Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CREDIT Vibes (TWINNING GREEN-EDITING VIBES FOR FϴϴD)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-01-01 do 2024-03-31
According to the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016-2025, 821 million people remain chronically undernourished, 149 million children under 5 years of age are stunted, over 49.5 million children under the age 5 are wasting, over 2 billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies and 2 billion people overweight (almost a third of adults worldwide) of whom around 678 million are obese. In contrast, underdeveloped countries face malnutrition or "hidden hunger" due to consuming foods that are poor in nutrients. Therefore, a new approach to food enrichment in modern agriculture is biofortification which has become a promising strategy in modern agriculture. Biofortification through plant breeding consists of developing micronutrient-enhanced crop varieties through conventional breeding where the interaction of genotype with (a)biotic stress factors in a changing climate is important to define the desired level of micronutrient increase. From biofortification to the micronutrient-enhanced food and feed (fϴϴd), the initial grain, which hides all the genetic potential necessary for improving and transforming fϴϴd, is essential. Modern agricultural production is required to offer health-safe fϴϴd with high nutritional value and satisfactory sensory characteristics, respecting the principles of organic farming, the priority in the European Green Deal. Protecting fϴϴd safety, and nutrition in the long-term, will require transformation of fϴϴd systems in terms of access to new resources that are precious in Serbia. Institutional transformations would help utilize the outstanding knowledge and skills accumulated over the years in the developed EU countries. Serbia has great potential that has not been fully utilized, and the EU partners could turn it into an efficient productivity model. With that in mind, we formed a team composed of three collaborators from Serbia, Slovenia, and Greece. We created the transformation model that will launch Serbia into a cutting-edge R&I position in Europe through the CREDIT Vibes project which presents a cloud of Creativity, Research, Education, Development, Innovation, and Transformation (CREDIT) where the training of the highly-skilled researchers and non-research staff is the priority. It was guided by the idea that if Maize Research Institute from Serbia is structurally transformed and thus improves the transfer of agro-technology and agro-knowledge and increases the number of manageable projects, other institutions in Serbia and the region will copy that pattern and enhance. When several smaller micro-transformations unite, the community's interest rises to the global level, and excellence is born.
The overall objectives are:
• Crop management in order to achieve high seed quality and vigour using multi-crop-based organic production
• Establish Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and Project Management Office (PMO)
• Expand networking and collaboration
• Train highly-skilled researchers and non-research staff
• Dissemination, exploitation and communication of project results
The overall objectives are:
• Crop management in order to achieve high seed quality and vigour using multi-crop-based organic production
• Establish Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and Project Management Office (PMO)
• Expand networking and collaboration
• Train highly-skilled researchers and non-research staff
• Dissemination, exploitation and communication of project results
Science Corner Highlights:
(1) Genetic Resource Management:
- Established inventories of value-added maize hybrids, OP flint maize and soya sourced from the MRI Gene bank (https://nutribreedinghub.rs/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)).
(2) Enhancing Nutritional Quality of Corn Products:
- Explored the potential of black soybean seed coats and blue maize .
(3) Pest Prediction Model for European Corn Borer (ECB):
- Utilized big data analytics to create a calendar and machine learning techniques for a phenological model.
Key Initiatives Enhancing Administration and Business Approach at MRI:
(1) Project Management and Technology Transfer Offices
(2) Cloud-Based Software Implementation
(3) Department for Legal Affairs and Human Resources
(4) IP and HR Strategy
(5) Networking and Training Plan
(1) Genetic Resource Management:
- Established inventories of value-added maize hybrids, OP flint maize and soya sourced from the MRI Gene bank (https://nutribreedinghub.rs/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)).
(2) Enhancing Nutritional Quality of Corn Products:
- Explored the potential of black soybean seed coats and blue maize .
(3) Pest Prediction Model for European Corn Borer (ECB):
- Utilized big data analytics to create a calendar and machine learning techniques for a phenological model.
