Appleresist

The project was co-financed by the European Union from the European Fund for Regional Development

PROJECT NAME: "APPLERESIST - Genetic resistance of apples to heat and drought stress with the formation of a recommended assortment for the production area of ​​continental Croatia"

KK.05.1.1.02.0029

USER: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek

PARTNER: Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food (HAPIH)

GOAL OF A PROJECT:

Increase the adaptability and reduce the vulnerability of Croatian agriculture related to the impact of climate change on apple production through the proposal of an assortment for the production areas of continental Croatia.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The project aims to have a positive impact on: a) minimizing damages in agriculture caused by climate change and b) exploiting the potentially positive impacts of climate change.

The proposed applied research includes both approaches to adapting to climate change in agriculture: a) technological approach (assortment resistant to heat and drought stress) and b) "ecological" (assortment resistant to diseases and pests).

The elements of the project are:

    Preparation and organization of applied research

    Implementation of applied research

    Strengthening the capacity of members of the expert team to carry out research

    Dissemination of project results and activities to raise awareness among the general public about the impact, vulnerability and possibilities of adaptation to climate change

    Project management

    Promotion and visibility

APPLIED RESEARCH:

GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH: To investigate the genetic resistance of apple germplasm to heat and drought stress and to form a recommended assortment for the production areas of continental Croatia.

Specific objective 1 Establishment of the FAZOS test site - Osijek

The establishment of a location in the eastern part of continental Croatia where apple fruit varieties will be tested for the purposes of this research is the location of FAZOS, and given that FAZOS currently does not have arranged trial areas prepared for planting permanent plantations, investments are needed in land development, building reinforcement, systems for protection against hail and the introduction of irrigation systems.

Specific goal 2.: Upgrades of the existing system at the HAPIH test site - Donja Zelina

For the purposes of testing varieties of the apple fruit species in the western part of continental Croatia, an upgrade is planned at the Donja Zelina experimental site, where planting is planned along with the installation of a hail protection system and an upgrade of the irrigation system.

Specific objective 3: Define criteria for selection of test varieties

    It is necessary to primarily take into account the needs of the Croatian market, then fruit growers, nurseries, fruit growers, and by monitoring trends in the breeding of fruit species in the EU, as well as the release of new varieties on the EU market, and determine which varieties can be of importance for the needs of this research. In order to determine the influence of agroecological conditions on the growth and fertility of a particular variety, care will be taken to include early, medium and late ripening varieties in the test procedure.

    Acquisition of existing Croatian varieties that have not been tested

Varieties whose seedlings are already on the market in the Republic of Croatia, but have not been examined by independent institutions regarding their economic value, will be procured.

    Procurement of new varieties outside the Republic of Croatia

After defining the criteria for the selection of new varieties, the procurement of seedlings of varieties selected in EU breeding programs, then varieties represented by license managers for the EU area, varieties distributed by nurseries in the EU and those that scientific research institutions in the EU have already examined or they are being tested, and they have shown potential, either related to agrotechnology or sensors.

Specific objective 4: Research implementation

    Tests of morphological, pomological and economic properties and phenological stages of development

The procedure for testing apple varieties for the purposes of this research includes the testing of varieties in the experimental field and in the laboratory, which is carried out according to: CPVO technical protocol for testing diversity, uniformity and stability (CPVO-TP/14/2) and Standard ISO 4121:2003 on quantitative descriptive analysis for the purposes of determining the sensory properties of the fruit on an intensity scale of 1-7.

1. b) Molecular analysis of plant material

Knowledge of the ability of apple varieties to adapt to temperature and drought stress is a prerequisite for the formation of the recommended assortment in the Republic of Croatia. Molecular genetic methods are a very useful tool. Although originally used for the identification of cultivars and types of agricultural plants, today they are an indispensable tool in research related to the identification of reaction mechanisms of fruit species, especially in the sphere of climate change.

1. c) Physiological analysis - heat and drought stress

Due to sudden fluctuations in temperature, amount and distribution of precipitation, which are not specific to the multi-year average for our area, and which are the result of rapid climate changes, plants are very often exposed to a combination of drought and heat stress within one growing season. The quality and quantity of the yield in fruit growing depends on a combination of external growth factors, but also on the genetic basis as an internal factor, which is specific for each variety. The genetic background defines the plant's ability to intensify physiological processes and metabolic pathways in stressful environmental conditions, which will result in increased resistance to stress. Physiological profiling of cultivars gives an answer about the synthesis and relationship of specific metabolites involved in stress protection mechanisms. The obtained results of the conducted research will be processed using standard methods of statistical analysis adequate for the examined properties.

PROJECT RESULTS:

The purpose of the project is to increase the adaptability and reduce the vulnerability of Croatian agriculture in relation to climate change through the proposal of adaptation measures and to strengthen the capacity for the implementation of the proposed adaptation measures.

The following measures will be proposed:

- recommendation of an assortment for production resistant to drought and heat stress,

- recommendation of an assortment for production resistant to diseases and pests,

- identification of superior germplasm tolerant to heat and drought stress.

After the research, the research team will write at least two scientific papers and create an Elaborate in which the recommended assortment of apples for the production areas of continental Croatia will be described.

Based on the study, a "Guide for the recommended assortment of apples for the production areas of continental Croatia" will be created, which will be written in an easy-to-understand way that agricultural producers could understand and implement in practice.

PROJECT VALUE:

The total value of the project is HRK 3,486,962.71, and the amount of grants co-financed by the EU is HRK 2,963,918.30.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD:

The implementation of the project lasts 36 months from April 1, 2020 to April 1, 2023.

RESEARCHERS ON THE PROJECT:

Tvrtko Jelačić, PhD - Head of research

Tihana Teklić, Full Professor, PhD

Ivana Dugalić, Associate Professor, PhD

Miroslav Lisjak, Full Professor, PhD

Andrijana Rebekić, Full Professor, PhD

Predrag Vujević, PhD

Željko Budinšćak, PhD

Adriana Jurilj, mag. interior

CONTACTS:

dean Krunoslav Zmaić, Full Professor, PhD

e-mail: kzmaic@fazos.hr

telephone: +385 91 224 2003

project manager Tomislav Vinković, Full Professor, PhD

e-mail: tvinkovic@fazos.hr

phone: +385 91 224 2055

The content of this text is the sole responsibility of the Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek

More information about EU funds on the links:

www.strukturnifondovi.hrwww.opzo-opkk.hr