Forage Crop Meeting, April 8-9, 2014

MINUTES OF THE FORAGE CROP MEETING, APRIL 8-9, 2014

Forage Crop Meeting

Meeting of NordGen´s Forage Working group, Baltic plant breeders and gene bank staff from the Baltic countries and Austria

April 8-9, 2014, Tallinn

Participants: Mervi Seppänen MS (Finland, chairman), Petter Marum PM (Norway), Guðni Þorvaldsson GÞ (Iceland), Linda Öhlund LÖ (Sweden) and Anders Søndergaard Larsen ASL (Denmark), Rene Aavola RA (Estonia), Külli Annamaa KA (Estonia), Ants Bender AB (Estonia), Sirje Tamm ST (Estonia), Nijolė Lemežienė NL (Lithuania), Vilma Kemešyte VK (Lithuania), Eglė Norkevičienė EN (Lithuania), Sarmite Rancane SR (Latvia), Aldis Jansons AJ (Latvia), Dainis Rungis DR (Latvia), Wilhelm Graiss WG (Austria) and Anna Palmé AP (NordGen)

A. Welcome MS welcomed everybody to the meeting and commented that she was glad that we have the opportunity to have the meeting in Tallinn and to include colleagues from the Baltic countries and Austria in the meeting. MS asked everybody to introduce themselves and a short round of introduction was conducted.

KA welcomed everybody to Tallinn and the meeting.

B. Appointing a secretary AP was appointed as secretary for the meeting.

C. Comments on the agenda of this session No comments or additions to the agenda were made.

D. Comments on the minutes from the last meeting No comments on the minutes from the previous meeting were made. PMs earlier comments had been incorporated into the minutes circulated before the current meeting.

E. Information from NordGen

E1. Regeneration AP informed the meeting about this year’s regeneration at NordGen. In total, regeneration of 90 forage accessions are planned for 2014: 21 grass and 6 clover accessions in Lännäs, 15 grass accessions in Løken, 6 clover accessions in Landvik and 12 clover and 30 grass accessions in Alnarp.

The regeneration in Alnarp is increased compared to last year, when regeneration of 6 clover and 24 grass accessions was initiated. The increases of clover accessions were due to the purchase of more cages for the isolation of insect pollinated species and the increase of grass accessions were due to the rent of one additional grass field within SLUs wheat field at Alnarp.

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In preparation for this year´s regeneration a document of called “Minimum standards for regeneration of NordGen´s forage crops” was created (see appendix I). The aim was to put our standards into writing and to clarify what they are. The first version of this document was written by AP following the standards of ECPGR and NordGen. It was then circulated among the people conducting regeneration for NordGen, adjusted and then circulated to NordGen´s forage working group. It is now incorporated into NordGen´s quality assurance system and also into the external regeneration contracts that are made each year. The document is not static but will be updated following for example new research or new ECPGR standards, if deemed necessary.

Negotiation with MTT Sotkamo regarding external regeneration was made since the last meeting of NordGen´s forage working group. Unfortunately the offer made by MTT was much more expensive than the external regeneration made in Sweden and Norway today and NordGen had to decline the offer. Other alternatives for regeneration were discussed and it was decided to contact Boreal.

E2. Germination change over 25 years AP showed graphs from a report of germination levels during the first 25 years of the 100 year experiment in mine 3 in Svalbard (where it is still situated). These samples are dried to 3-6 percent and stored at permafrost (-5°C). Overall the development of germination looks good in the forage species investigated (Poa, Phleum, Lolium and Trifolium) and there are no large decreases over the first 25 years of the experiment. In Lolium however, there is a weak trend of decrease in germination during the past 10 years.

E3. Material in transition (MIT) agreements AP informed the meeting about the MIT agreements that have been made between NordGen and some Nordic plant breeding firms. These are agreements concerning registered varieties and the aim is to channel good quality material and information to the gene bank while at the same time protecting plant breeder´s rights. Material under MIT agreement will not be distributed by NordGen and are stored in special freezers. After a transition period however, the material will be transferred into NordGen´s normal collection and be available under normal conditions. So far MIT agreements have been made with Boreal and Lantmännen and also Graminor is in the process of making such agreement. NordGen´s ambition is to have these kinds of agreement with all the Nordic breeding firms in the future, and also similar agreements with universities and research institutes.

F. Last year’s Working Group activities

F1. Collection in Iceland GÞ informed the meeting about his collection of Alopecurus pratensis from old meadows in Iceland 2012 and 2013. This species has historically been important in Iceland but its use has decreased. The changes in cultivation practises are now threatening the old Icelandic meadows and the collection was made to safeguard these genetic resources that are well adapted to the Icelandic conditions. More information on the collection can be found at http://www.nordgen.org/index.php/skand/content/view/full/2653.

Earlier collections have been made in Iceland targeting other species in old meadows, but Alopecurus pratensis was not collected due to differences in the timing of seed maturation.

F2. Isolation cages Six isolation cages for insect pollinated species were purchased in 2013 for a sum of 8 708 SEK (Polytunnel Fully Galvanised Frame). These are a smaller (4x6m) and lighter version than the cages that were bought earlier. They will not have permanent position in the field at Alnarp, but will be moved around. This will make it easier to ensure proper crop rotation.

F3. Red clover application

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An application called “Facilitating use of Nordic plant genetic resources: Evaluating the Nordic Red Clover Collection for Arctic breeding” was sent in to the Nordic Council of Ministers (NMR) in December 2013. The goal is to evaluate red clover accessions from NordGen in Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland for their potential use in pre-breeding and breeding for Northern conditions. Decision on the NMR applications will be made at a meeting April 23.

G. Working Group activities 2014.

G1. Information on budget frame AP informed the meeting that the budget will be like last year, 100 000 SEK

G2. Information that could influence our plans PM informed the meeting that the Norwegian genetic resource centre has been asked by the government to specify what traits should be characterised in each crop. The aim is that genetic resources should be evaluated for relevant traits.

MS informed the meeting that in NOFOGRAN it has been emphasized that it is important to focus on several forage species since they are always grown in mixes.

AP informed the meeting that the final decision on the continuation of the Nordic PPP will made in a NMR meeting in June. If the budget is increased sufficiently there will likely be a possibility to both continue the started projects and initiate new ones on other crops.

G3. This year’s activities Decision: If we get funding from NMR for the red clover project we will spend 75 000 SEK of the working groups funds on this project. The remaining funding can be spent on collection trips in Sweden and/or Finland.

Decision: If do not get funding from NMR, the 100 000 SEK from the working groups basic funding and the 50 000 NOK from the Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre will be pooled and used on clover evaluation on a smaller scale.

