Workshop Breeding for Diversity
Opportunities and Challenges
Date: 30 October 2019, 10:00-17:00 (drinks afterwards)
Venue: Orion building 103 (morning sessions room C2035; afternoon sessions room C1032)
More information: Jochem Evers / Peter Bourke
Scope
Crop diversification by use of mixtures of species or genotypes is a key strategy towards building sustainable agricultural systems. The ecological benefits of diverse crop systems are clearly recognised, but it is not known which traits plants should have to maximize these benefits. This is because genotypes that have been bred to perform best in monocultures may not be optimal for mixtures. Therefore, in this workshop we aim to discuss the opportunities and challenges in determining desirable plant traits, including traits that relate to collaboration with soil microbes, and the hurdles in developing breeding programs for plant mixtures. Ultimately the goal will be to define a research agenda for the coming years paving the way for successful breeding for diversity.
The intended audience for this workshop is anyone with an interest in sustainable agriculture, plant-soil interactions, plant breeding and plant modelling. Participation in this workshop is free of charge and includes coffee/tea, lunch and drinks at the end.
You can register for this event by filling in the form on the PE&RC website.
Programme
10:00 – 11:00 hrs | Setting the scene
dr. ir. Ernst van der Ende
Managing Director, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University & Research
dr. ir. Dirk van Apeldoorn
Farming Systems Ecology, Wageningen University & Research
11:00 – 12:30 hrs | Exploring the science
dr. ir. Guusje Bonnema / dr. Peter Bourke
Plant Breeding, Wageningen University & Research
dr. Jochem Evers
Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research
Prof. dr. ir. Liesje Mommer
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Wageningen University & Research
Prof. dr. Thom Kuyper
Soil Biology, Wageningen University & Research
12:30 – 13:45 | Lunch at Forum
13:45 – 14:45 | The breeders’ perspective
Michel Raaphorst
Nordic Maize breeding B.V., Sint Nicolaasga, the Netherlands
Marcel van Diemen
Vitalis Biologische Zaden B.V., Voorst, the Netherlands
14:45 – 16:00 | Group Discussion / break-out session
16:00 – 16:15 | Coffee Break
16:15 – 17:00 | Plenary Discussion & Wrap-Up
17:00 | Drinks
Organisers
This workshop is organised by Guusje Bonnema and Peter Bourke of Plant Breeding, Jochem Evers of the Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Thom Kuyper of Soil Biology, and Liesje Mommer of Plant Ecology & Nature Conservation. All organisers are affiliated to Wageningen University & Research. The workshop is organised under the auspices of and with support from the graduate school for Experimental Plant Sciences (EPS) and the graduate school for Production Ecology & Resource Conservation (PE&RC).
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
10:00 - 17:30
WUR – Orion
Bronland 1, Wageningen