality
Reduce and optimise the environmental impact of agriculture
Boost biodiversity
Enhance the sustainability and aesthetical value of the landscape
(1) There is still an urgent need for the sequencing and annotation of
further important crop genomes.
(1) Research into mechanisms - Development of new traits
(1) Development of new methods and production of breeding stock
with new/improved properties. Note: Basic gene pool and methods should be
brought as close as possible to the breeders.
(1) Yield & yield stability are very complex traits. Especially, GxE for
yield is highly important and needs regional analysis from crop to crop.
(1) Introduction into local germplasm (partially together with
breeders e.g. in projects) - Validation in new genetic background
(1) SME plant breeders are to introduce improved traits/novel alleles
into regionally adapted cvs, especially cereals, oilseed crops, legumes.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Sustainable…
cont.
BIO-RESOURCES
1.
2.
3.
4.
Improve plant productivity and quality
Reduce and optimise the environmental impact of agriculture
Boost biodiversity
Enhance the sustainability and aesthetical value of the landscape
(1,2) Molecular breeding & microbial ecology tools should be
combined with sustainable management of agro- and phyto-chemicals
for the improvement of cropping systems to obtain self-protected
elite cultivars with site-effective plant – microbial communities.
(1,2) Research into and development of modern tools for forest tree
breeding and selection to improve both, wood/fibre quality and
growth, under abiotic/biotic stress and/or low input conditions.
(1,2,3) Genomes of crop, orphan and related wild species must be
searched for functional genetic markers (gene resources or
expressed sequence tags = ESTs) useful for marker assisted
selection to derive varieties with novel qualities and tolerance or
resistance to biotic (pest & disease) or abiotic stress.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Sustainable…
cont.
BIO-RESOURCES
1.
2.
3.
4.
Improve plant productivity and quality
Reduce and optimise the environmental impact of agriculture
Boost biodiversity
Enhance the sustainability and aesthetical value of the landscape
(1,2,4) The new knowledge of plants is to be integrated into current
and future agro-ecosystems by regarding its agronomic, ecological,
and social-economic impacts.
(2,4) Sustainability pillars (economy – environment – society)
require more input especially towards
- Effects of plant research on environment
- Solving societal problems (disparities, urbanization, income,
abandonment of land use)
(2,4) Better economics of plant production – strengthening farms.
Note: The solution is not only to improve plants for higher productivity, but to
improve the productivity of agricultural systems with respect to sustainability,
e.g. minimum tillage, low input, more crops or wider rotations.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Sustainable…
cont.
BIO-RESOURCES
1.
2.
3.
4.
Improve plant productivity and quality
Reduce and optimise the environmental impact of agriculture
Boost biodiversity
Enhance the sustainability and aesthetical value of the landscape
(4) The multifunctionality of the landscape, in providing habitat for
plants & wild animals, and its role in the water cycle and for recreation
have to be considered.
(4) Following smart breeding methods allows to avoid transformation
breeding and addresses public concern for GMO-free food and
non-food products.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Jürgen
BIO-RESOURCESK. Friedel
• The new knowledge of plants is to be integrated into current and future
agro-ecosystems by regarding its agronomic, ecological, and socio-economic
impacts. Impacts of a further intensification of agricultural production on
the multifunctionality of agro-ecosystems, on the environment and on
interactions with the socio-economic systems have to be addressed.
• Molecular breeding tools can be used to obtain elite cultivars and effective
plant – micro-organism symbioses, e.g. with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
• Only along with a consideration and improvement of the cropping
systems, the management of agro- and phyto-chemicals and the development
of self-protected plant varieties are promising approaches.
•The multifunctionality of the landscape, e.g. in providing a habitat for plants
and wild animals, its role in the water cycle has to be considered as well as its
importance for human recreation.
• The request of parts of the public for GMO-free food and non-food products
can be considered by smart breeding methods using techniques of molecular
biology e.g. for developing markers avoiding transformation breeding.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Julia
Neuwirth
BIO-RESOURCES
Allgemeine Anmerkungen
• Im Sinne der 3 Säulen der Nachhaltigkeit
(Wirtschaft, Umwelt und Soziales) kommen
insbesondere folgende Themen in der SRA zu
kurz:
– Auswirkungen der Pflanzenforschung auf die Umwelt
– Lösung von sozialen bzw. gesellschaftlichen
Problemen, wie z.B. Disparitäten, Abwanderung,
Einkommen, Aufgabe der Flächenbewirtschaftung
• Fokus erweitern um seltene Ackerkulturen und
alternative Landbewirtschaftungsformen
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Julia
Neuwirth cont.