H. Regeneration of NordGen´s forage collection

H1. Regeneration need AP informed the meeting about a review that she has made of the forage collection at NordGen and about the regeneration need in the forage collection. The review included all genera on the species priority list and 95% of the total collection. The minimum levels used for identification of accessions in need of regeneration were the following: • Germination: Cultivated species: the norms for germination in the EU directives minus 10% . For species not covered by EU directives: Fodder grasses 50 %, Legumes: 65 % • Seed amount: At least 3 750 seeds (active collection: 2 000 + 250, base collection: 1 000, safe collection: 500)

The meeting agreed that the minimum levels specified above are good standards to use.

The assumptions made were the following: weights in SESTO are correct, germination tests in SESTO are correct, assumptions made on thousand grain weight to estimate seed number are correct, assignment of last batch in SESTO is correct. The following was not included in the calculations: accessions with seeds in drying room or in regeneration, accessions with enough seeds and no germination test (instead scheduled for germination test), seed in distribution bags not included in estimation of seed number.

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The regeneration need is summarized in the table below. Observe that the numbers are based on the assumptions specified above and that the time estimates are rough estimates. The time estimates do not take the origin of the accession into account, which affects where an accession should be regenerated and thereby the speed of regeneration.

Regen. need Regen. need Rough time Genus No. acc. % estimate * Agrostis 85 22% 8 years Alopecurus 54 35% 5 years Bromus 15 33% n Dactylis 173 45% 16 years Deschampsia 27 27% 2 years Festuca 177 22% 16 years Lolium 5 2% 1 year Phalaris 39 20% 4 years Phleum 64 8% 6 years Poa 111 18% 10 years Medicago 11 31% n Trifolium 272 32% 11 years Total grasses 750 20% 11 years Total 1033 22% 11 years *Ignoring origin of accession and assuming current regeneration rate of 11 accessions per genus and year in grasses and 24 in clover, in total 66 grass accessions per year

The problematic accessions will be those with very low levels of germination and very low numbers of seeds. It might not be possible to successfully regenerate all of these accessions.

H2. Strategy to reach AEGIS standards (discussion) The information on the large need for regeneration in the forage collection will be summarized in a letter that will be sent to NordGen´s board and signed by the working group. In this letter we will urge for a larger budget for regeneration of forage crops at NordGen with the aim that all forage accessions currently accepted at NordGen meet the minimum standards of seed amount and germination percentage and have safety backups in base and safe storage within 7 years.

During the coming year the possibility of regeneration in Boreal will be explored. This would be one good way to expand the regeneration, in addition to increasing regeneration at the locations currently used for regeneration.

I. Species priority list

I1. Comparison of NordGen´s, Estonia´s, Latvia´s and Lithuania´s priority lists for forage crops The species priority lists from the gene banks in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and NordGen were compared (see table below)

Table. Species priority lists for the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian gene banks and NordGen. Observe that in the NordGen column there is no grading, either the species is on the priority list (+) or not (blank). Species Estonia Latvia Lithuania NordGen Agrostis capillaris (=Agrostis tenuis) + + + + Agrostis gigantea + +

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Agrostis stolonifera + + Alopecurus pratensis + + + + Bromus inermis + + + + Dactylis glomerata + ++ ++ + Deschampsia caespitosa + + Festuca arundinacea + ++ +++ + Festuca pratensis +++ +++ ++ + Festuca rubra +++ ++ ++ + Festuca ovina ++ + + + Koeleria macrantha + Lolium perenne +++ ++ +++ + Lolium multiflorum ++ ++ xFestulolium ++ +++ Panicum virgatum + Phalaris arundinaca ++ ++ ++ + Poa alpina + Poa pratensis +++ ++ ++ + Poa subcaerulea + Phleum pratensis ++ +++ +++ + Medicago falcata ++ + + + Medicago sativa ++ +++ +++ + Trifolium hybridum + ++ + + Trifolium pratense +++ +++ ++ + Trifolium repens ++ ++ + + Onobrychis viciafolia + + + Lotus corniculatus + + +

I2. Discussion: what should be included? PM: Included in NordGens list should be all species that are currently used in the Nordic countries. If there is Nordic cultivars of a species, that species should be included on the list. Following this logic, Festulolium should be included in NordGen´s priority list.

NL: Festuca arundinacea (+++ in the Lithuanian priority list) is given high priority because even though there are no varieties registered in Lithuania there is expected to be a need for this species in the future. Species with good deep root system are expected to be important in the future, especially because of their drought resistance. For Lolium perenne work is ongoing to produce a new winter hardy variety. NL argues against including only species with commercial varieties since there are many other useful species that are not bred by the commercial companies but are used by farmers, for example Lotus corniculatus and Onobrychis viciafolia (the latter is very good for ruminants).

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RA informs the meeting that species are included in the Estonian priority list based on experience from collection missions and on the economic importance of the species. They concentrate on forage species and species for turf and to a smaller degree on energy crops. Wild populations of Lolium are rare, but the few that are occurring are adapted to the local climate, and therefore especially important.

NL: Companies generally do not work with Poa pratensis. RA: in Estonia there is only one Poa pratensis variety “Esto” bred for lawn. Poa subcaerulea is included in the Estonian list because it is use for lawn.

ST: Medicaco, T. pratense and Lotus are used for decorative purposes.

SR: The species included in the Latvian priority list are mainly included because of their use as forage. Use for lawn is of smaller importance. Especially important are species in current use and species with ongoing breeding programs. There is ongoing breeding to establish new cultivars of Festulolium (F.pratensis or F.arundinacea x L.perenne or L.multiflorum). Lotus corniculatus is expected to be important in the future even though there are problems with seed production.

MS: Important to include species that are or will be important for organic farming.

PM: Lotus is of limited importance in Nordic farming, so maybe it is correct not to include it in NordGen´s priority list. However, a long time ago there was a Danish cultivar.

Decision: Circulate the list so that changes can be made to the Nordic and Baltic lists.

Decision: we should grade the importance of each species in NordGen´s priority list. PM informs the meeting that this has been done previously. It was decided that this earlier ranking would be used as a starting point for a current ranking and that this would be discussed at a later meeting. It should also be clearly specified what a certain rank entails.

J. Presentations of projects The following talks were given. Please see Appendix II on the content of these talks. 1. PPP Perennial Ryegrass (PM, RA, ASL) 2. Seed collection and propagation for three grassland vegetation types in Austria (WG) 3. Collection and exploration of grasses and herbage legumes in Estonia (KA, ST) 4. Development of Functional Markers for plant Architecture Genes (VK) 5. Comprehensive studies on bio-potential of multi-use energy C4 type plant Panicum virgatum project (EN, NL, Bronislava Butkutė) 6. On the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources in Europe: a stakeholder analysis (AP, Lothar Frese, Chris Kik)

K. Regeneration/management of forage species and their CWR RA introduces the session and mentioned references 1-3 that were sent out before the meeting and gives a background to these discussions.

K1. Information on strategies used at different locations RA informed the meeting about the regeneration strategy used in Estonia. Phalaris arundinacea is used as isolation crop (up to 2 m tall, perennial, seeding rate low, foliage close to the ground) and is higher than rye that is often used as isolation crop. Two different planting distances (25 and 50 cm between the plants to be regenerated) has been tested. It has also been tested to sow single seeds directly in the plot to save time, but it is too early to say how this will work out. Machines are not used for cleaning the seeds after harvest but rather manual sieves and then a seed blower.

