ProFaba - Developing improved Vicia faba breeding practices and varieties

Slides presented during "Pushing the boundaries in Legume Breeding "

Webinar 5: European legumes in transition 29th April 2021

"ProFaba - Developing improved Vicia faba breeding practices and varieties"

Europe currently has a substantial deficit in plant protein production, especially when it comes to crops with high protein content. With an average protein content of 29%, faba bean (Vicia faba) is a prime candidate for a widely adapted protein crop that could substantially contribute to reducing soy imports by increasing the local and sustainable production of plant protein in Europe. ProFaba has brought together faba bean researchers engaged in a number of national and international projects, including NORFAB, Papugeno, BEANS4N.AFRICA, PeaMUST, EUCLEG and Abo-Vici. We carry out multi-site trials using two common germplasm collections. A broad, general panel, ProFaba200, and the Göttingen winter bean panel, which is dedicated to studying frost tolerance. The trials provide us with quantitative data on yield, disease and agronomic traits that are collected in a common Faba Base repository (https://faba.au.dk), which we will use for analysis of genotype by environment interactions and phenological modelling. In addition, we conduct in-depth phenotyping and detailed genetic investigation of specific traits of interest, including autofertility, disease resistance, bruchid-, acid- and frost tolerance, rhizobium interactions and protein quality.

Presented by: Profaba Stig Uggerhøj Andersen - Associate professor - Plant molecular biology MBG Aarhus University, Denmark