Key Initiatives Enhancing Administration and Business Approach at MRI:
(1) Project Management and Technology Transfer Offices
(2) Cloud-Based Software Implementation
(3) Department for Legal Affairs and Human Resources
(4) IP and HR Strategy
(5) Networking and Training Plan
The State of the Art:
Advancements in organic farming necessitate a shift in crop breeding towards sustainability, resilience, and adaptability to diverse agroecological conditions. The evolution of soybean and maize breeding for organic production is marked by focusing on innovative concepts, strategies, and tools to enhance cultivar performance. The commitment to sustainable, organic agriculture is evident in the emphasis on genetic diversity, cultivar mixtures, and tailored adaptations. As breeding strategies continue to evolve, the overarching goal is to empower farmers with cultivars that contribute to organic farming systems' long-term success and sustainability.
Progress Beyond the State of the Art:
The CREDIT Vibes project manifests a significant step forward, adopting a multidisciplinary approach to augment agro-knowledge and agrotechnologies in the organic production of colored maize and soybean. This initiative aims to develop cultivars with improved nutritional and bioactive properties for human nutrition and animal feed. Beyond mere scientific advancements, the project seeks to strengthen the human capital base, foster open and inclusive research and innovation systems, and advocate for gender equality plans in line with Horizon Europe and ERA objectives. Additionally, it aims to contribute to evidence-based policymaking for sustainable agriculture.
Socio-Economic Impact:
CREDIT Vibes aspires to deliver sustainable outcomes with a market-oriented focus on organic nutribreeding. The project aims to facilitate an eco-friendly environment and promote healthy nutrition by introducing groundbreaking and cost-effective agrotechnologies and bioproducts. The potential socio-economic impact extends to scientific and industrial sectors, offering opportunities for studying and applying new technologies and products, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and health-conscious society.
Wider Societal Implications:
Envisioning a broad spectrum of applications, including organic nutrifood for the future, an eco-friendly ecosystem, and raw materials for nutrifood- and nutriwaste-based sensors, the CREDIT Vibes project anticipates bringing significant benefits to society globally. The project aims to address broader societal challenges by fostering innovation in agriculture and contributing to a more sustainable and healthier future.
Advancements in organic farming necessitate a shift in crop breeding towards sustainability, resilience, and adaptability to diverse agroecological conditions. The evolution of soybean and maize breeding for organic production is marked by focusing on innovative concepts, strategies, and tools to enhance cultivar performance. The commitment to sustainable, organic agriculture is evident in the emphasis on genetic diversity, cultivar mixtures, and tailored adaptations. As breeding strategies continue to evolve, the overarching goal is to empower farmers with cultivars that contribute to organic farming systems' long-term success and sustainability.
Progress Beyond the State of the Art:
The CREDIT Vibes project manifests a significant step forward, adopting a multidisciplinary approach to augment agro-knowledge and agrotechnologies in the organic production of colored maize and soybean. This initiative aims to develop cultivars with improved nutritional and bioactive properties for human nutrition and animal feed. Beyond mere scientific advancements, the project seeks to strengthen the human capital base, foster open and inclusive research and innovation systems, and advocate for gender equality plans in line with Horizon Europe and ERA objectives. Additionally, it aims to contribute to evidence-based policymaking for sustainable agriculture.
Socio-Economic Impact:
CREDIT Vibes aspires to deliver sustainable outcomes with a market-oriented focus on organic nutribreeding. The project aims to facilitate an eco-friendly environment and promote healthy nutrition by introducing groundbreaking and cost-effective agrotechnologies and bioproducts. The potential socio-economic impact extends to scientific and industrial sectors, offering opportunities for studying and applying new technologies and products, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and health-conscious society.
Wider Societal Implications:
Envisioning a broad spectrum of applications, including organic nutrifood for the future, an eco-friendly ecosystem, and raw materials for nutrifood- and nutriwaste-based sensors, the CREDIT Vibes project anticipates bringing significant benefits to society globally. The project aims to address broader societal challenges by fostering innovation in agriculture and contributing to a more sustainable and healthier future.