AP described the standards used at NordGen. See “Minimum standards for regeneration of NordGen´s forage crops” (Appendix I) for details.

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NL: In Lithuania isolation with winter rye is used in combination with an isolation distance of 10 – 15 meters. About 30 plants per accessions are planted. Breeding material is planted in homemade field cabins or with an isolation by distance 60 m. Poa spp are regenerated without isolation since it is apomictic (about 2-5 % cross pollination).

SR: In Latvia an isolation distance of 120-200m is used for legumes. For grasses a barrier crops of rye or wheat is used in combination with an isolation distance of 30 m between the plots.

WG: In Austria an isolation distance of 150 m is used. The distance between rows is 40 cm and they use a plastic ground cover to avoid weeds and seeds falling to the ground. In Austria they have experience with working with species mixtures. Both regeneration and germination testing is problematic with mixtures and they generally do it as separate species. More information on handling of seed mixtures and on restoration can be found in: “Practical handbook for seed harvest and ecological restoration of species-rich grasslands” by Scotton, M.; Kirmer, A.; Krautzer, B. and in “Site-specific high zone restoration in the Alpine region : the current technological development” by Krautzer et al.

K2. Discussion In some grasses there is a difficulty with seed set during regeneration. Agrostis stolonifera and Phalaris arundinacea was mentioned to have this problem. PM suggested that this could in some cases be caused by inbreeding if by accident a large clone has been collected as many separate individuals. Also the seeds planted could be inbred if they come from such a large clone. RA commented that it could also be affected by the soil and that wetter soil should be preferable for both species.

Should harvesting be done during one or two years? AP: At NordGen seeds are generally only harvested one year (fist year establishment, second year harvest) but in some cases when the harvest was bad the plants were saved and harvest attempted year three. WG: the first harvest is kept by the gene bank while the second harvest is used in mixtures and distributed to users.

DR brought up the issue of when in situ conservation can be an alternative to ex situ conservation. It was concluded that in situ conservation is not without problems. Populations can go extinct through habitat loss if the site is not protected and also through changes in cultivation practices or climate changes. Therefore it is prudent to have backup samples of important genetic resources ex situ whenever that is possible. Another issue is that adaption will take place in situ. This is an advantage as the populations will have a chance to adapt to changes in the climate. On the other hand it will not be the same population as before.

LÖ brought up the question of what to do with excess seed during regeneration. RA stated that he saves excess seed in his short term seed store. AP said that at NordGen excess seeds are discarded. This was regarded as a waste of potentially useful seed. NordGen do unfortunately not have the possibility to store large amount of seeds but an alternative could be that superfluous seeds were retained at the place of regeneration. Larger amounts of seed would facilitate any evaluation of the accession.

L. Potential joint future applications The following alternatives for joint applications were suggested:  PPP continuation – hopefully expanded. Red clover interesting species to do PPP on.  Horizon 2020 application: SFS-7-2015.  Expand or resubmit the clover project. Red clover good connection to organic farmers.  There is an interest to do something on Medicago from MS and PM.

Decision: Expand/resubmit the clover application.

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In addition we will keep an eye on the Horizon 2020 application possibilities. AP will forward to the group an e-mail received from Italian colleagues about cooperation on an Horizon 2020 application focused on gene bank work. Potentially interested people are: WG, MS, KA, DR, AP and maybe others.

M. Next WG meetings The next WG meeting will be a telephone meeting in the autumn 2014.A good time would be the end of October or in November. Anna will send out alternative dates after the summer.

The next year’s regular meeting will be held in late March or early April.

N. Other issues There were no other issues

O. Closing the meeting MS thanked everybody for participating and closed the meeting.

References 1. Description of the regeneration standards used for forage species. Appendix IV., p.31 in Report of the Ninth Meeting, 23-25 October 2007, Piešťany, Slovakia. http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/archive_phase_viii/forages/forages/other_wg_documents.html 2. Guidelines for the regeneration of accessions in seed collections of the main perennial forage grasses and legumes of temperate grasslands. Appendix III, pp. 167-183 in Report of the Sixth Meeting, 6-8 March 1997, Beitostolen, Norway. http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/archive_phase_viii/forages/forages/other_wg_documents.html 3. FAO. 2013.Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome. http://aegis.cgiar.org/aquas/standards.html

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Appendix I

Minimum standards for regeneration of NordGen´s forage crops

Purpose The purpose of this document is to describe the minimum standards that are used for regeneration of NordGen´s forage crops. The same standards are used for internal and external regeneration. For the internal regeneration at NordGen, more detailed instructions are given in the work instructions in the quality system.

Minimum standards NordGen has developed a standard for regeneration of forage crops that is based on the standards developed by the ECPGR Forages Working Group (A) and internal decisions made at NordGen. In response to future changes in the ECPGR standards or other developments, these standards may change.

Isolation

Wind pollinated crops: An isolation distance of 60 meters or more is used between accessions of the same species and from weeds of the same species. The aim is to minimise the pollen flow among accessions/weeds. Another alternative is to use a barrier crop that is higher that the regenerated crop, such as old varieties of rye (could be mixed with wheat to increase stability). In this case the isolation distance can be reduced to at least 30 m. Insect pollinated crops: The preferred approach is to use isolation cabins. The alternative is to use an isolation distance of 100 meters or more between accessions of the same species and also weeds of the same species.

Plants per accession

The aim should be to have at least 100 genetic individuals per accession during regeneration. If seed quality and/or quantity are low, this number can be reduced to a minimum of 30 individuals. If, during the process of regeneration, the number of individuals becomes lower than 30, the forage plant expert at NordGen should be contacted. The plant expert will then make a decision on whether the regeneration process should be terminated. Information on the approximate number of individuals producing seeds should be recorded for each accession in SESTO.

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Weeding

Any weeds of the same species should be removed from the crop (can for example be identified by a position deviating from the planting pattern). Weeds of other species should also be removed at regular intervals to decrease competition.

Harvesting

Unbalanced bulk harvest is used. An exception to this can in be made when the number of individuals in an accession is low (<30) and the accession is deemed to be of special importance. For external regeneration, a separate agreement will then be made for specific accessions to conduct a balanced harvest or harvest of individual plants.

Threshing and cleaning

The threshing method should be adapted to the species and can be either manual or done with a machine. Selection among the seeds should be avoided.

Species identification

During regeneration, the identity of the species should be confirmed. This information should be recorded for each accession in a log book or similar, sent to NordGen (applies to external regeneration) and then uploaded into SESTO by the crop expert at NordGen. If one or a few individuals of an incorrect species are identified, these should be removed from the plot. If all, or the majority, of the plants are of another species, the plant expert at NordGen should consider a species change (or in rare cases rejection of the accession).

