Published March 14, 2018 | Version v1
Journal article Open

A transnational and holistic breeding approach is needed for sustainable wheat production in the Baltic Sea region

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Alnarp, Sweden
  • 2. Plant Protection Center, Swedish Board of Agriculture, Alnarp, Sweden
  • 3. Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (LAMMC), Kedainiai, Lithuania
  • 4. Yara Crop Nutrition, Region Nordic, Malmö, Sweden
  • 5. Lantmännen Lantbruk, Svalöv, Sweden
  • 6. Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  • 7. Estonian Crop Research Institute, Jõgeva, Estonia
  • 8. Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Slagelse, Denmark
  • 9. Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute, National Research Institute, Radzików, Poland
  • 10. Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 11. Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen), Malmö, Sweden
  • 12. Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), 75007 Uppsala, Sweden

Description

The Baltic Sea is one of the largest brackish water bodies in the world. Eutrophication is a major concern in the Baltic Sea due to the leakage of nutrients to the sea with agriculture being the primary source. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most widely grown crop in the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea and thus promoting sustainable agriculture practices for wheat cultivation will have a major impact on reducing pollution in the Baltic Sea. This approach requires identifying and addressing key challenges for sustainable wheat production in the region. Implementing new technologies for climate-friendly breeding and digital farming across all surrounding countries should promote sustainable intensification of agriculture in the region. In this review, we highlight major challenges forwheat cultivation in the Baltic Sea region and discuss various solutions integrating transnational collaboration for pre-breeding and technology sharing to accelerate development of low input wheat cultivars with improved host plant resistance to pathogen and enhanced adaptability to the changing climate.

Notes

This research was funded by a grant from the Swedish research council Formas, Grant Number 2016-00491 to M.W.

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