Open calls
The involvement and interaction with the breeding community is fundamental for success of the BreedingValue project. The BreedingValue project launched four Open Calls to involve further breeders in the project.
- Open Call #1, Open Call #2 and Open Call #3 are finalized to transfer new genotyping tools (sMTA, MAS, GWAS and genomic selection) to breeders
- Open Call #4 is to train experts to sensorial quality assessment, quality control tools and consumer sciences studies.
A total of 14 projects are planned and have been designed to be of great added value for both the external partners and the BreedingValue consortium. Following the idea of co-creation, the Calls will be the opportunity to test, further optimize and validate the tools developed within the BreedingValue project.
| Topic | Publication | Deadline | Number of Projects | Budget per Project | Total Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Call#1 Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) in strawberry | 30th September 2021 | 31st December 2021 | 3 projects | 20,000 € | 60,000€ |
| Open Call#2 Genomic selection for strawberry (F. ananassa) | 31st March 2021 | 30th June 2021 | 2 projects | 20,000€ | 40,000€ |
| Open Call#3 Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) and Genome wide association studies (GWAS) in Raspberry | 31st March 2021 | 30th June 2021 | 2 projects | 20,000€ | 40,000€ |
| Open Call#4 Development of methodological tool kits for sensorial quality assessment of berry genetic resources | 31st July 2021 | 31st October 2021 | 7 projects | 13,600€ | 95,200€ |
Overview of Open Call Participants
Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) in strawberry
Publication: 30 September 2021
Deadline: 31 December 2021
Number of Projects: 3 projects
Budget per Project: 20,000 €
Total Amount: 60,000 €
Marker assisted selection is a method used to select desirable individuals in a breeding programme based on DNA molecular marker patterns in addition to their trait values. This can serve as a valuable tool to assist breeders to select new genotypes more efficiently. In this project, we will evaluate the predictive capacity of molecular markers and their usefulness for MAS. The selected markers are either already published or currently under research within the BreedingValue consortium, and have been validated in diverse strawberry germplasm for a reduced number of cases. We will focus on identifying molecular markers for the traits listed in the annex at the end of the document, such as disease resistances, fruit quality as well as vegetative and production traits. For the project, a low-density SNP array for Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) is currently under development in cooperation with an external facility, that will perform the genotyping for the breeders selected in this Open Call. The genotyping costs will be covered by the BreedingValue consortium.
The objective of this Open Call
The objective of this Open Call #1 is to share this easy-to-use tool with the selected external breeders to facilitate the selection of superior breeding material. In return, the results obtained by the breeders will allow the BreedingValue consortium to validate the low-density SNP array in larger genetic backgrounds.
In this Open Call, we have funded 3 projects à 20,000€.
Genomic selection for strawberry (F. ananassa)
Publication: 31st March 2021
Deadline: 30th June 2021
Number of Projects: 2 projects
Budget per Project: 20,000 €
Total Amount: 40,000 €
Genomic selection is used to select breeding material for further hybridization and/or for entering advanced cultivar trials based on their genomic breeding values rather than on phenotypic values. This approach shows better performance than traditional methods such as phenotype-based selection, pedigree-based selection, and marker assisted selection, particularly for polygenically inherited traits.
The objective of this Open Call
The objective of the BreedingValue Open Call #2 is to employ state-of-the-art methodology on breeders’ material and implement genomic selection to the breeders. This can help the breeders to do selection in early stages of their breeding program, accelerating the generation cycles by identifying superior parents, and increasing likelihood of identifying good candidates for advanced trialing.
In the Open Call #2, we have funded 2 projects à 20,000€.
Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) and Genome wide association studies (GWAS) in Raspberry
Publication: 31st March 2021
Deadline: 30th June 2021
Number of Projects: 2 projects
Budget per Project: 20,000 €
Total Amount: 40,000 €
Marker assisted selection is a method used to select desirable individuals in a breeding programme based on DNA molecular marker patterns in addition to their trait values. This can serve as a valuable tool to assist breeders to select more efficiently. In this BreedingValue project, we will identify molecular markers which can be useful to breeders across all raspberry breeding programmes for traits such as fruit size, softening, timings of fruit development stages, cane diseases or fungal diseases such as yellow rust.
The objective of this Open Call
The objective of the Open Call#3 is to offer breeders an opportunity to screen and select their genotypes of interest against a suite of markers, which can help breeders to better select parental material depending on the trait of interest. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) delves further into the genetic variants within screened markers across different individuals to determine if any of these variants are associated with a particular trait or disease such as yellow rust susceptibility.
In the Open Call #3, we have funded 2 projects à 20,000€.
Development of methodological tool kits for sensorial quality assessment of berry genetic resources
Publication: 31st July 2021
Deadline: 31st October 2021
Number of Projects: 7 projects
Budget per Project: 13,600 €
Total Amount: 95,200 €
Sensory methodologies are used to define the commercial potential of pre-breeding material, new cultivars and innovative production techniques by assessing sensory attributes and consumer appreciation. Sensory profiles produced by trained assessor can identify strengths and weaknesses of genotypes’ quality, improving the efficiency of selection phases. Advanced methods applied in consumer tests are useful for identifying preference drivers to foster the selection of pre-commercial material and provide tools for decision-making about cultivar release.
The objective of this Open Call
The objective of this Open Call is to involve European berry breeders and companies willing to develop their skills and knowledge to exploit sensory-quality evaluation of berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry) by using professional, coordinated and scientifically sound methodology. This can help in improving and speeding up the breeding project phases closest to market.
The participants in this Open Call will learn how to perform sensory tests for sensory panels (specially trained small groups to describe sensory quality) as well as for consumers tests (large untrained-audience events for fast acceptance testing). Thus, they will be able to obtain practical experience in training a panel for performing sensory tests, to obtain sensory profiles, how to plan and carry out consumer tests to assess hedonic appreciation as well as how to combine and interpret sensory and preference data.
The training will be given to provide competencies for sound evaluation of berry genotypes of strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry. Participants will be encouraged and supported in applying these sensory techniques on the genotypes of most interest to them.
In this Open Call, we have funded 7 projects à 13,600€.