Documentation

Photos should be taken of each accession during regeneration, preferably during flowering and/or when the plant is in seed (at least one overview of the accession and a close-up on one individual). If regeneration is external, the photos should be sent in an electronic format to NordGen. The photos should then be uploaded into SESTO and connected to the correct species and batch by the plant expert.

References A) Appendix IV. Description of the regeneration standards used for forage species, p.31 in Report of the Ninth Meeting, 23-25 October 2007, Piešťany, Slovakia. http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/networks/forages/forages/other_wg_documents.html

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Appendix II

Power Point slides from the presentations at the meeting

11 Registrations (scale 1-9) PPP Mean DMY of 22 cultivars, 2013 perennial ryegrass variety trial Spring: • snow mould resistance Korpa 4,87 t/ha • winter damage Lännäs 11,75 t/ha • % cover of sown entries

Jokioinen 8,06 t/ha Growth season: Bjørke 7,88 t/ha • DMY

Growth cessation in autumn: Jõgeva 8,82t/ha • % cover of sown entries

13-IV-2013

1 PPP FOR PRE- BREEDING IN PERENNIAL RYEGRASS

WP3: Testing the potential winter hardiness of existing perennial ryegrass cultivars

ÁSLAUG HELGADÓTTIR AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND SITE INFORMATION

SITE LATITUDE ALTITUDE SOWING DATE NO. OF HARVESTS 2013 YEAR 1 KORPA (IS) 64°09‘ 35 7 JUNE 2 BJÖRKE (NO) 60°45 187 3 LÄNNÄS (SE) 63°08‘ 27 3 JÖGEVA (EST) 58°45‘ 68 15 MAY 4 JOKIOINEN (FI) 3 TEST SITES

KORPA

JÖGEVA

BJÖRKE LÄNNÄS JOKIOINEN VARIETIES

ORIGIN HEADING DATE SWITZERLAND Arvicola 2x 5 Arvella 2x 11 Salamandra 4x 11 Cavia 2x 12 Premium 2x 19 GERMANY Ivana 2x 6 Pionero 4x 14 CANADA Norlea 2x 20 LATVIA Spidola 2x 19 ESTONIA Raidi 2x 18 Raite 4x 19 FINLAND Riikka 2x 20 SWEDEN SW Irene 2x 13 SW Gunne 2x 14 SW Birger 4x 15 SW Svea 2x 18 SW Leia 4x 19 NORWAY Einar 4x 13 Falk 4x 14 Fjaler 4x 14 Trygve 4x 19 Fagerlin 2x 19 JÖGEVA 24 MAY 2013 KORPA 7 JUNE 2013 SPRING COVER 2013

MEAN IS SE NO FI EST Fagerlin 2x N 8,4 6,5 9,0 8,9 9,0 8,4 SW Svea 2x SE 8,4 8,2 8,7 8,7 8,7 7,5 Norlea 2x CAN 8,4 8,6 9,0 8,8 7,0 8,4 Raidi 2x EST 8,3 8,0 8,7 8,8 8,3 7,8 Riikka 2x FI 8,2 8,1 8,3 8,9 8,4 7,5 SW Gunne 2x SE 8,1 8,2 8,7 8,9 8,3 6,6 Spidola 2x LV 8,1 6,6 8,7 8,9 8,4 7,8 Raite 4x EST 7,9 6,3 8,3 9,0 8,6 7,2 Fjaler 4x N 7,9 5,2 9,0 8,7 8,4 8,1 Einar 4x N 7,8 4,3 9,0 9,0 7,8 8,7 SW Leia 4x SE 7,7 5,3 8,0 8,8 8,7 7,8 Falk 4x N 7,7 7,8 9,0 8,8 5,6 7,5 SW Irene 2x SE 7,6 7,3 8,0 8,6 7,4 6,9 SW Birger 4x SE 7,6 4,5 8,7 8,8 8,7 7,2 Trygve 4x N 7,6 4,8 9,0 9,0 9,0 6,0 Ivana 2x D 7,5 7,3 8,0 8,5 7,9 6,0 Premium 2x CH 7,3 5,6 8,0 7,8 7,9 7,2 Pionero 4x D 7,2 4,0 8,3 8,6 7,7 7,2 Salamandra 4x CH 7,1 3,3 9,0 8,6 5,9 8,7 Arvella 2x CH 7,1 5,6 8,3 8,5 5,1 7,8 Cavia 2x CH 5,9 3,7 8,0 7,4 5,1 5,1 Arvicola 2x CH 5,6 2,0 8,7 8,5 0,7 8,4 MEAN 7,6 6,0 8,6 8,7 7,4 7,4 TOTAL YIELD 2013

MEAN IS SE NO EST FI Raite 4x EST 8,61 4,54 12,63 8,70 8,57 SW Gunne 2x SE 8,43 5,87 11,82 8,26 7,76 Einar 4x N 8,41 4,20 12,79 8,62 8,04 Spidola 2x LV 8,39 4,73 12,52 8,44 7,88 Arvicola 2x CH 8,34 3,41 12,59 8,47 8,88 SW Birger 4x SE 8,31 4,17 12,27 8,70 8,08 Falk 4x N 8,27 4,92 12,22 8,06 7,89 SW Leia 4x SE 8,20 4,42 12,40 8,57 7,41 Raidi 2x EST 8,16 5,52 12,00 7,62 7,52 Salamandra 4x CH 8,16 3,24 12,60 8,17 8,63 Trygve 4x N 8,13 4,12 12,51 8,54 7,35 SW Irene 2x SE 8,01 6,00 10,85 7,37 7,82 Pionero 4x D 8,00 4,34 12,26 7,82 7,59 Ivana 2x D 8,00 5,73 11,48 7,15 7,63 Riikka 2x FI 7,93 5,39 11,65 7,59 7,08 Fagerlin 2x N 7,89 5,45 10,96 7,75 7,41 Fjaler 4x N 7,79 4,20 11,99 7,68 7,28 SW Svea 2x SE 7,75 5,46 10,68 7,61 7,26 Norlea 2x CAN 7,55 5,11 10,51 7,79 6,80 Premium 2x CH 7,49 5,13 11,04 6,85 6,93 Cavia 2x CH 7,40 4,44 10,49 7,08 7,58 Arvella 2x CH 7,30 4,51 10,43 6,67 7,57 MEAN 8,02 4,77 11,76 7,89 7,68 KORPA 11 SEPT 2013 CORRELATIONS

TOTAL YIELD VS. IS SE NO EST FI SPRING COVER 0,69 0,10 0,42 0,10 SNOW MOULD -0,09 -0,16 WINTER KILL -0,10 15/10/2014

Material

Public Private Partnership • A total of 405 accessions were included Prebreeding in perennial ryegrass - • 12 did not germinate og wrong species • 393 accessions for multiplication Adapting perennial ryegrass to northern conditions WP

