A grand challenge for agriculture is to adapt current intensive or semi-intensive production systems in the face of global change. Indeed such systems need to be re-designed to cope with increasing drastic environmental changes, especially increasing frequency of extreme and hazardous climatic events. Traditional genetic improvement is based on the built-in of ideotypes characterized by reduced, or null, genetic variability (pure lines) and grown in monoculture. Even if efficient and necessary, this approach cannot fully respond to future avenues related to the sustainability of agronomic covers and the interannual stability of their biomass production in the face of increasing intra- and interannual variability of water deficits. Current production systems are characterized by reduced sown genetic diversity via the widespead use of species grown in monoculture only, while several ecological studies have demonstrated the plus-value of taxonomic and genetic diversity for the stability of biomass production in response to environmental changes. Promoting specific diversity of agricultural covers may allow to better coping with environmental hazards while challenging environmental avenues for agriculture (reduction of inputs, maintenance of wild biodiversity etc.). Here is the working hypothesis for PRAISE. The use of cultivated species in mixture implies important changes for varietal selection. Genetic improvement of cultivated species for a use in mixture also remains to be developed. Indeed the response of a variety grown in isolation or in mixture may be decoupled given the complex interaction effects among neighbouring plants within a mixture. To reach these objectives, we advocate the need for a drastic change of paradigm for varietal selection. Accounting for genotypic interactions within- and among-species, via the analysis if intra- and interspecific trait distribution, is a necessary step for a renewal of selection schemes so as to improve the production and sustainability of crops in the face of environmental hazards. PRAISE is focused on sown temporary and plurispecific grasslands. This type of covers plays a major role as part of sustainable agriculture. Up to now, the genetic (within- and among-species) diversity of such a cover has been poorly examined and exploited. PRAISE aims at studying and promoting this diversity. The overall goal of PRAISE is to pave the road of a renewed genetic improvement of grassland species involved in mixture based on genetic and ecological knowledge in a context of increasing environmental hazards. More specifically, we aim at: (i) identifying the best varietal composition of mixtures, and the related genetic and ecological conditions of application, which maintain high and stable production of plurispecific grasslands over time; (ii) provide the theoretical bases of an innovative selection schema of forage grassland species for a use in mixture. PRAISE is a pluridisciplinary project at the crossroad of quantitative genetics, ecophysiology, functional ecology and population and ecology. Together, we will develop a renewed selection schema involving genetic and taxonomic diversity. As a perspective, this schema may be applied to other types of cultivated species, including field crops which are also facing big environmental challenges.

EUCLEG aims to reduce Europe and China’s dependency on protein imports by developing efficient breeding strategies for the legume crops of major economic importance in human food and animal feed. The objective is to improve diversification, crop productivity, yield stability and protein quality of both forage (alfalfa and red clover) and grain (pea, faba bean and soybean) legumes. Using diverse and extensive genetic resources and taking advantage of advanced molecular tools, EUCLEG aims to identify and develop the best genetic resources, phenotyping methods and molecular tools to breed legume varieties with improved performance under biotic and abiotic stresses in the representative European and Chinese agro-ecological areas. The potential for new uses of forage species for human nutrition will be explored. Searchable databases will be developed or built to host passport, agronomic and genetic data facilitating exchanges and use of genetic resources. The evaluation of genetic resources in multi-site trials will allow to broaden the breeding material and extend agro-ecological adaptation. The genetic architecture of key breeding traits will be analysed using association studies in order to identify molecular markers related to phenotypic traits. Finally, genomic selection strategies will be assessed for their potential to improve genetic progress. Practical tools for genotyping, data management and calculation will be provided to breeders to implement marker-assisted selection and genomic selection leading to the creation of new varieties in the long-term. The partnership gathered in EUCLEG, combining public institutes and private companies of Europe and China, guaranties the transfer of knowledge from research to seed industry.