Projects

NOBALwheat – breeding toolbox for sustainable food system of the NOrdic BALtic region

Project promoter: Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry

Project title: NOBALwheat – breeding toolbox for sustainable food system of the NOrdic BALtic region

Project code: LT08-1-ŠMSM-K01-007 (Project contract No S-BMT-21-3 (LT08-2-LMT-K-01-032))

Project eligible expenditure: EUR 997952,88 (EUR 848259,95 grant from the EEA Financial Mechanism and EUR 149692,93 budget co-financing)

Project signature date: 30 November 2020

Project implementation period: 1 January 2021 - 31 December 2023
Project partners:
Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NO)
Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics (LV)
University of Tartu (EE)
Project website

Project summary:

In the European Union, almost 50% of grain production is made up of wheat grains, however negative effects of climate change threaten the wheat harvest in the main growing areas. The development of wheat varieties resistant to climate change is an important task for the Baltic and Nordic countries to ensure a safe and sustainable food system. In the NOBALwheat project, we are studying a collection of spring wheat genotypes from the Baltic countries and Norway, looking for resistant genotypes (plants with specific traits, e.g., resistance to specific diseases). For these studies, we use new technologies, such as drone imaging and molecular genetics methods. Genotypes with desirable features will be used in wheat breeding programs to combine their beneficial traits and create new varieties resistant to diseases and unfavourable environmental conditions. This will ensure sustainable food systems and implementation of advanced sensor systems to digitize agricultural production.