The need to breed crop varieties suitable for organic farming, using wheat, tomato and broccoli as examples: A review

By E. V. Bueren, S. Jones, L. Tamm, K. Murphy, J. Myers, C. Leifert, M. Messmer. 2011

407 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract It is estimated that more than 95% of organic production is based on crop varieties that were bred for the conventional high-input sector. Recent studies have shown that such varieties lack important traits required under organic and low-input production conditions. This is primarily due to selection in conventional breeding programmes being carried out in the background of high inorganic fertilizer and crop protection inputs. Also, some of the traits (e.g., semi-dwarf genes) that were introduced to address problems like lodging in cereals in high-input systems were shown to have negative side-effects (reduced resistance to diseases such as Septoria, lower protein content and poorer nutrient-use efficiency) on the performance of varieties under organic and low-input agronomic conditions. This review paper, using wheat, tomato and broccoli as examples, describes (1) the main traits required under low-input conditions, (2) current breeding programmes for organic, low-input agriculture, (3) currently available breeding and/or selection approaches, and (4) the benefits and potential negative side-effects of different breeding methodologies and their relative acceptability under organic farming principles.

Subfields: Agronomy and Crop Science, Molecular Biology, Plant Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/f69fc1573821a46222eddb13895ff505a805420e

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In Agronomy and Crop Science

In Molecular Biology

C. Kremen

In Plant Science

Citations in the corpus

Organic versus Conventional Cropping Sustainability: A Comparative System Analysis (2018, background): “It is estimated that 95% of the varieties produced in organic systems were actually selected under high-input conventional practices, likely limiting their ability to perform well under the common stress conditions associated with that environment [125].”
Organic Farming and Small-Scale Farmers: Main Opportunities and Challenges (2017, background): “It is also important to note that currently, around 95% of 454 organic production is based on conventional crop varieties and animal breeds and that there is a 455 need to introduce new and suitable varieties for low input organic farming products (van 456 Bueren et al., 2011).”
Synthesis, part of a Special Feature on A Social-Ecological Analysis of Diversified Farming Systems: Benefits, Costs, Obstacles, and Enabling Policy Frameworks Ecosystem Services in Biologically Diversified versus Conventional Farming Systems: Benefits, Externalities, and Trade-Offs (2012, background): “…hedgerows, or retention of seminatural areas, farmers may enhance or attract natural enemies and/or wild pollinators to their crops and thereby increase pest control or reduce or eliminate the need for honey bee rentals (Kremen et al. 2002, Morandin and Winston 2005, Letourneau et al. 2011).”