Coordinator:

• INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT - INRAE(999993274)

Partners:

• ARCADIA INTERNATIONAL GEIE - ARCADIA
• ARCHE NOAH GESELLSCHAFT FUR DIE ERHALTUNG DER KULTURPFLANZENVIELFALT UND IHRE ENTWICKLUNG VEREIN
• ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS - ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKI
• BALKANSKA FONDACIJA ZA ODRZLIV RAZVOJ - BALKAN FOUNDATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
• CENTRE DE RECERCA EN AGRIGENOMICA CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB - CRAG-CERCA
• CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS - CNRS
• CENTRE WALLON DE RECHERCHES AGRONOMIQUES
• CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION Y TECNOLOGIA AGROALIMENTARIA DE ARAGON - CITA
• CEP INNOVATION SARL - CEP INNOVATION
• ELLINIKOS GEORGIKOS ORGANISMOS - DIMITRA - HELLENIC AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION DIMITRA (ELGO - DIMITRA)
• FEDERAZIONE ITALIANA PARCHI E RISERVE NATURALI - FEDERPARCHI
• FONDAZIONE EDMUND MACH - FEM
• GOZDARSKI INSTITUT SLOVENIJE - GIS
• GROUPE DE RECHERCHE EN AGRICULTUREBIOLOGIQUE ASSOCIATION - GRAB
• INRAE TRANSFERT SAS
• INSTITUT ZA NIZIJSKO SUMARSTVO I ZIVOTNU SREDINU - ILFE
• INSTITUTE OF BOTANY AFTER A. TAKHTAJYAN OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
• INSTITUTUL DE CERCETARI BIOLOGICE CLUJ FILIALA A INCDSB BUCURESTI - ICBCN
• JULIUS KUHN-INSTITUT BUNDESFORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FUR KULTURPFLANZEN - JKI
• NACIONALNI INSTITUT ZA BIOLOGIJO - NIB
• SOCIEDAD ESPANOLA DE AGRICULTURA ECOLOGICA - SEAE
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DELLA BASILICATA - UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DELLA BASILICATA
• UNIVERZITET U SARAJEVU - UNSA
• UPPSALA UNIVERSITET - UU
• ZAVOD ZA GOZDOVE SLOVENIJE - SLOVENIAN FOREST SERVICE
• ZVEZA KMETIC SLOVENIJE - ASSOCIATIONOF COUNTRY WOMEN OF SLOVENIA

(HORIZON EUROPE 21-27 The project will focus on crop relatives of Rosaceae fruit tree species with the goal

• to enhance our knowledge onto the wild germplasm that is available Europe-wide either in-situ or in gene-banks as well as capturing local knowledge on the historical use and behavior of CWRs;
• to characterize this valuable plant material, phenotypically and genetically;
• to develop up-to-date methods of selection and genomic prediction adapted to the use of CWR in breeding programs.

FEM activities:

• - coordinate the workpackage "HTP genotyping of CWR core-collections and Information systems and tools for data management, integration, analysis and sharing";
• - coordinate the sampling of different Malus sylvestris populations in Italy and will host an ex-situ collection;
• - collaborate on developing new breeding strategies adapted to the use of CWR as breeding parents, combining marker assisted introgression for traits of interest (resilience, resistance to pests and pathogens, nutritional and fruit quality traits) with genomic prediction.

Abstract

Crop wild relatives (CWR) are wild plant taxa closely related to a crop. They represent an important source of genetic diversity for the improvement of agronomic traits. In the context of the One Health Initiative, temperate fruit trees are essential for human nutrition and health, yet CWR resources have hitherto been underused. Moreover, fruit tree long lifespan and a current production dominated by a few cultivars make them particularly vulnerable to the effects of global changes. To address this challenge, the FRUITDIV project will monitor, characterise, use, and conserve the diversity of emblematic fruit tree CWR, with a particular emphasis on Malus, Pyrus and Prunus. To better characterise the genetic and phenotypic diversity of CWR fruit trees and identify favourable traits for future introgression into cultivars, FRUITDIV will use a combination of floristic, ethnogeography and population genomics on genebanks and historical European hotspots of diversity. We will then develop new multiomics-based breeding strategies that combine marker-assisted introgression for traits of interest (e.g. resilience, resistance to pests and diseases, fruit quality) with pangenomic prediction and a reduction of CWR-associated genetic load. In addition to breeding programs, FRUITDIV will also work with networks of farmers and associations to help characterise CWR progeny in various pedo-climatic conditions in Europe. An European-wide online platform that provides genotyping and phenotyping data for free will be implemented to promote the use of CWR genitors by breeders and farmers and help disseminate plant material of interest for various usages and cultivation systems. Overall, the FRUITDIV multi-actor approach involving geneticists, forestry officers, germplasm curators, farmers and citizens, will foster the in- and ex-situ conservation of CWR and promote sustainable agricultural practices across Europe.

Keywords:

Fruit tree; biodiversity; conservation; forestry; phenotypic variability; resilient crops; breeding; pangenome; genetic load, genetic diversity, sustainable agriculture, CWR.