BIO-RESOURCES
Anmerkungen zu Ziel 1
• Der Bedarf an Lebens- und Futtermitteln, erneuerbaren
Energieträgern und anderen land- und
forstwirtschaftlichen Rohstoffen sollte durch extensivere
Bewirtschaftungsweisen gedeckt werden.
• Um den Bedarf zu decken, ist nicht nur die Produktivität
von Kulturpflanzen bedeutsam, sondern auch deren
Distribution, Vermarktung, Verarbeitung und
Konsumption.
• Bei den konkreten Forschungszielen sollten seltene
Ackerkulturen einbezogen, nachhaltige
Bewirtschaftungsmethoden erprobt, die Interaktionen
von Kulturpflanzen mit der Umwelt und soziale,
ökonomische und ökologische Effekte ihres Anbaus
erhoben bzw. abgeschätzt werden.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Julia
Neuwirth cont.
BIO-RESOURCES
Anmerkungen zu Ziel 2
• Verschiedene Formen der Landbewirtschaftung sollen
hinsichtlich des Ressourceneinsatzes, der Pflanzen- und
Bodengesundheit untersucht werden, um darauf
aufbauend Bewirtschaftungsmethoden mit geringen
negativen Umwelteinflüssen zu entwickeln (z.B.
Fruchtfolgen).
• Erprobung von Effekten neuer
Landbewirtschaftungstechnologien auf die Bodenqualität
(z.B. Bodenverdichtung, Erosion,
Nährstoffverfügbarkeit).
• Konkrete Forschungsziele: Einflüsse verschiedener
Landbewirtschaftungsmethoden auf Pflanzen- und
Bodenqualität, optimierte Grünlandbewirtschaftung unter
Berücksichtigung von Multifunktionalität und
Biodiversität, sozioökonomische und ökologische
Wirkungen neuer Bewirtschaftungsmethoden.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Julia
Neuwirth cont.
BIO-RESOURCES
Anmerkungen zu Ziel 3
• Konkrete Forschungsaktivitäten:
– Nicht nur die Auswirkungen des Anbaus der wichtigsten
Kulturpflanzen auf die Biodiversität erforschen, sondern auch
jene der seltenen Kulturpflanzen berücksichtigen.
– Feststellung des potenziellen und des gesellschaftlich
erwünschten Ausmaßes an Biodiversität sowie
Grundlagenforschung zur Evolution von Biodiversität.
– Entwicklung von Landbewirtschaftungsmethoden mit positiven
Auswirkungen auf die Biodiversität und deren ökonomische und
soziale Effekte.
– Entwicklung eines Pflanzenproduktionsschemas, das
Bewirtschaftung, Ernte, Verarbeitung und Entsorgung
berücksichtigt und sich positiv auf die Biodiversität auswirkt.
– Risikobewertung der unerwünschten Ausbreitung von neuen
Kulturpflanzen in der Umwelt, Entwicklung von
Kontrollmechanismen.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Julia
Neuwirth cont.
BIO-RESOURCES
Anmerkungen zu Ziel 4
• Nur den ästhetischen Wert einer Landschaft anzusprechen, ist zu
wenig. Vielmehr ist die Landschaft ein Ort des Wirtschaftens und
des Lebens und ihr Erscheinungsbild stellt das Produkt dieser
Tätigkeiten dar.
• Evaluierung von Risiken für heimische Arten durch den weltweiten
Handel mit Zierpflanzen.
• Grundlagenforschung zur Neuanlage, Wiederherstellung und Pflege
von Habitaten.
• Entwicklung von Monitoring- und Managementmethoden, um die
Koexistenz von konventioneller und biologischer Land- und
Forstwirtschaft sowie von anderen Landnutzungsformen mit
gentechnisch veränderten Pflanzen zu ermöglichen.
