New techniques for Plant Breeding Science and Research - state of play and priorities

Prof. Dr. Richard G.F. Visser,

Wageningen UR Plant Breeding Hearing on "New Techniques for Plant Breeding“ , Tuesday 1 December 2015, Brussels

Breeding techniques

Are ~depending on mode of reproduction

Techniques for overcoming crossability

barriers

Techniques for chromosome and genome

manipulation Haploidization, Genome doubling,

polyploidization, Production of alien addition or

substitution lines, Translocation breeding,

Manipulation of chromosome pairing in meiosis,

Mutagenesis, Cell fusion, Partial genome transfer.

Other relevant plant breeding-related

techniques

New techniques are:

– ‘Normal’ innovations in Plant Breeding

– Established partly in response to GMO problems

– Potentially very strong methods for achieving

‘Precision Breeding’ and shortening of breeding

cycles especially in cross pollinators and

vegetatively propagated crops

– Difficult if not impossible to detect in end

product

Potato is the third largest food crop

21 million ha globally

Late blight is a major problem

Phytophthora infestans: causal agent of late blight

P. Boevink

Late blight costs in the Netherlands in 2005

12 - 15 sprays per season

1424 ton active ingredients per year

50% of all biocides in the Netherlands

Environmental/health toll

Economical costs

● Fungicides: 60 M€/yr

● Spraying: 60 M€/yr

● Losses: 30 M€/yr

● Total: 150 M€/yr

Late blight related losses 10 billion € globally

Sustainable solution for late blight:

Resistance (R) genes from related wild species!

R gene introduction through introgression breeding

X

Donor

species

Resistance

Gene

Commercial

Variety

New Variety

Time path of Rpi-blb2 introgression

S.ACAULE (4X) S. BULBOCASTANUM (2X)

AB (3X + 4X)

AB (6X) S. PHUREJA (2X)

ABP (4X) S. TUBEROSUM

ABPT (4X + 6X) S. TUBEROSUM

ETC.

1959

1965

Selection

cv Bionica ~2005 cv Toluca

1980

x

Rpi-blb2 breaking in 2008

Rpi-blb2 breaking

(few)

Random isolate

(majority)

Bionica Desiree Toluca

Almost 50 years breeding;

within 3 years broken!

R gene introgression using GM breeding

Donor

species

Resistance

Gene

Commercial

variety

New variety

Time path of R gene introduction by GM approach

S.ACAULE (4X) S. BULBOCASTANUM (2X)

AB (3X + 4X)

AB (6X) S. PHUREJA (2X)

ABP (4X) S. TUBEROSUM

ABPT (4X + 6X) S. TUBEROSUM

ETC.

1959

1965

cv Bionica ~2005 cv Toluca

1980

2007

2010

cv Desiree

cv Desiree PLUS

Cisgenesis:

Natural gene from a crossable species

Breeders gene pool

Maintenance of the elite variety

Summary of the cisgenic selection pipeline

2007

Cisgenic variety: Desiree PLUS

Field trial august 2015

Current results

The Netherlands

●Cisgenic transformation of 8 potato varieties

with different R gene stacks

●6 years field trials

Also tested in Belgium

●2 years of field trials

Aveka

Desiree

Premiere

Untreated Cisgenic

protection

Chemical

protection

19

66

126 1065

1056

1108

554

427

598

Aveka

Desiree

Premiere

Conclusions

Cisgenesis (but also site directed mutation

techniques) is ideal for cross pollinators because

the elite variety can be maintained

Faster breeding cycle

More efficient breeding

Acknowledgements

WUR Plant Breeding

Vivianne Vleeshouwers

Marjan Bergervoet

Gerard Bijsterbosch

Gert van Arkel

Jack Vossen

Suxian Zhu

Kwanyong Jo

Ronald Hutten

Evert Jacobsen

WUR Plant Research International

Anton Haverkort

Piet Boonekamp

Bert Lotz

Geert Kessel

VIB Ghent/ILVO

Rene Custers

Lieve Gheysen

Wageningen University Fund (WUF) VIDI grant

nTQS consortium

Centre for BioSystems Genomics

Questions ?