Tallinn, 08.04.2014-09.04.2014 Anders Søndergaard Larsen

Harvest and processing Processing

• 393 accessions were planted into 16 sqm plots of approx 70 plants each by end of • Average loss upon cleaning: 53% August 2012. Plots were isolated by a 4 m wide rye/wheat mixture. • Seeds were harvested using a Wintersteiger combine equipped with an integrated • Cleaned weight: compressor for cleaning between plots. – Minimum: 18 g • Further cleaning is done by use of a Petkus cleaner, combining an air separator, a – Maximum: 988 g set of vibrating sieves, and an indented cylinder. – Average: 425 g

Planning of WP7 field trials

Country # plots # reps Plot size (m2) Total seed (g) # accessions Design

DK 700 2 12 54 (2n) 334 Randomized block design, 18 72 (4n) entries, 2 reps, 3 checks

NO 600 2 6 27/35 272 Randomized block design, 18 entries and 2 checks

SE 300 2 10,8 36 (2n) 138 I suggest lattice 3 x 49 entries = 58 (4n) 147 entries or 6 x 25 entries = 150 entries. Standards included. But we can make another design if so wanted.

SF 320 2 6 27 (2n) 154 I prefer row column or alpha 35 (4n) (=lattice) as design. Standards included. We can make also some other design if so wanted.

IS 400 2 6 27 (2n) 176 Randomized block design, 18 35 (4n) entries and 2 checks

EE 400 2 7,6 23 (2n) 195 Randomised blocks, 20 34 (4n) entries/block with 2 controls

LT 300 2 8,25 34 (2n) 150 Randomized block design, 25 45 (4n) entries and 2 checks per block

1 10/15/2014

Work packages

WP1 Locating and requesting Lolium Perenne L. accessions and cultivars

PPP for pre-breeding in perennial WP2 Multiplication of gene bank accessions for further testing

ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) WP3 Testing the potential winter hardiness of existing perennial ryegrass cultivars

Petter Marum WP4 Phenotyping of gene bank accessions Graminor AS WP5 Establishing a broad breeding population (Base broadening)

WP6 Genetic diversity analyses and trait/marker associations

Pre-breeding in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)

WP1 WP2 WP3 WP4 WP5 WP6 Requesting seed Seed multiplication Cultivar trials Phenotyping Broad breeding population Genotyping, diversity WP4

N, DK DK N, DK, N, S, IS N, DK 2012 FIN, EE S, FIN • Phenotyping of gene bank accessions 2013 – Responsible: Lantmännen WP7 2014 N, S, DK, IS – Participating: Lantmännen, DLF, Graminor, and FIN, IS, EE WP10 Boral 2015 – Timeframe: 2012- 2014 WP10 WP8

2016 N, S, DK, IS FIN, IS, EE

2017 N, S, DK, IS FIN, IS, EE

WP10

2018

Pre-breeding in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)

WP1 WP2 WP3 WP4 WP5 WP6 Requesting seed Seed multiplication Cultivar trials Phenotyping Broad breeding population Genotyping, diversity WP4

N, DK DK N, S, IS N, DK, 2012 N, DK FIN, EE S, FIN • Observations will be done on 20 plants per

2013 accession

WP7 – 5 plants x 4 reps x 380 acc. 2014 N, S, DK, IS FIN, IS, EE • Important traits

2015 – Winter survival

WP8 – Spring growth 2016 N, S, DK, IS FIN, IS, EE – Growth habit – Plant height 2017 N, S, DK, IS FIN, IS, EE – Disease attack

2018 • Crown rust

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WP4

• Phenotyping will be divided between participants – Crown rust is most frequent in Denmark – Winter damage most severe in Norway and Finland • Data will be used in WP10 (next phase 2014 -) – Establish marker-trait associations

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Scoring WP4 Bjørke 2012-2014

Trait Year Bjørke Comment

Autumn size 2012 Yes Disease fall 2012 Yes Winter survival-13 2013 Yes Snow mold 2013 No No snow molds Spring growth 2013 Yes Growth habit 2013 No 2014 ? Heading time 2013 Yes Lodging – difficult to score Plant height 2013 Yes – 2 reps Disease resistance 2013 No Regrowth autumn 2013 Yes Winter survival - 14 2014

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Pre-breeding in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)

WP1 WP2 WP3 WP4 WP5 WP6 WP5 Requesting seed Seed multiplication Cultivar trials Phenotyping Broad breeding population Genotyping, diversity WP5 N, DK DK N, DK, N, S, IS N, DK 2012 FIN, EE S, FIN • Establishing a broad breeding population (Base broadening) 2013 WP7 – Responsible: Graminor 2014 N, S, DK, IS FIN, IS, EE – Participating: Graminor and DLF WP10 2015

– Timeframe: 2012- 2015 WP10 WP8

2016 N, S, DK, IS FIN, IS, EE

2017 N, S, DK, IS FIN, IS, EE

WP10

2018

WP5

• Two crossing blocks – Norway – Denmark • 10 plants per accession • Recombined in two generations – Harvest one seed head form each plant and use it to establish one new plant for production of second generation (SSD) • Basis for pre-breeding work with a time-frame of 15-20 years or more. – Develop site specific populations by natural selection

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Seed harvest dates

Harvest DLF Denmark Graminor Norway Early 19 July 6 -7 August Late 7 August 21 August

5 Starting situation

Two to three times cut grassland

Seed collection and propagation • Intensification of cultivation:

for three grassland vegetation types - no possibility for natural seed dispersal of in Austria affected grassland species

- gaps due to aging and dying of on-site material (life cycle of grassland species) Project Leader: Dr. Wilhelm Graiss - yearly reseeding on 75.000 ha necessary (20% of more cut grassland) eliminating Project Duration: original gene pool 2014-2023

Wilhelm Graiss Wilhelm Graiss Gen Erhalt Gen Erhalt

Starting situation Aims

Two to three times cut grassland • Regional genetic resources are precious for the next generation and future breeding work (climate change) – needs to be secured • Maintenance of cultivation: • Collections at suitable donor sites are necessary in order to preserve  Use of genetically non-native seed material or varieties in the regional seed material surrounding leads to genetic drift in the long term, also in areas of already protected semi-natural grassland

 hybridisation among identic species – genetic diversity within species is decreasing over decades

 regeneration by seed material and ex situ conservation necessary

Wilhelm Graiss Wilhelm Graiss Gen Erhalt Gen Erhalt

Applied methods Applied methods

• Collections within Austrian provenance regions • 3 habitat types were selected: – Alopecurus - communities – Arrhenatherum - communities – Trisetum - communities

• Selection of species according to: – Characteristic species for the habitat type – Existence of habitat type in the respective provenance region

• Collection of at least 50 individuals of more than 25 characteristic species for the habitat type at each donor site

Wilhelm Graiss Wilhelm Graiss Gen Erhalt Gen Erhalt

Applied methods

• Working collection contains certified seed material of AREC (cold storage)