• Forschungsfragen: Einflüsse neuer Bewirtschaftungsformen auf die
Landschaft und deren Multifunktionalität, effiziente
Fördermaßnahmen zur Erreichung von Naturschutzzielen,
Mehrfachnutzung von weniger wertvollen landwirtschaftlichen
Nutzflächen, Erzeugung typischer regionaler Produkte, Entwicklung
innovativer und nachhaltiger Produktionsketten (inkl. Recycling),
Produktion von erneuerbarer Energie.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Arthur
Spiegler
BIO-RESOURCES
As we already decided at our meeting, please change the order in the headline
to: "Enhance the sustainability and aesthetical values of the landscapes"
Goal four can not be dealt with satisfactorily without meeting the requirements of
the goals one to three. Nor can it be handled without considering the human and
the socio-economic and ecological factors.
Now some basic facts to be taken into account:
- Every change of agriculture unavoidably causes a change of landscapeecology and in consequence also a change of the landscapes view, the
aesthetics of landscape.
- Therefore, it is essential to identify the essence, the character, the values and
threads of the landscape. These measures are the preconditions of sustainable
landscape maintenance (landscape preservation and development).
Conclusions:
- Change is immanent to landscapes. Thus it had been in the past, occurs
nowadays and will be so in the future. We must allow the change but under the
conditions of the preservation of the landscapes values.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Hermann
Bürstmayr
BIO-RESOURCES
Goal 1, Del 1:
Yield and yield stability: are very complex traits, differing from crop to crop.
Especially for yield GxE is of high importance, therefore analysis of such a trait is
only possible crop by crop and regionally !!!
Important role of SME plant breeders, any improved traits or novel alleles
(obtained by using genetic transformation or classical genetics) need to be
introduced into regionally adapted cultivars, especially for cereal crops, oilseed
crops, legumes.
Goal 2 Del 2:
Improve tolerance and resistance to pathogens and other biotic factors
Plays a key role in sustainable agriculture in the future and should receive
much attention in the whole context !
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Felix
Fuchs / Josef Schmidt
BIO-RESOURCES
A breeders comment to challenges one and two:
In challenge one: “Healthy, safe and sufficient food and feed” the draft is missing the
point that this platform should deal primarily with plants as objects of research (food
implies a slightly different focus and may have its own technology platform and thus
socio-economic background).
Crop plants must first be healthy and second they should provide healthy food
and feed (or raw material for other use).
The second aspect is considered in goals one and three with “high quality” food and
feed, respectively. Missing in the draft is the exploitation of crop plant (and related
wild species) genomes for functional genetic markers (gene resources or expressed
sequence tags = ESTs) useful for marker assisted selection and smart breeding for
varieties tolerant or resistant to biotic (disease, also pests) or abiotic stress.
In challenge two: “Sustainable agriculture, forestry and landscape” goal two indeed
refers to the importance of developing self-protecting plants, but only from the
environmental point of view.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Felix
Fuchs / Josef Schmidt cont.
BIO-RESOURCES
To summarize:
There is still an urgent need for the sequencing and annotation of further
important crop genomes.
Comparative genomic approaches may be helpful to enhance progress in
genome mining of alternative, minor and orphan crops.
This work should form the first goal in challenge one paving the ground for the
other goals described to provide “Healthy, safe and sufficient food and feed”.
From the point of view of a crop (or seed) producer, more emphasis must be laid
into the development of well performing plants under biotic and abiotic stress as
well as low input conditions.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Josef
Schmidt
BIO-RESOURCES
FOREST-BASED SECTOR TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM (FTP)
Strategic Research Agenda (Juni / November 2005)
5 Value Chains:
Forestry (Securing sustainable wood and forest biomass supply*), Forest and
landscape management with respect to Climate Change, multifunctional
management of forests, Economic viability of forests)
Wood products (New surface performances, Mechanical and chemical bonding,
Smart and substitutional performances)
Pulp and Paper industry (New products and substitution of fossil based
materials, Waterless papermaking, Significant reduction of energy demand, New
pulping processes, Mineral use in pulp and paper technology)
Bioenergy (Optimized raw material supply systems for production and energy*),
Optimized cascade-utilization of forest resources and forest products, Enhancing
conversion technologies for bioenergy production. Holistic models for optimized
raw material utilization at European level)
Specialities/ New Business (Wood refinery concept, Wood constituents as
chemical feedstock, Cellulose –a multipurpose polymer, Advanced man-made
wood)
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Josef
Schmidt cont.
