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Leafy veg project
launched
A new EC-funded project has been set up to stimulate the use of rare
genebank material in leafy vegetable production.
The most important European leafy vegetables are lettuce, spinach and
chicory but the minor crops of lamb’s lettuce and rocket (rucola) are also
becoming increasingly important, especially with the trend towards more
sales of bagged mixed salads. A network has been established of 14 partners
from 10 European countries that brings together genebanks, universities,
research institutes and NGO’s active in conservation and utilisation of
the genetic resources of these crops.
The potential is huge, over 8,400 accessions of lettuce alone are held in
genebanks and living collections by project partners across Europe. Spinach
and chicory have more than 900 accessions each and there is a total of 270
accessions of rocket and lamb’s lettuce. The task is to characterise more
than 1200 of these accessions and to develop the databases of these crops to
improve access and utilisation of the collections. Evaluation of important
characteristics of more than 750 accessions will allow breeders to use the
most promising germplasm in their programs to develop improved materials.
Promising sources of resistance to pests and diseases will be used to
develop varieties less demanding of fungicides and pesticides. The selection
of improved and more attractive varieties should stimulate consumption of
these healthy vegetables. Parts of the collections will also be evaluated
for nitrates, oxalic acid and glucosinolates, which can have negative
effects on health.
The project will run for four years and is far from just an academic
exercise. The involvement of NGO’s is to ensure an increased use of the
collections by growers and ultimately consumers. Researchers and growers
will evaluate selected accessions for agronomic performance, including in
organic farming systems and market appeal. The NGO’s will encourage uptake
of the material for supermarkets, restaurants and farmers markets.
The project is coordinated by the Centre for Genetic Resources in the
Netherlands and the UK partners are Warwick HRI and HDRA.
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