Innovation in variety testing

The overall objective of INVITE, a 5-year European Union funded project, is to foster the introduction of new varieties better adapted to varying biotic and abiotic conditions and to more sustainable crop management practices.

In the context where agriculture is increasingly being urged to reduce its dependency on external inputs, lower its environmental footprint and cope with more variable climatic conditions, INVITE aims to help the valorisation and the promotion of varieties that are more adapted to sustainable management practices, and more resilient to climate change.

INVITE liaises with other research project aiming at improving plant variety testing. Relationship and common activities are currently ongoing with:

image001
image003
image005
image007
image010
image011
image012
image013
image014
previous arrow
next arrow

InnoVar – Next generation variety testing for improved cropping on European farmland – is another EU funded H2020 project which is working in parallel with INVITE.

The main goal of InnoVar is to augment and improve the efficacy and accuracy of European crop variety testing and decision-making, using an integrated approach incorporating genomics, phenomics and machine learning. This project will take plant variety evaluation to the next level by developing sustainability criteria; identifying synergies between DUS and VCU; developing High-Performance-Low-Risk variety categorisation; and communicating this information to farmers and to the wider public. Historic data will form the foundation of the InnoVar database. This will then be expanded with harmonised data generated from the extensive InnoVar trial series.  The project initially focuses on wheat before applying the InnoVar approach to other crops, including legumes, perennial rye grass, and maize. Link to the InnoVar website

INVITA The newly established INVITA Australian project; that leverages off INVITE, aims to add value to the GRDC’s flagship National Variety Trials (NVT) program by introducing new technologies and analysis methods to ensure that the NVT program remains at the forefront of variety testing; therefore, enhancing the quality and timeliness of NVT varietal performance data.

The GRDC investment is being undertaken in partnership with laboratories in Europe where there has been significant investment in the systematic development of remote sensing, imaging technology and data analytics to monitor and predict crop performance through the Horizon 2020 Innovations in Plant Variety Testing in Europe (INVITE) program.

Tom Giles, GRDC Senior Manager Enabling Technologies, says that “the Australian initiative is leveraging advances being made within the INVITE program. We are utilising cutting-edge technologies, techniques and capabilities from across the globe to give Australian grain growers the most dynamic, informative, timely and robust data so they can select with confidence the most appropriate varieties for their farming systems and unique environmental conditions.”

Professor Chapman, leading the research project, discusses the investment in a new GRDC video and indicates that INVITA embraces the use of drones, satellite images and paddock-based sensors and cameras, with experts in statistics, simulation modelling, machine learning, crop physiology/phenotyping and satellite imaging involved. “The crop monitoring technology will focus on capturing data on environmental conditions in addition to crop growth, yield and health characteristics,” Professor Chapman adds.

More information on INVITA can be found at https://groundcover.grdc.com.au/innovation/plant-breeding/sensing-advances-to-lift-crop-trials-to-a-new-level

Other research projects of interest as regards improvements in plant variety testing have been identified, e.g. Maxroot-C and national projects. More information on the collaboration with these projects will be regularly posted on this website.

Newsletter

Subscribe to receive the INVITE newsletter in your email with latest news about the INVITE project and the forthcoming events

  • Subscribing I accept the privacy rules of this site
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.