BIO-RESOURCES
*) This implies that the forestry, pulp and paper, and bioenergy sectors ask
technology platform “Plants for the Future” to specifically include:
• Research into and development of modern tools for forest tree
breeding and selection to improve both, wood/fibre quality and
growth, under abiotic/biotic stress and/or low input conditions.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Birschitzky,
Lafferty & Löschenberger
BIO-RESOURCES
Vorab ist festzuhalten, dass wir uns inhaltlich der Stellungnahme Bürstmayr anschliessen.
Zur Diskussion über Gentechnik möchten wir festhalten, dass für uns als Getreidezüchter
Forschung auf diesem Gebiet erst dann wieder prioritär erscheint, wenn (durchaus in
Abstimmung mit kritischen NGO’s) ein gesellschaftlicher Konsens oder zumindest eine
Mehrheit für die Nutzung der grünen Gentechnik besteht.
Grundsätzlich sehen wir die Forschung in der/für die Pflanzenzüchtung in 4 Stufen, von denen
keine vernachlässigt werden darf - sonst gibt es keine praktische Auswirkung:
1. Erforschen von Mechanismen – Entwicklung neuer Merkmale
(Research into mechanisms - Development of new traits)
2. Entwickeln von neuen Methoden und Erzeugen von Grundlagenmaterial mit
neuen/verbesserten Eigenschaften (Development of new methods and
production of breeding stock with new/improved properties)
3. Übertragen in lokal adaptierte Genetik (teilweise gemeinsam mit Züchtern
z.B. in Projekten) – Validieren im neuen genetischen Hintergrund
(Introduction into local germplasm (partially together with breeders e.g. in
projects) - Validation in new genetic background)
4. Kombination mit anderen Leistungseigenschaften in Hochleistungssorten
(privatwirtschaftliche Aufgabe der Züchter) (Combination with other yield
characteristics in high yielding cultivars (breeders commercial interest and work))
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Birschitzky,
Lafferty & Löschenberger cont.
BIO-RESOURCES
ad 1
Grundlagenmaterial und Methoden sollen möglichst nahe an die Züchter
herangebracht werden. (Basic gene pool and methods should be brought as close
as possible to the breeders.)
ad 3
Der dritte Punkt gehört wesentlich dazu und bedeutet noch nicht Züchtung im
engeren Sinn.
Dabei ist unserer Meinung nach von der Wissenschaft stärker als derzeit ein
mulitfaktorieller Ansatz gefordert, d.h. ähnlich wie in der praktischen Züchtung von
Sorten, wo wir bis zu 30 verschiedene Merkmale (diverse Resistenzen, Ertrag,
Qualität in allen ihren Facetten, agronomische Merkmale) gleichzeitig
berücksichtigen müssen, sollte dabei darauf geachtet werden, dass mit dem
Einkreuzen neuer interessanter Eigenschaften nicht zuviel unbrauchbare Genetik
mitgeliefert wird, was eine Entwicklung von vermarktbaren Sorten um viele Jahre
verzögert bzw. unmöglich macht.
(A multifactorial approach is mandatory to integrate diverse traits simultaneously
without
ad 4
Erst Punkt vier ist Aufgabe der Züchter (nur diesen können sie sich leisten)
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10
Krafft
BIO-RESOURCES
Plants will be increasingly used as raw materials because they are relatively
cheap to produce and renewable. Farm economics of plant production need
to be strengthened. Example USA: In the past years low soil tillage or no soil
tillage systems have been successfully introduced in the US basically to
prevent soil erosion, but today it is proving to be the more economic
production system.
I believe the solution is not only to improve plants for higher productivity, but to
improve productivity of the agricultural system. Farms and growers are part
of the system and their needs must be recognized. Agricultural research is
required complementarily to plant research. More crops or wider rotations
may be one of the options as mentioned. However the research target must
be formulated as better economics of plant production.
Use of fertilizer and crop protection is expensive. Less use is more economic.
Plants as cost effective raw material will convince industrial players and create
more use of plants in new areas as it becomes the better and more economic
solution.
Josef Schmidt / 2005 11 10