Organic plant breeding in the Mediterranean: our Projects

The Mediterranean, the cradle of civilisation, is the origin of many cultivated plants. Although tomatoes come originally from South America, they have been grown and bred in the Mediterranean for a long time. Melons originated in northern Africa and spread from there to southern Europe. This project focuses on the breeding of open pollinated tomato and melon varieties to improve climate adaptation, drought resistance, taste and vitality of these important crops and make them usable for farmers. In 2021, 66 tomato lines and 12 melon lines were planted. Under the direction of Thomas Heinze of Kultursaat e.V., the seeds of two lines had been previously energised with Eurythmy. To do so, the experienced healing eurythmist Maria Fernanda Wessling attached the watered seeds in a packaging to her body, so that the energy she generated through eurythmic gestures, movements and singing could be directly passed onto the seeds. The seeds were then dried again and finally sown. We are looking forward to the results! By 2024, the first varieties will be developed.

Legumes are increasingly a fundamental and promising food source for human consumption. They bring together three relevant and demanding qualities: high protein content, soil improvement by nitrogen fixation and interesting yields in terms of production capacity and adaptation to semi-arid climate conditions. In this project, we will carry out organic trials regarding Lentils in Portugal and Germany with landraces/varieties coming from North Africa, the Middle East, Portugal, Spain and Germany to test their behaviour in different local conditions and to find out which populations would fit under current conditions best. In 2024, we will begin the execution by multiplying the genetic material while carrying out a preliminary assessment of the different landraces/varieties. At the end, we hope to have encouraged and promoted the cultivation of lentils in Portugal as well as contributing to a selection of varieties adapted to climate change in Germany.

The institutions involved in this project are:

• Lebende Samen as coordinator and one of the breeders
• Living Seeds Sementes Vivas S.A. and and Demeter Hofgut Hermersberg as a partners for carrying out trials; 
• BPGV-INIAV (Portuguese Bank for Plant Germplasm - National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research) and Keyserlingk-Insititut, lake Konstanz as partners for seed supplying and for carrying out trials;
• ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) as partner for seed supplying.
• A special thank you to Mrs Marion Würth, Demeter Hofgut Hermersberg for believing in and supporting this project from the beginning.

This breeding project focuses on legumes, fava beans, and peas that are supposed to resist the increasing drought and heat in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. The results will also benefit farmers in Northern and Central Europe where weather conditions are becoming more and more extreme. The project has chosen legumes because they feed and cover the soil, are beneficial for carbon sequestration and nitrogen fixing, and serve as food for humans and feed for animals at the same time. Trainings will involve small-scale farmers, teaching them how to breed legumes and how to improve the quality of their seeds. For them, fava beans and peas are important crops and an important income stream. Therefore, healthy, adapted plants that can deal with drought and heat will secure their income whilst the required knowledge about the reproduction of open pollinated seeds will increase their food and economic sovereignty. Furthermore, the project will demonstrate that the organic market can give better returns. The breeding material is donated by the gene-bank ICARDA and the farmers of the High Atlas Mountain. We aim at establishing close partnerships between high qualified research centres (Science Centre of Idanha a Nova, Portugal, INRA, ICARDA Morocco), seed companies (Sementes Vivas is Portugal and Morocco) and small-scale farmers organised in the Moroccan Biodiversity and Livelihoods Association, organic farms of Domaine Agricole and some farmers in the Iberian. The project will last 3-4 years and the participants are confident to be able to register some new varieties. 

Find out more about the project here

Together with the organic seed company Living Seeds – Sementes Vivas S.A. and the organic wholesaler and producer Lehmann Natur, our association Lebende Samen – Living Seeds e.V. has set up a project in Sevilla/Spain and Idanha-a-Nova/Portugal. The aim of the project is to identify open pollinated carrot varieties suitable for organic production and select potential populations and improve existent cultivars to provide potential alternatives for hybrid varieties. Although COVID-19 made it impossible for the project to be carried out as planned, first conclusions about characteristics such as taste, colour and adaptability to Mediterranean organic conditions have been drawn. Read our report…

When traditional varieties are received by the Lebende Samen team, they are evaluated and scored for user characteristics and plant habitual needs. The findings are archived in a data-base for traditional varieties. These base seeds are then grown and studied in order to find out how to improve their agricultural performance. The traditional characteristics of the variety are saved whilst the use and value are improved with a view towards more modern cultivation systems. Given the frightening reduction of varieties of locally cultivated plants, the archiving and preservation helps to protect the cultural organic heritage and documents and develops suitable plants of high nutritional value for the local population.

At present, bean and cowpea evaluations are being organised in trials to study and improve their value in terms of resilience, taste, flavour, yield etc. Both crops are important and dear to Portugal. With the selection of local varieties, diverse cross-pollination seeds shall become available which are suited for a changing climate, whilst keeping their exquisite flavour and traditional character. Traditional varieties which are particularly vigorous and healthy are also registered in the national catalogue.

In order to invigorate openly pollinated base seeds - in contrast to hybrid seeds which will not offer usable seeds themselves - selections are being made to improve yield, plant health, and quality characteristics of its fruits such as flavour and taste. This selection work is being done for many kinds of traditional crops as well as quinoa which has proven to be very well adapted to the Portuguese climate.

Bees are stressed throughout Europe. Healthy flowers attract them and many other beneficial insects, and lead to an improved quality of their honey. Lebende Samen - Living Seeds e.V. organises biodiversity flower mixes in trials - both mixes of different varieties, as well as mixes of different species. A mid-term goal is to develop an insect-friendly flower mix which is suited to the Iberian climate. On the long run, this will contribute to overall biodiversity on organic farms and landscapes, whilst the flowers will protect and cover soils, deliver precious organic matter, and enchan us with their beauty.

For now, organic farmers can receive a certificate of exemption for the use of conventional seeds. This exemption will be suspended in 2035 through an EU directive for organic farming. Research should therefore focus on developing organic varieties adapted to the needs of the farmers and addressing the climate challenges. Biodiversity is key for organic farming and we need plenty of varieties due to different environmental conditions in each region. Farmers and gardeners have to be trained how, where and when to use organic seeds.

In order to be able to move forward with organic plant breeding, skilled plant breeders are important. Our association therefore focuses on training programs and knowledge exchange among different countries from the North to the South. Our programmes are adapted to the specific agricultural and horticultural conditions and support the local organic and biodynamic vegetable, herb, and flower production. In the long term, they aim at reducing expensive imports from other countries, thus establishing food sovereignty. Since 2018, we have organised several programmes where we brought young breeders of southern Europe and senior breeders of central and northern Europe together. Those included Dr. Beat Boller from Agroscope (Switzerland), Thomas Heinze from Bingenheimer Saatgut (Germany) , Ruth Richter from Goetheanum (Switzerland), and Professor Dr Gunter Backes, University Kassel-Witzenhausen (Germany).