AmyCtrl: Marker-based selection for controlling pre-harvest sprouting due to untimely alpha-amylase activity in wheat

In ongoing projects, several molecular markers were identified to be associated with falling number and PHS tolerance. The application of these markers for MAS and GP in breeding programs needs to be validated in unselected material derived from private breeders. Furthermore, the specificity of these markers in the different gene pools of the private breeders will be examined in this project. To improve the evaluation of marker-based selection strategies, new methods will be implemented to assess the falling number stability with provoking a decrease of falling numbers.

The SME-dominated plant breeding and seed sector in Germany and Austria will be the beneficiaries of AmyCtrl. Project results will contribute to maintain their competitiveness by speeding up the breeding process with new and efficient breeding tools. Nearly all of the transnational SME-User Committee are directly involved in project activities (field trials and data collection) and interact closely with the scientists. This guarantees that project results will gain direct and broad access into the SMEs. AmyCtrl affects not only the plant breeding sector: PHS tolerant wheat provides better quality to the whole value chain from the farmer, millers to the wheat processing industry. This allows enhanced export chances, especially in a market scenario with high supply of minor quality wheat. A predictable quality despite changeable weather conditions during harvest is of great importance for the milling industry. In general, with the view towards natural resources, the preservation of grain quality through genetic resistance treats natural resources with care. PHS means directly the loss of invested production goods.

The plant breeding sector spends a high proportion of the budget in R&D. But the development of new techniques is often not feasible for a single company. The evaluation of PHS and the correlated falling number is labour intensive and time consuming. The breeding companies for small cereals are used to work together in pre-competitive projects, e.g. the search for new disease resistance genes coming from wild relatives. Therefore, the SME-User Committee will assist the dissemination activities such as project meetings, publications and a common website open for the project partners.