• Soybean germplasm evaluation: Nutritive grain quality under climate change conditions
• Genotypic selection of peas under climate change
• Innovative strategies for early stress detection and increasing maize tolerance to cold stress
• Legumes as a source of biologically active phytochemicals
• Breeding development of alfalfa and red clover germplasm adapted to climate changes
• Predictive modelling of agronomic traits in maize using modern technologies
• Assessment of quantitative traits in small grain cereals germplasm considering climate change
• The role of genetic specificity, plant growth regulators, and biostimulants in increasing the resistance to abiotic and biotic stress, yield, and quality of sour cherry fruit
• The influence of climate changes on the expression of the most important agronomic, physiological and biochemical traits of sunflower under conditions of different plant density
• Influence of combined abiotic stresses and climatic oscillations on production and quality of seed
• Water, soil and cultivar – fundamental elements of sustainable agriculture in climate change

Full project title

Breeding development of alfalfa and red clover germplasm adapted to climate changes

Project acronym

ALFRED BREED

Lead researcher

Marijana Tucak, PhD, Senior Scientific Advisor

Project team members

1. Tihomir Čupić, PhD, Senior Scientific Advisor, Agricultural Institute Osijek
2. Dr. sc. Goran Krizmanić, Scientific Associate, Agricultural Institute Osijek
3. Katarina Perić, MSc, Professional Associate, Agricultural Institute Osijek
4. Luka Andrić, PhD, Senior Scientific Advisor, Agricultural Institute Osijek
5. Marija Ravlić, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek
6. Vladimir Meglič, PhD, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Slovenia

Project financing source

National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026 within the framework of the Program Agreement with the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth

Project budget

34.000,00 EUR

Project summary

The resulting climate changes and the increasingly frequent occurrence of extreme and/or variable climatic conditions during the growing season of crops negatively affect the yield and quality of agricultural crops. Therefore, it is very important to focus current and future research on the creation of widely adaptable varieties tolerant to as many abiotic stresses as possible with the aim of mitigating the negative consequences of climate change and adapting to these changes. The breeder’s ability to respond to the challenges caused by climate change is highly dependent on the level of available genetic variability and diversity present in the working collection of initial selection material. The preservation of biodiversity, the maintenance of the existing gene pool, and the constant introduction of new genetic sources into the existing base breeding collections are increasingly the focus of numerous researches. The goals of the proposed project are the collection of alfalfa and red clover germplasm of different geographical origins, morphological characterization and the assessment of the variability of the most significant agronomic traits and quality parameters, and identification and selection of the most desirable parental germplasm. The most promising germplasm of alfalfa and red clover will be used for the development of new populations for genetic expansion of the core collection and/or contribution to the development of new varieties adapted to emerging climate changes. It is expected that the implementation of the project will result in the enrichment of the existing gene pool with variable and diverse forage leguminous germplasm, the creation of new high-yielding and high-quality varieties adaptable to various abiotic stresses, the publication of scientific articles, and the development of a research and professional platform for future scientific activities.

Project aims

1. Collection of new genetic sources of alfalfa and red clover of different origin
2. Morphological characterization and variability evaluation of the most significant agronomic traits of the observed alfalfa and red clover germplasm
3. Assessment of the level of genetic distance between the collected materials based on the phenotypic traits
4. Determination of quality parameters in both plant species
5. Identification and selection of the most desirable parental germplasm of alfalfa and red clover that will be used for the development of new populations for genetic expansion of the core collection and/or contribution to the development of new varieties adapted to the emerging climate changes
6. Presentation of research results at national and international congresses and publication of scientific papers in journals indexed in relevant databases
7. Encouraging inter-institutional and inter-disciplinary cooperation, development of a research and professional platform for future activities, and inclusion in the European scientific environment to make research at the national level more visible and recognizable to the world public
8. Promoting the importance and contribution of perennial forage legumes in sustainable agriculture, preservation of the environment and biodiversity, and numerous benefits for human and animal health