SESA: Spelt, a recovered crop for the future of sustainable agriculture in Europe

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 96.0174-2

Key words (English)

Spelt; breeding; adaptability; resistance; quality; yield stability

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: FAIR3-CT96-1569

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 4.3 Biomedical/Health research

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Agrarökologie und Landbau FAL
Gruppe Biotechnologie

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: Plant Breeding Station Gembloux (B)

Abstract (English)

The aims of SESA are to support spelt (Triticum spelta L.) as an alternative crop in Europe for sustainable agriculture. The breeding team of the FAL-Reckenholz was involved in Task 4 of the SESA project. The aim was to create new varieties that are broadly adapted to different environments. To reach this goal the three European spelt breeders in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland carried out coordinated experiments. In the first part of experiments (Task 4.1) we tested breeding methods that allow the selection of broadly adapted plant material. In a second part of experiments (Task 4.2) the adaptability of advanced spelt breeding lines or recently released varieties was tested.
To evaluate the breeding process (Task 4.1) each spelt breeder provided three populations to the other two breeders. At the FAL-Reckenholz these nine populations were selected in 1997 for disease resistance and agronomic performance. A total of 697 lines were selected for the 1998 selection cycle. To ensure a reliable selection for resistance against major spelt diseases, the material was inoculated with powdery mildew, stripe and leaf rust. From the 697 lines, 126 (18%) were selected and harvested. From the harvested material spelt specific threshing parameters, kernel shape and grain scores as well as quality were determined. According to these parameters the lines were reduced to a total of 73 lines. These lines were distributed to the other two breeders in Germany and Belgium. The final comparative test in 1999 showed that the selection of parents for the crosses is especially important to achieve new material with specific resistance against diseases that in the same time has good spelt specific traits. However, the different breeders selected quite different lines out of the same material especially in respect to growth habit, ear type, lodging resistance and brittleness of rachis. We conclude that broadly adapted material has to be selected out of segregating material with a large genetic variability using a shuttle breeding method (rotation of selection sites). To evaluate the adaptability of recently developed spelt material (Task 4.2) a test set of 25 entries with standard varieties and new breeding lines from Belgium, Germany and Switzerland was assembled. In Switzerland we grew these entries in 1998 and 1999 at four locations in experiments with three replications. Three locations were at different altitudes (from 459 to 706 m.a.s.l) in the spelt growing region of Switzerland including one site which was managed according the Swiss guidelines for organic farming. All data were sent to the research group in Gembloux that takes over the responsibility of analysing the data of these internationally co-ordinated experiments.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 96.0174-2