• Gumpenstein Certificate of Origin (externally evaluated)

• Used for restoration and recultivation activities

• Currently 61 species are reproduced on 35,5 ha in Austria

Wilhelm Graiss Wilhelm Graiss Gen Erhalt Gen Erhalt

Wilhelm Graiss Gen Erhalt

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National Programme

Collection and exploration of grasses “Collection and Conservation of and herbage legumes in Estonia Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture” 2002-2006 Külli Annamaa Sirje Tamm 2007-2013 2014-2020

Area of semi-natural meadows in Estonia, thousand hectares

Type Early 20th Current Recommended century Alvar 50 4-5 5

Wooded 850 0,6 1,5-2 meadow Floodplain 100 15 15-20 meadow Coastal 30-35 7 7-10 meadow

Collection trips Collected species

2003-2013 Grasses: Agrostis, Alopecurus, Dactylis, Collection trips: 18 Deschampsia, Festuca, Koeleria, Lolium, Collection sites: 112 Phleum, Poa, Phalaris Collected grasses: 141 Collected legumes: 80 Legumes: Lotus, Medicago, Trifolium

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Former Soviet airbase at Kiltsi Alvar at Vilsandi island

Abruka island Vahase island

Manija island

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Prangli island

Former Soviet military base at Lahemaa National Park

North-East Estonia

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Former oil shale ground mines

Pakri island- Rågö

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Pskov region

Repatriation of Nordic forage crop material from the Vavilov Institute, 2003

Regeneration Active collection in Vavilov institute

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Studies with collected material

2003, 2006-2008 red clover – 30 samples 2003-2006 alfalfa – 50 samples Phenotypic traits, winter hardiness, persistency, dry matter yield and yield quality, seed yield and yield quality, resistance to diseases

Studies with collected material

2004–2009 and 2009–2012 – turf trials of 12 species with the purpose of rating the suitability of Estonian grass ecotypes from for lawns; 2010-2012 - 10 ecotypes of 3 species (Dactylis, Festuca pratensis, Lolium perenne), evaluated for forage production purposes and agronomic characteristics

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Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry This project is funded by Research Institute of Agriculture council of Lithuania

Project leader: Gintaras Brazauskas (Institute of Agriculture) Development of FUnctional Participants: Izolda Pašakinskienė (Vilnius University), Markers for plant Architecture Vilma Kemešytė (Institute of Agriculture), Gražina Statkevičiūtė (Institute of Agriculture) Genes (FUMAG) 2 laboratory assistants (Institute of Agriculture)

Vilma Kemešytė Project duration 2012-2014

Tallinn, April 8

Plant Architecture

The aim of this project is to Tri – dimensional structure of the develop functional markers for plant perennial plant architecture genes.

Functional markers Plant material: 200 diploid perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) genotypes

Derived from polymorphic sites within genes causally involved in phenotypic trait variation.

Bagge, Xia and Lübberstetd, 2007 Collection sites and number of natural/wild ecotypes Countries of origin and number of cultivars

5 6

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Phenotypic traits assessment and analysis

Project investigation The plants grow at a distance of 50 x 50 cm, using a randomized complete block design with 4 replication.

Phenotypic traits Candidate gene assessment and analysis sequencing

Association analysis

Phenotypic traits The clastering of parennial ryegrass genotypes based on morphological traits, 2012 2012

 growth habit and diameter  leaf length and width 2013-2014  plant height plant height  stem and leaf weight flag leaf length and width dry matter yield inflorescence length

number of spikelets

seed yield per inflorescence and plant

number of vegetative and generative stems stem and leaf weight

Winter survival 2013/2014 Coeficient of variation (%) of phenotypic traits of Lolium perenne genotypes, 2013

0 Number of Plant heigth, cm Dry matter Falg leaf Flag leaf Inflorescence Number per Seed yield per stems yield, g length, cm w eidth, cm length, cm spikelets inflorescence, g

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Thank you!

3 15/10/2014

EU countries are increasingly realized the idea that plant

biomass is not only the food, feed, fiber, future industry but is also as an energy resource.

Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry Institute of Agriculture

Comprehensive studies on bio-potential of multi-use energy C4 type plant Panicum virgatum project

Eglė Norkevičienė, Nijolė Lemežienė, Bronislava Butkutė

Searching for novel energy crops, an interest in C4 type plant Tallinn 2014 switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has increased worldwide.

In recent literature C4 plants are named as an innovative solution for future bio-energy!

Switchgrass is one of the main perennial crops than can be used to produce low cost, low impact lignocellulosic biomass.

The crop can have a large impact as demand for second generation fuels increases which require lignocellulosic biomass.

Switchgrass is also one of the crops that may be able to produce reasonable yields at low cost on marginal and lower quality land.

This may be one of the ways to source biomass without competing with food crops for land. Thus avoiding the so-called indirect land use change effect.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) – a perennial Switchgrass can be categorized into two groups or ecotypes: rhizomatous warm-season grass native to the North American the upland ecotype and the lowland ecotype. tall grass prairies, where it occurs naturally east of the Rocky Mountains and from southern Canada down to Mexico and Central America.

http://geobotany.narod.ru/arch11.htm

https://www.soils.org/publications/tpg/articles/4/3/273 The upland ecotype is generally finer stemmed and shorter than lowland ecotypes and is adapted to drier and wetter environments and is generally derived from accessions collected in northern regions of North America. http://edepot.wur.nl/282358 http://geobotany.narod.ru/arch11.htm

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As it is a perennial crop, once planted and established, the The species is able to adapt to growth in different latitudes. expected lifetime of the pasture would be 10 years or more if properly managed.

Drought resistant Excellent erosion control Acid and salt tolerant Resistant to leaf fungal diseases High soil carbon storage Efficient nutrient and water use

http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.org/landingpage.cfm?article=ca.v067n02p96&fulltext=yes Produces well even in the driest years

The figure does not forecast yield potential, but it does demonstrate High productivity with low input requirements regions that are suitable for establishment and persistence of switchgrass. Switchgrass characterized by efficient use of water and minimal external costs of growing and harvesting cycle.

Swichgrass as a multipurpose crop species Differences between switchgrass for fodder production and

hay production and for biomass/energy production

Fodder / hay Biomass / energy

Desirable High leaf to stem ratio High stem content attributes High protein and nutrient Low protein and content nutrient content Harvest At least 2 cuts per year One cut system (recommendable after a killing frost) Row spacing Low High Nutrient off-take High Low Fertilization level Higher Lower http://edepot.wur.nl/282358

Our study is aimed to assess the aptitude of the Seeds for the germplasm collections of switchgrass were obtained species for various bio-energy purposes under from the Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit of the United States Department of Agriculture. Lithuanian climate conditions and to identify the most valuable cultivars and ecotypes for further The germplasm collection involves of 21 commercial varieties and research, propagation and breeding. 94 wild ecotypes of switchgrass.

