ERA-NET SusCrop and FACCE-JPI joint call: Potential impacts of sustainable crop production projects assessed

The ERA-NET on Sustainable Crop Production has released a report from the Expert Evaluation Committee on the potential impacts of the thirteen projects¹ funded by the joint research call with FACCE-JPI.

• Academic impact was high with 97 published articles at the time of reporting and 203 planned.Over half of the refereed outputs were published in high impact journals. Overall, there washigh visibility of outputs in the national and international academic and scientific communitythrough over 40 scientific conferences and other scientific dissemination activities.
• Technological advances included the development of new breeding methodologies,identification of loci and genes for desirable traits, release of novel genetic material to otherresearchers and commercial breeders, together with models and improved managementpractices to deliver increased sustainability of crop production on farm.
• Valorisation was evident in the registration of new crop varieties, the adoption by somecommercial stakeholders of model outputs and novel genetic materials in their breedingprogrammes, and the dissemination of many improved pest and crop management practicesin farmer meetings. Serendipity also played a role in providing two outcomes of research thatmight find commercial application.
• A perceived gap in several projects was the lack of detail in both the planning stage and thefinal report of means of taking any outcomes to a commercial market. The absence ofawareness of limitations to the exploitation of intellectual property and freedom to operatewere also evident.

Download the report here to learn more.

¹AC/DC-weeds: Applying and Combining Disturbance and Competition for agro-ecologicalmanagement of creeping perennial weedsBARISTA: Advanced tools for breeding BARley for Intensive and SusTainable agricultureunder climate change scenariosDIFFUGAT: Diploid Inbreds For Fixation, and Unreduced GAmetes for Tetraploidy – Anovel Fixation-Restitution Breeding method for potatoLegumeGap: Increasing productivity and sustainability of European plant proteinproduction by closing the grain legume yield gapNETFIB: Valorization of fibers from nettle grown on marginal lands in an agro-forestrycropping systempotatoMETAbiome: Harnessing the potato-microbiome interactions for the development ofsustainable breeding and production strategiesProFaba: Developing improved Vicia faba breeding practices and varieties to drivedomestic protein production in the European UnionPROSTRIG: Delivering novel maize genotypes with improved resilience and PROductivitythrough the application of predictive breeding technologies to modulateSTRIGolactone levelsROOT: Resilience to salinity in tomatoRYE-SUS: Development of lodging-resistant and climate-smart rye – a contribution tosustainable cereal production in marginal environmentsSOLNUE: Tomato and eggplant nitrogen utilization efficiency in MediterraneanenvironmentsSUSCAP: Developing resilience and tolerance of crop resource use efficiency to climatechange and air pollutionWheatSustain: Knowledge-driven genomic predictions for sustainable disease resistance inwheat