EU25064 HelEx (KB-50-006-035)

The HelEx project is coordinated by INRAE (FR) and Wageningen Plant Research (WPR) is work package leader. Helex will generate the knowledge and use innovative tools to accelerate the breeding of sunflower varieties adapted to extreme drought and heat stresses, while improving their environmental impact and assessing the economic value of the resulting innovations along the value chain. HelEx focuses on two related groups of traits increasingly impacted by climate change, i.e. the eco-systemic service of sunflower to pollinators and seed quality, assisting the European transition to sustainable plant feedstocks (oils and proteins).

The project will deliver:

1.       Identification of favourable traits for seed quality and pollinator attractiveness to create climate-smart sunflower genotypes;

2.       Acceleration of sunflower breeding using innovative genome editing and molecular breeding approaches;

3.       Assessment of the environmental and biodiversity impacts and socio-economic impact and benefits in relevant value chains for different feedstocks;

4.       Dialogue with a variety of societal stakeholders on broader dimensions of plant biotechnology, biodiversity and benefit sharing.

 

HelEx seeks to go beyond existing knowledge by developing innovative phenotyping methods using AI, producing muti-omics networks and identifying new haplotypes from wild Helianthus species. Within HelEx WPR leads the Innovation Work Package in which we well use both molecular breeding as well as develop genome editing for this recalcitrant crop. Genome editing (GE) will be used for loss-of-function approaches and for directed gain-of-function via GE-assisted asymmetric protoplast hybridisation between wild and cultivated lines. In addition, the economic value of the resulting innovations along the value chain will be assessed, Results can be translated to breeding of other recalcitrant crops suffering from climate change.