Heribert Hirt - Plant Sciences Research Priorities in the 21st Century

Heribert Hirt
European Plant Science Organisation
Plant Sciences Research Priorities in the 21st Century

Today, more than 1 billion undernourished people — there is enough food
available, but these people are too poor to buy it
In the next 25 years, food accessibility might worsen due to increases in food
prices, bioenergy crop expansion and climate changes
Even if access to food could be solved (political level solutions are unlikely), food
production has to be doubled by 2050
BUT: Agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, loss of biodiversity and
degradation of land and freshwater resources
CHALLENGE: How to satisfy growing demand for food at the same time as reducing
the environmental harm of agriculture
SOLUTION: Sustainable intensification of agriculture
Challenges for Agriculture in the 21st Century

Foley et al. 2011
In many countries, the lack of nutrients and water are key limiting factors,
whereas in regions of high productivity yields are limited by crop genetics.
Close the yield gap

Pasture land + crop land for feed = 75 % of global agriculture land
Globally only 62 % of crops used for food, 35 % for animal feed and 3 % for
bioenergy (Europe and US crops : 40 % food, Asia and Africa: 80 %)
Foley et al. 2011
Close the diet gap
About 30 % of food could be delivered by shifting crop production
from animal feed to human food production

Use of irrigation water varies greatly: On average 0.3 l/kCal
But > 1 l/kCal is required in Northern India and portions of Middle East).
Enhance irrigation use efficiency
Use enhanced drought resistance and water efficiency crops
Use alternative techniques: curtail water losses, use mulching, reduced tillage, etc.
Enhance irrigation use efficiency
Foley et al. 2011

Apply fertilizers in areas of nutrient scarcity (Africa, Asia, Latin America) and
develop new more nutrient efficient crops
Enhance nutrient use efficiency
Foley et al. 2011
There are “hot spots” of low nutrient use efficiency and large volumes of excess
nutrients (China, Northern India, USA, Western Europe)
10% of the world’s croplands account for 32% of the global nitrogen and 40% of
the global phosphorus surplus

Improve farming techniques
- Larger but less soil-degrading machines (doubling grain yields in
Brazil)
- Zero or reduced tillage
- Contour farming
- Mulching
- Crop coverage
- Precision farming
Underground soil sensors give farmers a real-time view of the conditions of
the field and allow precise application of nutrients, pesticides, etc. at the
right time and place

World-wide annual loss of 40% of yield of major crops due to abiotic/biotic
factors: improve crops for drought, salt, pest and disease resistance
New crop genetic varieties are needed (e.g. last 20 years: 50 % yield increases for
drought-resistant wheat , submergence-tolerant rice, pest-resistant cassava, etc.)
Develop new crop varieties
1/3 of African population is
malnourished
Solution: Engineer new varieties of
cassava (drought, pest, disease
resistance)
Generate crops for biofortification of micronutrients and vitamins (e.g.
golden rice)
New varieties are also needed local staple crops (e.g. sorghum and millet for sub-
Saharan Africa)

Apply modern technologies of crop breeding
Single gene-modified organisms – effective for enhancing yield and changing traits
(e.g. dwarfing, reducing branching, increased seed number, etc.)
Multiple and more foreign gene transgenic varieties
(e.g. drought-resistant wheat)
– powerful techniques but all suffer from ongoing
GMO debate
MAS (Marker-assisted selection) – any kind of physical
or chemical marker is used for selecting specific
traits in a population (e.g. root rot resistance in raspberry)
MARS (Marker-assisted recurrent selection) – recurrent
crossing of selected elite varieties with selected lines
harboring specific traits
High throughput genotyping and phenotyping to dissect complex traits –
Automatized platforms for screening large populations combined with statistical
analysis and modeling

Apply modern technologies of crop breeding
Increase germplasm in breeding programs
and introgression of alleles from
landraces and wild relatives of elite species
(e.g. fungal resistance in wheat)
Use heterosis (hybrid vigor) more widely
in crop breeding – potential of 20 -50 %
yield increase
(e.g. hybird vigour in maize )
Alleviate the regulatory burden on new technologies - not only GMOs, but also
new non-GM technologies are challenged

Diversify and re-introduce old crops
e.g. Quinoa, domesticated since >4000 yrs ago in the Andes ,
leaves and seeds edible, high nutritional value, food safety issue
e.g. Buckwheat, domesticated since >6000 yrs ago in Southeast Asia, grows on
poor N soils, high nutritional value, gluten-free, mulitple uses

300 naturally occurring soil microbes can reduce the need for phosphorus and
nitrogen fertilizers and protect plants against pathogens and boost yields in
crops
Develop integrated stress management
Piriformospora indica:
endophytic root fungus
confers biotic and abiotic
stress tolerance
Rhizobium and
Mycorrhiza help
plant obtain
nitrate and
phosphate

Improve crop varieties genetically - essential to achieve long term goals
Use the full genetic variety of crops and include orphan crops (i.e. Crops which
have not yet been genetically optimized)
Improve deployment of existing crop varieties + its management
Improve distribution of seed varieties, fertilizers, pesticides, etc.
Establish incentives for scientists to connect to problems of farmers
Improve extension services to connect farmers to scientists
Improving production of 16 major crops :
- 75 % optimum would increase food production by 28 %
- 95 % optimum would increase food production by 58 %
Conclusions

