Breeding European Legumes for Increased Sustainability

General introduction

The goal of BELIS is to increase the competitiveness of legume breeding in the EU and associated countries. The methodology and structure of the breeding sector are undergoing changes. The genetic progress that has been achieved in research is now brought more efficiently to the breeders, to the seed companies and the other actors, such as registration agencies, extension services, feed and food industry, and finally to farmers. Specifically, the project focuses on seven forage and seven seed crops that are currently grown either to produce feed and food or to provide ecosystem services. BELIS involves a total of 34 partners. ILVO is particularly active for red clover and soybean.

Research approach

We develop tools and methodologies for cost-effective breeding programs and for providing proof-of-concepts with and for breeders. We facilitate the economic and regulatory environment: variety registration, variety recommendations and earning models. We implement more efficient, ambitious and sustainable innovation transfer through the BELIS platform that includes a network of breeders and actors from scientific research, extension services and seed, food and feed industries, as well as a training portfolio. 

Relevance/Valorisation

This project fills gaps in the Flemish and European strategy to promote the cultivation of protein crops. By putting advanced methods for phenotyping and genotyping into practice in existing breeding programs, BELIS is expected to make breeding in legumes more efficient and accelerate progress. At the European level, this project is relevant to the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services objectives, contributing to Access to a wider range of crops and varieties with an expanded genetic base is improved in line with global biodiversity commitments. It also supports practices in agriculture and forestry to support biodiversity and the provision of other ecosystem services. Finally, BELIS makes a positive contribution to natural biodiversity, the reduction of air and water pollution, and the sustainability of the agricultural system.

Funding provider(s)
EU Horizon Europe