The Role of Plant Breeding for Organic Producers

Breeding crops for organic production systems is a relative new concept. It is predicated on the fact that unless a cultivar is specifically adapted, its performance in a particular environment may be suboptimal. With its emphasis on soil building and injunction against chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, organic production represents a profoundly different environment from a conventional production environment. Nearly all contemporary crop cultivars developed to date having been bred in conventional systems, and as a result, may be less than optimally adapted to organic environments. Research comparing conventional and organic production for several field and horticultural crops is now becoming available to test this idea. While some studies have found significant genotype by production system interactions, others have found less evidence for difference in performance between the two systems. A major question confronting plant breeders is whether organic plant breeding must be conducted entirely under organic production or whether blended approaches might be feasible. One surprising finding in several studies is that while organic environments are inherently more variable than similar conventional environments, heritabilities in organic are comparable to conventional environments. Apparently, genotypes in organic show a wider range of expression compared to conventional environments. This would suggest that greater gain from selection might be achieved in organic compared to conventional systems. A potential blended breeding system would be to conduct early generation selection solely in organic environments, but test advanced lines in both environments to identify those that are adapted to one or both.  New research on what traits might provide specific adaptation to organic production includes those associated with roots and soil, and weed competitiveness. Organic plant breeding efforts around the United States are expanding in both field and horticultural crops. The expansion has been greatest in the public sector with the private sector generally lagging behind. Funds to support breeding efforts in the public sector have come from OFRF, SARE, and USDA–NIFA–OREI, but these have become less available with uncertainties in the USDA budget for federal grants programs. With overall consumer demand for organic produce continuing to increase, there will be strong incentive for plant breeders to develop cultivars that are productive under organic growing conditions.