The prominent conference, focusing on the current challenges and developments in wheat breeding, brought together over 90 experts from science, breeding, politics, and research funding, both on-site and digitally, to discuss the contribution of wheat research to food security, resource conservation, and adaptation to climate change.
The conference was opened by JKI President Prof. Dr. Frank Ordon and Wolf von Rhade, the economic spokesperson of the proWheat initiative. This year’s event had a particularly international focus: high-ranking speakers from the UK (Simon Griffiths, John Innes Centre), France (Jacques Le Gouis, INRAE), and Spain (Gustavo Slafer, University of Lleida) presented the latest findings from their respective countries, contributing to further international networking in German wheat research.
10th proWheat Conference at JKI in Quedlinburg: Breeding Innovations for the Future of Wheat Production
Research for Sustainable Wheat Production
The presentations and project reports covered a wide range of topics – from resistance breeding and resource-efficient variety development to quality selection for improved baking properties. A key focus was the importance of plant research across the entire innovation chain – from basic research to application – as an essential contribution to global food security.
Another key topic was the increasing relevance of plant breeding within the framework of the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) arable farming strategy, as well as in the context of supporting organic farming. In this regard, the requirements for future-proof wheat varieties with improved nitrogen use efficiency were also discussed – a topic that is becoming increasingly important in light of the necessary greenhouse gas reductions in agriculture.
proWheat – 10 Years of Commitment to Plant Innovation
The proWheat initiative was founded in 2012 by German wheat breeders and is a project of the Community for the Promotion of Plant Innovation (GFPi), whose members include the JKI. Since then, over 20 research projects have been funded by BMEL and BMBF, focusing on topics such as resistance breeding, hybrid breeding, breeding methodologies, resource efficiency, and data science.
The proWheat Conference, held regularly at the JKI in Quedlinburg since 2015, has established itself as a central platform for exchange within the German and increasingly international wheat research and breeding community. Since 2021, the event has been conducted in English and is open to all relevant wheat research projects.
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