Institut für Strategien und Folgenabschätzung
Breeding progress makes a significant contribution to increasing productivity and efficiency in plant production. In recent studies, we show that breeding progress in wheat and rye, especially hybrid rye, has led to a substantial reduction in the CO2 footprint, which is directly beneficial to climate protection. Such an assessment has not yet been carried out for other cultures. In the project, therefore, the GHG emissions per ha and per kg of harvested crops for other relevant main crops, i.e. triticale, winter barley, spring barley and rapeseed, are evaluated based on the value test data from the Federal Plant Variety Office. The GHG balance using a partial life cycle analysis (LCA) is carried out for each combination of genotype * location * year * intensity levels (with/without use of fungicides). Using mixed linear models, the genetic trend, i.e. the breeding progress for each intensity level, is evaluated throughout Germany. In addition, for winter wheat, a comparative assessment of the contribution of breeding progress is made based on historical variety trial data (validation data) vs. current "vintage trial data" where historical and current varieties are tested together under contemporary conditions. The analyzes enable the identification and evaluation of promising variety-specific properties such as nitrogen use efficiency or resistance properties and their contribution to climate protection.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