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Results from the European switchgrass network show that varieties can be grown further north in Europe than on the American continent probably because maritime influences moderate the climatic conditions.

http://www.droughtadaptation.org/documents/symposium_2012/Tom_Juenger.pdf C. McMillan’s ecotypic differentiation experiment: height differentiation among the transplanted clones consisted of shorter plants of northern origin and taller plants of southern Our primary results show that, most of the wild ecotypes from North Dakota are the origin. most winter-hardy in Lithuanian climate.

Higher dry matter of switchgrass was obtained when herbage had been cut once at seed maturity stage. The studies showed that higher aftermath yields were formed when plants at the beginning of heating stage had been cut leaving 10-15 cm tall stubble compared with those cut at the 2-5 cm height.

Switchgrass at vegetative growth stage

Switchgrass at seed maturity stage

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Thank you !

4 2014-10-15

PGR Secure

Novel characterization of crop wild relative and landrace resources as a basis for improved crop breeding

Work packages:

On the conservation and • WP 1 Phenomics and Genomics

sustainable use of plant genetic • WP 2 Informatics

resources in Europe: • WP 3 Crop wild relative conservation

a stakeholder analysis • WP 4 Landrace conservation

• WP 5 Engaging the user community

• WP 6 Dissemination and training

• WP 7 Management Anna Palmé, Lothar Frese, Chris Kik 2014-04-09 www.cartinafinland.fi http://www.pgrsecure.org

WP5: Engaging the user community The approach

Objectives • Collect relevant data concerning the • General aim: Promote the use of plant genetic resources (PGR) in Europe current PGR stakeholder situation in

Europe on the basis of: • In consultation with stakeholders (gene banks, breeding companies, public research , NGOs, government) carry out a SWOT analysis to identify – semi-structured interviews – using constraints in PGR conservation and use in Europe and based on this pre-determined questionnaires - 133 construct a plan of action for improvement. interviews in 21 countries – on-line questionnaire – using • Create opportunities to develop new partnerships among PGR SurveyMonkey - 226 respondents stakeholders and to promote the flow of pre‐breeding material and information gained in the project to stakeholders • Analyse the data obtained using a SWOT approach

red: countries analysed

The approach Activities resulted in: a draft report on PGR conservation and sustainable use in Europe: a stakeholder analysis

• Develop a draft report: – Target states – the goal – the ideal plant germplasm system in Europe http://www.nordgen.org/index.php /en/content/view/full/2481 – The SWOT analysis

– Strategies – how to reach that goal

The workshop in Wageningen, November • Discuss and modify the draft 2013: 83 people from gene banks, breeding report at a stakeholder workshop companies, public research, NGOs and government • Develop a plan of action

1 2014-10-15

The way forward? The way forward?

• Critical issues • Critical issues – Restructuring the European plant germplasm – Improve access to, and use of, genetic resources system • Improved international regulations – focus on practical • well functioning national biodiversity/agro-biodiversity strategies and implementation of access and benefit sharing (ABS) regulations PGR programmes operating within a matching EU-programme • Improved access to information and germplasm from gene banks • empowerment of ECPGR to function as a coordination platform and • Improved characterisation and evaluation data programme implementation agency • gene banks have independent status and extended mandate for in – Develop PPP projects focused on pre-breeding situ and on-farm activities • Increase pre-breeding, strengthen smaller breeding companies, promote breeding of smaller crops and crops for marginal areas and – Legal basis for (plant) genetic resources facilitate the use of PGR in breeding conservation • EU directive for genetic resources

The way forward? Next steps

• Critical issues • Write final report on the basis of the input paper and the – Improve financial situation of gene banks and outcome of the workshop ECPGR • governments/EU should provide an adequate budget to allow for an • Approach and update ECPGR and EU-Commission by sufficiently functioning national and European germplasm system the WP5 team on the current PGR situation in Europe – Improved conservation and present vision. • Gene bank accessions are conserved according to a jointly agreed guideline such as the AEGIS Quality System (AQUAS) • Germplasm collection is based on gap analysis and guided by a • Approach national focal points (NFPs) by PGR Secure European-wide review system for collecting mission proposals WP5 country key persons to explain and update them on the current PGR situation in Europe and present vision.

Thank you for listening! '

PGR Secure is a collaborative project funded under the EU Seventh Framework Programme, THEME KBBE.2010.1.1-03, ‘Characterization of biodiversity resources for wild crop relatives to improve crops by breeding‘

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Regeneration 2014 Working group meeting – Lännäs (Lantmännen SW

seed AB, Sweden) Forage Crops • 21 grass accessions 8-9 April 2014 • 6 clover accessions – Løken (Bioforsk Öst , Norway) Anna Palmé • 15 grass accessions NordGen – Landvik (Bioforsk Øst, Norway) • 6 clover accessions – Alnarp (NordGen) • 12 clover accessions • 30 grass accessions

Germination tests in the 100 year Regeneration news trials in Svalbard

• Insect cages increase regeneration capacity of clovers at NordGen • Written “Minimum standards for regeneration of NordGen´s forage crops” • No regeneration at MTT Sotkamo

Material in transition (MIT) agreements Last year´s activities (2013)

• Agreement concerning registered varieties • Main aim: • Collection in Iceland – to channel good quality material and information to the gene • Isolation cages bank – protect plant breeder´s rights • Project application: • Material under MIT will not be distributed by NordGen “Facilitating use of Nordic • After the end of the transition period, the material will be plant genetic resources: transferred from MIT to the standard collection Evaluating the Nordic Red • Current agreements: – Boreal Clover Collection for Arctic – Lantmännen breeding”

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Review of the forage collection

Goals • Identify all accessions that are in need of regeneration • Make a long term plan for regeneration • Identify other actions needed in the collection, for example germination testing, re-packing or rejection of accessions

Minimum standards Assumptions

Germination • Weights are correct • Cultivated species: • Germination tests are correct – the norms for germination in the EU • Assumptions made on thousand grain weight directives minus 10% is correct • For species not covered by EU directives • Assignment of last batch is correct – Fodder grasses 50 % • Not included – Legumes: 65 % – Accessions with seeds in drying room or in regeneration Seed amount: – Accessions with enough seeds and no germination test • At least 3 750 seeds – Seed in distribution bags not included in estimation of seed – active: 2 000 + 250, base: 1 000, safe: 500 number

Regeneration need: rough estimate Reason for regeneration

Regen. need Regen. need Rough time Genus No. acc. % estimate * Phleum Agrostis 85 22% 8 years 30 Alopecurus 54 35% 5 years 25 Bromus 15 33% n

Dactylis 173 45% 16 years 20 Deschampsia 27 27% 2 years Festuca 177 22% 16 years 15 Lolium 5 2% 1 year

