Final Report Summary - CIBEWU (Citrus breeding for efficient water and nutrient use)
The aim of the 'Citrus breeding for efficient water and nutrient use' (CIBEWU) project was to enhance efficiency of genetic resources utilisation for citrus rootstock breeding for salt stress and iron deficiency tolerances to ensure sustainability of the Mediterranean citrus industry.
Mediterranean citriculture faces up an increasing combination of biotic (Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) /phytophthora) and abiotic stresses (salinity/drought/alkalinity). Most of these constraints should be individually managed by adapted rootstock choice. However, spread of CTV all over the Mediterannean Basin will soon prohibit the current use of the traditional sour orange rootstocks that provides adequate tolerance to salinity and alkalinity. Therefore, there is an urgent need to select new citrus rootstocks. All the required traits are present in the citrus germplasm with a very notable complementarity of Poncirus trifoliata for tolerance to biotic stress and some Citrus species for adaptation to abiotic stresses. However, the complexity of citrus biology and genetic makes it difficult to combine them through traditional breeding. The project proposed to enhance the efficiency of citrus germplasm utilisation for rootstock breeding with two main breeding strategies: sexual recombination and somatic hybridization.
Breeding is an integrative science. Efficient programs require an effective mastering of biotechnological tools (molecular markers, in vitro technique ) as well as geneticist, physiologist, pathologist, etc. For this reason the partners of the five countries developing their own breeding programs participate in most work packages. Some activities, particularly for the initial development of genomic and molecular tools, need facilities not available in MPC or ACC. After preliminary step of development in EU labs, simplified molecular tools have been transferred to MPC and Turkey laboratories to be used routinely during and after the project. In the same way, efficient methods of somatic embryogenesis and somatic hybridization have been successfully transferred to the same partners. Efficient methodological transfer was an important aspect of the plan for using and disseminating knowledge.
Four main types of deliverables have been obtained from the different task during the project:
- Knowledge has already and will be published in international journals and communicated in congress. 12 publications in international revues have been published during 2007 and 2008 and 14 are planned for 2009. 40 communications have been done in several congresses. 9 were done in PAG - San Diego - 2006, 2007 2008 and 2009 congress. A large presentation of the results of CIBEWU has been done during the 11th International Citrus congress, held in China end of 2008, with a total of 17 oral or poster communication done by all members of the CIBEWU project.
- Standardised protocols and methodologies to be used by the partners of the consortium. Standardised protocol for genetic characterisation of collection, standardised protocols for physiological evaluation against stress and standardised design for new rootstock multilocal evaluation and protocols for somatic embryogenesis and protoplast fusion have been released.
- New biological resources and tools to be used by the partners of the consortium under specific agreements. New embryogenic callus lines have been obtained and are currently used to develop new rootstocks by somatic hybridisation.
- New somatic hybrids have been created and will enter in multilocal evaluation after an amplification step.
- SSR markers, have been developed from BACend sequences of clementine and released to all member of the consortium. They will be published during 2009.
%l - SSCP and Indel markers have been developed from candidate genes for salt stress and iron chlorosis tolerances. They have been shared with the members of the consortium and they will be published during 2009.
- Software for network management of genetic resources and new rootstock trials have be release by the Centro de Investigaciones Principe Felipe on the basis of Phenotate software end of 2008 for the partners of the consortium citrus growers and nurserymen are the final target of the CIBEWU project and need to be informed about this EU initiative.
CIBEWU has been presented to the CLAM (Comité de liaison des agrumes Méditerranéens) during its 2006 annual meeting. It was also presented at the congress of the International Society of Citrus Nursery men in Egypt in 2005. Main results of the project will be diffused by technical notes in the Fruitrop revue published by CIRAD and targeting professional world. For larger public information, a web page has been developed: http://inco-cibewu.cirad.fr(opens in new window)
Mediterranean citriculture faces up an increasing combination of biotic (Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) /phytophthora) and abiotic stresses (salinity/drought/alkalinity). Most of these constraints should be individually managed by adapted rootstock choice. However, spread of CTV all over the Mediterannean Basin will soon prohibit the current use of the traditional sour orange rootstocks that provides adequate tolerance to salinity and alkalinity. Therefore, there is an urgent need to select new citrus rootstocks. All the required traits are present in the citrus germplasm with a very notable complementarity of Poncirus trifoliata for tolerance to biotic stress and some Citrus species for adaptation to abiotic stresses. However, the complexity of citrus biology and genetic makes it difficult to combine them through traditional breeding. The project proposed to enhance the efficiency of citrus germplasm utilisation for rootstock breeding with two main breeding strategies: sexual recombination and somatic hybridization.
Breeding is an integrative science. Efficient programs require an effective mastering of biotechnological tools (molecular markers, in vitro technique ) as well as geneticist, physiologist, pathologist, etc. For this reason the partners of the five countries developing their own breeding programs participate in most work packages. Some activities, particularly for the initial development of genomic and molecular tools, need facilities not available in MPC or ACC. After preliminary step of development in EU labs, simplified molecular tools have been transferred to MPC and Turkey laboratories to be used routinely during and after the project. In the same way, efficient methods of somatic embryogenesis and somatic hybridization have been successfully transferred to the same partners. Efficient methodological transfer was an important aspect of the plan for using and disseminating knowledge.
Four main types of deliverables have been obtained from the different task during the project:
- Knowledge has already and will be published in international journals and communicated in congress. 12 publications in international revues have been published during 2007 and 2008 and 14 are planned for 2009. 40 communications have been done in several congresses. 9 were done in PAG - San Diego - 2006, 2007 2008 and 2009 congress. A large presentation of the results of CIBEWU has been done during the 11th International Citrus congress, held in China end of 2008, with a total of 17 oral or poster communication done by all members of the CIBEWU project.
- Standardised protocols and methodologies to be used by the partners of the consortium. Standardised protocol for genetic characterisation of collection, standardised protocols for physiological evaluation against stress and standardised design for new rootstock multilocal evaluation and protocols for somatic embryogenesis and protoplast fusion have been released.
- New biological resources and tools to be used by the partners of the consortium under specific agreements. New embryogenic callus lines have been obtained and are currently used to develop new rootstocks by somatic hybridisation.
- New somatic hybrids have been created and will enter in multilocal evaluation after an amplification step.
- SSR markers, have been developed from BACend sequences of clementine and released to all member of the consortium. They will be published during 2009.
%l - SSCP and Indel markers have been developed from candidate genes for salt stress and iron chlorosis tolerances. They have been shared with the members of the consortium and they will be published during 2009.
- Software for network management of genetic resources and new rootstock trials have be release by the Centro de Investigaciones Principe Felipe on the basis of Phenotate software end of 2008 for the partners of the consortium citrus growers and nurserymen are the final target of the CIBEWU project and need to be informed about this EU initiative.
CIBEWU has been presented to the CLAM (Comité de liaison des agrumes Méditerranéens) during its 2006 annual meeting. It was also presented at the congress of the International Society of Citrus Nursery men in Egypt in 2005. Main results of the project will be diffused by technical notes in the Fruitrop revue published by CIRAD and targeting professional world. For larger public information, a web page has been developed: http://inco-cibewu.cirad.fr(opens in new window)