Jülich Plant Science Seminars (JPSS lecture) - Bernd Hackauf - "From Evolution to Innovation" - JKI – 3rd of February 2025
Title: From Evolution to Innovation: Breeding Research on Rye for a Resilient and Sustainable Production of Healthy Grain
Speaker: Dr. Bernd Hackauf
Affiliation: Julius Kühn-Institut: Institut für Züchtungsforschung an landwirtschaftlichen Kulturen , Sanitz OT Groß Lüsewitz
Abstract:
The outbreeding rye (Secale cereale L.) exemplifies a proven model of resilience. Thriving on poor soils and under harsh climates where other cereals faltered, rye’s proven adaptability over millennia — flourishing without substantial intervention — demonstrates its extraordinary capacity to endure and produce under challenging conditions. With only 25 years remaining until 2050, when the global human population is projected to reach 9 billion, investing in novel plant breeding innovations inspired by rye’s long-term adaptability and its unique biological traits presents a decisive chance to enhance sustainable food systems and strengthen global food security. Beyond adaptation, the overlooked cereal offers untapped potential for climate change mitigation as well. A partial life cycle analysis based on almost 40,000 historical data sets demonstrated that rye production reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 20% and has an 8% lower carbon footprint compared to wheat. The secret for this climate protection service lies beneath the surface. Rye’s root system is a marvel of natural engineering. The extensive root system not only enhances nitrogen-use efficiency but also supports water-use efficiency, underpinning rye’s well-known drought-stress tolerance. Cultivating outbreeding rye takes full advantage of its rich natural diversity and the evolutionary forces that have shaped rye since diverging from wheat (Triticum aestivum) approximately 3–4 million years ago, allowing it today to thrive in both modern and challenging environments. This natural diversity calls for a renaissance of rye in sustainable farming systems. In rye, hybrid breeding enables to increase and secure cereal production on finite arable land without increasing water and fertilizer use. We present the development of gibberellin-sensitive semi-dwarf hybrids as a novel plant breeding innovation based on an approach that is different from current methods of increasing productivity in rye and wheat. Comprehensive precision phenotyping of semi-dwarf and standard hybrids under controlled drought stress conditions reveals pronounced genetic variation in agronomic and quality traits, and asks for a better understanding of the root phenome in both heterotic gene pools to effectively translate genetic advances into improved rye cultivars.