Phalaris 39 20% 4 years 10 No. accessions No. Phleum 64 8% 6 years Poa 111 18% 10 years 5 Medicago 11 31% n 0 Trifolium 272 32% 11 years LOW GERMINATION TO FEW SEEDS LEFT TO FEW SEEDS LEFT AND TO FEW SEEDS LEFT AND GERMINATION TEST IS LOW GERMINATION Total grasses 750 20% 11 years MISSING Total 1033 22% 11 years Reason for regeneration *Ignoring origin of accession and assuming current regeneration rate of 11 accessions per genus and year in grasses and 24 in clover, in total 66 grass accessions per year

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Phleum accessions that need Reason for regeneration regeneration: number of seeds

Festuca 30 100

90 25

70 20

50 15 accessions 40

No. 10

No. Accessions No. 30

10 5

0 LOW GERMINATION TO FEW SEEDS LEFT TO FEW SEEDS LEFT AND TO FEW SEEDS LEFT AND 0 GERMINATION TEST IS LOW GERMINATION: MISSING 0-500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 More Reason for regeneration No. seeds Minimum seed requirements at NordGen: 3 750 seeds (active: 2 000 + 250, base: 1 000, safe: 500)

Phleum accessions that need Festuca accessions that need regeneration: germination regeneration: germination

20 Festuca 18 50 16 45 14 40 12 35 10 30

8 25 No. accessions No. 6 20 4

No. accessions No. 15 2 10 0 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 More 0 Germination percent 0-10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 More NordGens minimum Germination germination standard for Phleum pratense: 70%

Discussion questions Discussion questions

Should some of the accessions scheduled • How to reach the goal of regeneration of for regeneration be removed? all accessions within 7 years? • Minimum germination standards • How low germination percentage is too low? – Problems: selection ? practical problems during regeneration • How few seeds is too few? – Problems: limited genetic diversity, inbreeding (do they represent few individuals?), practical problems during regeneration

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Minimum standards

Germination • Cultivated species: – the norms for germination in the EU directives minus 10% • For species not covered by EU directives – Fodder grasses 50 % – Legumes: 65 % Seed amount: • At least 3 750 seeds – active: 2 000 + 250, base: 1 000, safe: 500

4 Collection Aug-Sept 2002, legumes 59, grasses, 177

D.glomerata 39 T.pratense 25 Poa pratensis 36 M.varia 13 F.rubra 28 M.falcata 6 F.pratense 23 L.corniculatus 2 A.capillaris 17 T.medium 1 Ph.pratense 11 T.hybridum 1 Ph.arundinacea 7

L.perenne 7

F.ovina 5

Ph.phleoides 3

Poa compressa 3

D. caespitosa 2

B. inermis 1

D.flexuosa 1

Planting schemes Rows 2 x 5 m -> competition, 2 species per block 25 vs. 50 cm, weeding, fertliser distribution 8 x 17, i.e.136 seeds of large-seeded grasses directly to the soil 1m2 plots in winter rye

2 ? Substrate. 3:1-2:1 of soil:sand:peat Diseased accessions In situ conservation of persistent species (Medicago falcata, Phalaris arundinacea) Regeneration of a mixture from a highly biodiverse grassland Harvesting 1 vs. 2 years Agrostis capillaris, Phalaris arundinacea Breeder’s working collections

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Forage Crops Meeting, Tallin, 2014 THE NETWORK OF SUBDIVISIONS Nijolė Lemežienė,

1927 JONIŠĖ K LIS

1940

UPYTĖ 1960 1941

1935 KALTINĖ NAI ELMININKAI 1922 VĖŽ AI Č IAI DOTNUVA

1964 LIA headquarters KAUNAS 1954 Branches 1927 VOKĖ RUMOKAI Experimental stations

1959 Agrochemical PERLOJA research centre

Inclusion of species in priority list is based on certain PLANT BREEDING ACTIVITIES conditions :

• *Traditions. Lithuanians farmers traditionally is using timothy and red clover in the Performance of major field crops breeding programmes at mixtures of forage grasses. the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture: • *Commercial significance. Large-scale seed companies produce only most profitable grass * Dotnuva (headquarters) – winter wheat, winter rye, spring species (Trifolium spp., Festuca pratensis Huds., Lolium perenne L., Festulolium , Phleum pratensis L.) barley, oats, peas, beans, red and white clover, lucerne, timothy, mea-dow fescue, perennial ryegrass, Festulolium, cooksfoot, smooth – stalked meadow grass, and lawn grasses; • *Different trends of utilization. Species for forage, turf, biofuel, recultivation, green fertilizer, resowing after severe winter and other.

• *Climate change. Drought resistance grass species become more important due to their * Vokė – potatoes and lupine origin from South Europe and Asian countries. These plant species have a deep root system, which is adapted to assimilate water of deeper soil layers: Medicago sativa L.,  * Upytė – fibre and oil flax, hemp Medicago x varia Martyn, Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.

• *Development of plant species appropriate for biofuel production. Search of new high yielding C4 species resistant to abiotic factors for biofuel production (Panicum virgatum L.)

• *Plant species for specific agricultural purposes. Recollection of plant species which are able to grow in acid (Lotus corniculatus L.) or wet soil (Phalaroides arundinacea L.).

Regeneration standarts used for forage species Regeneration standarts used for forage species Lithuania LIA Lithuania LIA Lithuania LIA Lithuania LIA (1995-2000) (2001-2013) (1995-2000) (2001-2013) for grasses for legumes for grasses for legumes items of regeneration procedure for grasses for for grasses For legumes Selection in accessions (yes/no) yes yes yes yes legumes (elimination of other plants and weeds site harvesting greenhouse/cabins (yes/no) no yes yes yes Once/several (times) several several several several field/cages (yes/no) no yes yes no As balanced/unbalanced bulk unbalanced unbalanced unbalanced unbalanced field/isolation with other crops (yes/no) yes no yes yes drying insects as pollinator In dry room/greenhouse/ using drying greenhouse drying greenhouse drying natural population/commercial product equipments equipments equipments insect species (specify if known) Apis Threshing and cleaning mellifera crop used as isolation (specify; n.a. for cages) rye n.a n.a. manual/with machines with with manual/with manual/with isolaion distance between plots (n.a. for cages) machines machines machines machines length (m) 15-20 n.a. 10-15 n.a. final drying width (m) 15-20 n.a. 10-15 n.a. temperature, relative humidity (specify) 20⁰C,10-15% 20⁰C,10-15% 20⁰C,10-15% 20⁰C,10-15% plants per accession (number) 49-64 25-35 24-64 16-32 final moisture content 3-7% 3-7% 3-7% 3-7% distance between single plants 0,25 m. 0,25 m. 0,25 m. 0,25 m. viability testing before storage (yes/no) yes yes yes yes scoring of traits: seed packing and storage time of flowering (yes/no) sometimes sometimes sometimes sometimes base and dublicate collection bulk bulk bulk bulk others (specify) active collection bulk bulk bulk bulk information management IT based IT based IT based IT based

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Planting procedure Isolation with winter rye

Isoliation with winter rye Isolation of breeding material

Field cages Different forage species for regeneration

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Poa spp. - without isolation Cages for forage legumes