OTKA FK-138042

Improvement and application of modern and classical plant breeding methods for water saving rice production

One of the significant limiting factors of crop production is water scarcity. Because of the predicted climate changes utilization of water resources in the agriculture will be more and more important. Breeding of new stress tolerant varieties is an efficient way to meet the challenges caused by abiotic stresses (water scarcity). Main goal is to support the conventional rice breeding with improved protocols of biotechnology and methods of screening in glasshouse and nursery. Main task is the production of new pre-breeding materials with outstanding water use efficiency (WUE) based on the crossing of internationally reported drought tolerant genotypes and Hungarian varieties. These materials can give background for future aerobic breeding programs. With the utilization of haploid induction protocols, we can reach stable homozygous (DH) genotypes from the targeted cross-combinations after about one generation. Therefore, this tissue culture method will support the rapid advancement of the project goals and lay foundation for future applied research (e.g. genetic mapping) via improved protocols for rice anther cultures androgenesis induction, green plant production, flow cytometry, genome duplication). Selection for physiological and agronomical parameters will be carried out in the nursery, while WUE of DH lines will be determined with an improved approach of complex evaluation (screening in climate chambers; complex stress diagnostic system in glasshouse; precision weighing lysimeters with rain shelters, thermal imaging, leaf spectrometer and fluorometer under field conditions). At the end of the project, we will have promising pre-breeding materials with excellent WUE.

http://nyilvanos.otka-palyazat.hu/index.php?menuid=930&lang=EN&num=138042

Research on abiotic and biotic stress tolerance of rice with special emphasis on biotech breeding approaches (cooperation with Cereal Research Non-profit Ltd.)

The project is a long term development of Hungarian rice varieties for increased abiotic stress tolerance (cold, drought, salinity) and the improvement of international cooperations regarding rice production, breeding and seed production.

OTKA K 101917

Association mapping-based approach for the characterization and improvement of N-use efficiency in winter wheat.

In the agricultural regions crop production is highly dependent on the supply of N-containing fertilizers. In Hungary, the most important cereal is winter wheat, the yield of which could be dramatically increased through the application of N-containing fertilizers. However, neither the genes underlying N use-related traits, nor the N-use efficiency of the wheat varieties grown in Hungary are known.

Therefore, the classification of Hungarian wheat varieties based on their N-use efficiency, the identification of the loci affecting N use-related traits and the selection of wheat lines showing extraordinarily good N use will lead to an improvement in yield stability and will make fertilization management, and therefore wheat production, more economical. The better use of N-fertilizers could also be resulted in a reduction of groundwater pollution by nitrate leaching.

The aims of the project are the following:

1. Identifying loci affecting field N-use efficiency using a winter wheat population consisting of agronomically valuable lines.

2. Identifying genotypes with contrasting character regarding N-use; N-uptake and N-utilization efficiency. It is planned to use the association mapping approach.

3. Investigation of the effect of the environment on the N-use related traits in selected genotypes,

4. and the key morphological traits and physiological processes playing a role in N-use efficiency.

This proposal is an attempt to integrate different approaches utilising the most recent results of breeding, agronomy, quantitative genetics and statistics.

GINOP-2.3.3-15-2016-00042

Research on changes and adaptation of plant production systems to climate change

Throughout the project, we analyzed the changes and opportunities for adapting plant production systems to climate change. Water was the primary link between the tasks of the project. Our focus was on complex agricultural systems, such as agroforestry, where we delved deeply into the interactions and complementarities of complex technologies and tillage methods.

GINOP-2.2.1.-18-2020-00022

Development of a multi-platform and multi-sensor sensor system based on remote sensing solutions for the monitoring of building facades for renovation or reconstruction purposes and for the development of a cloud-based database.