b'A look at seed industry developments around the globe.India gets a boost toSTATUS AUSTRALIA indispensable component of Innovation-friendly their wheat breedingA new decision support toolanimal nutrition and plays anframework conditions for developed with investmentever-increasing role in humancompetitive research and efforts, while Irelandfrom the Grains Research andnutrition due to changingdevelopmentannounces new regulationsDevelopment Corporationdietary habits more focused EU bodies to support (GRDC) will help Australianon plant-based diets. educational communication encouraging better plantwheat growers and theirThe total amount neededto consumers on the benefits health requirements. advisers to make more primarily for animal feedof plant protein-based food informed decisions aboutbut with growing importanceand the use of domestically managing one of the indus- also for human consumptionproduced food and feedtrys most damaging diseases, sums up to 84 million tons Favourable framework yellow leaf spot. of crude protein. Only 36% ofconditions enabling growers Rated the most economi- this demand is covered fromcompetitiveness and profit-cally damaging wheat diseasedomestic production. Withoutabilityin the country, yellow leaf spotdoubt, Europe must and canEuroseeds, considering the can cost growers up to $30do more in terms of increasingGreen Deal and the related per hectare in lost productiondomestic protein productionFarm to Fork and Biodiversity and management costs infrom plants. It is the declaredstrategies and related objec-hard-hit seasons. policy goal of the Europeantives, has called on the Caused by the fungus,Commission and MemberEuropean Commission to take Pyrenophora tritici-repentis,States to increase the domes- a leading role in promoting the stubble-borne disease cantic production of protein tothe domestic cultivation and infect all bread wheat, durumreduce the European Unionsuse of plant sourced protein.and triticale varieties causingdependency on their imports.yield loss and reduced grainThe European seed sector quality. stands ready to supportSTATUS INDIANow, a new decision sup- the ramping up of both theThe John Innes Centre (JIC) port tool has been developeddemand and the productionGermplasm Resources Unit for yellow leaf spot that isof EU grown plant sourced(GRU) have recently repatri-calibrated for use across allprotein. ated to India more than 600 the wheat growing regions ofEuroseeds launched a posi- wheat landraces which are Australia. tion paper presenting insightscurrently not in cultivation.Called YellowSpotWM,on how breeders can supportAs well as being a vital the decision support tool isimproving the quantity andcontribution which will feed one of a series developed tothe quality of the EU proteininto Indias future wheat assist growers with managingproduction. breeding efforts to mitigate key crop diseases. The toolIncreasing the domesticthe effects of climate change, was developed as part of aprotein production to reducethe return of seeds has cul-three-year $3.5 million GRDCdependency on imports,tural significance.and Department of Primaryincrease diversity in crop useHistorically, India had Industries and Regionaland lower carbon footprintcontributed a huge amount of Development (DPIRD) in needs the following frame- plant genetic resources to the Western Australia researchwork conditions: global agricultural research co-investment Disease EU administration andcommunity. The countrys epidemiology and manage- legislator to provide clearvaried geography, diverse ment tools for Australian graincommitment and steering toecosystems and rich agricul-growers. Members States and stake- tural heritage have developed holders this valuable internationalEU and Member States togermplasm resource.STATUS EU provide meaningful and long- Many accessions of Indian-Plants sourced protein is anterm incentives to stakeholders origin material, held globally, 76/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2021'