Some current challenges for plant research in Europe
E. coli outbreak in Europe in June 2011

EPSO advances plant science in Europe
Independent academic organisation
Mission:
• To promote plant science and support plant scientists
• To discuss future plant science programmes across Europe
• To provide authoritative source of independent information
on plant science
• To promote training of plant scientists to meet the 21st
century challenges in plant sciences
www.epsoweb.org

EPSO – linking your science to the world
Research alliances are important for research institutes and
universities to have a voice at national, European and the global level
EPSO gives input towards EU research agendas, e.g.
• Horizon 2020, European Innovation Partnerships, Joint Programming
Initiatives, etc.
• Always considers input to innovation and to education agendas
Research alliances of EPSO
• Plants for the Future ETP
• Steering Councils, Working Groups etc.
• Local (e.g. BioScience Center in NRW)
• European (EPSO itself, Initiative for Science in Europe)
• Global (e.g. FAO, Global Plant Council)
www.epsoweb.org

Europe 2020 Priorities
Tackling Societal Challenges
- Health, demographic change and wellbeing
- Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine
research & bioeconomy
- Secure, clean and efficient energy
- Smart, green and integrated transport
- Supply of raw materials, resource efficiency
and climate action
- Inclusive, innovative and secure societies
Creating Industrial Leadership
and Competitive Frameworks
− Leadership in enabling and industrial
technologies (Biotechnology,…)
− Access to risk finance
− Innovation in SMEs
Excellence in the Science Base
− Frontier research (ERC)
− Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
− Skills and career development (Marie Curie)
− Research infrastructures
Common rules, toolkit of funding schemes
European Research Area
Simplified access
International cooperation
Coherence with other
EU and MS actions
Shared objectives and principles

1) Improve resource use efficiency and resource stewardship
Opportunities and challenges for plant science in the
Horizon 2020 programme
Sustainable food security
2) Increase yield and yield stability in dynamic environments and
enhancing stress tolerance
3) Enhance crops for healthy human nutrition & animal feed
4) Plants for improved health
5) Improve plant composition and performance for novel (non-food)
products

Blue growth
Targeted plant breeding for production of feed for offshore
fisheries

Smart cities and communities
"Green cities" - urban food production systems; easy to
sketch, but at present difficult and expensive to realise
Novel issues: recycled substrate quality, plant drought
resistance, plant composition in urban environments,
grey water use, linking small energy and food
production systems

Waste as a resource to recycle, reuse and recover
raw materials
Research and innovation on how bio-technological, urban
and industrial wastes can be used in agriculture
denhaag.nl

Personalising health and care
Development of personalised food and eating habits
Healthy food is important for healthy living
Healthy food must be based on healthy agricultural
products (research into plant composition, plant
secondary compounds or vitamins)
Safe food is a fundamental requirement for healthy living

European integrated technology platforms in genomics,
phenotyping and experimental farms
European resource centers
Education programs for young scientists
Reestablish extension services as an
exchange mechanism between science,
farming and industry

Integrated programs and projects beyond national, sectorial
and disciplinary borders
A special focus on human resources
Strengthening European competiveness
European solutions in a global world
Open dialogue with all stakeholders
Projects towards sustainable food production and
bioeconomy value chains in developing countries

EPSO promotes the importance of plant sciences
ARG, AUS, AT, BE, BG, BRA, CAN, Chile, CHI, Croatia, CY,
CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IND, IE, IL, IT, JAP, LI, NL,
NEZ, NIG, NO, PL, PT, SB, SI, ES, SE, CH, TK, UK, UKR
2nd International Fascination of Plants Day
- Over 1.000 events in 54 countries –

EPSO organizes conferences and workshops
EPSO Conferences:
19th FESPB / 8th EPSO Conference
Dublin, Ireland, 22-26.6.2014
9th EPSO / 20th FESPB Conference
Prague, CZ, 27.6. – 1.7.2016
EPSO Workshops:
EPSO-FAO: Rome, 25-27.6.12
EPSO – Horticulture: 11-12.11. 2013

Heribert Hirt
European Plant Science Organisation
Thank you for your attention

2) More resilient plants – increase yield and yield stability in dynamic
environments and enhancing stress tolerance
cbc.ca
grist.org
Improving
resistance against
weather and
climate fluctuations

3) Enhance crops for healthy human nutrition & animal feed
fitmixer.com

4) Plants for improved health
Generate novel control methods, resistances and resistance mechanisms
for existing and new (climate change related) pests and diseases
kn-online.de
maerkischeallgemeine.de
tagesspiegel.de
Oak processionary moth
(Thaumetopoea processionea)

5) Improve plant composition and performance for novel (non-food)
products
After en.wikipedia.org
www.nsf.gov
bioenergyconsult.com
Improving cell wall digestibility for agro
residues utilisation

Many countries can make gains in productivity just by improving the use of existing
technologies and practices, but sustainable intensification means increasing yields
using less water, fertilizer and pesticides.
FAO
Investment in agricultural research will be crucial (yet only 5% of total R&D budget).
Public R&D investments decreased sharply over the last decades (exception
China where it doubled in the last decade)
Private R&D increased strongly, but only in developed countries and with the
focus on Western crops, but not local and alternative crops
Investing into research is investing into our future

Heribert Hirt - Plant Sciences Research Priorities in the 21st Century

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