Participatory Maize Breeding in Portugal
The VASO project in Portugal has conducted participatory maize breeding for over 30 years using farmer selection and breeder selection. Through multiple cycles of selection, the 'Pigarro' population was improved for traits like yield and fasciation. Trials were conducted at several locations in Portugal and Iowa comparing farmer and breeder selection, finding some gains from farmer selection. Future work aims to incorporate more participatory elements from seed to consumption, studying quality, taste, and health impacts of genetic diversity. The project emphasizes multidisciplinary collaboration between farmers, breeders, and other institutions to improve maize adapted to local conditions.
4. The fasciation trait was found in 56% of the maize traditional landraces
collected in the Portuguese central region (Vaz Patto et al. 2007).
Fasciation describes the enlargement of the plant apex by unregulated
proliferative growth (Rédei 2008; Busch, Benfey 2010)
Quantitative trait that is responsible for increasing the number of rows,
ear diameters and number of kernels, which can be related with yield
14. VASO Project
“How to solve the problem of the
small Portuguese farmers where
the land is scarce and the high
demographic density exists”
i.e.
where the American model do not fit
and where the multinationals do
not have market to operate?
15. Need to study, conceptualize and implement
VASO started in
1984
16. The ABC of phenotypic recurrent selection
Two parental control mass
selection:
in the field
- before pollen shedding
- before harvesting
- at the storing facilities
24. • Deliver and registration
• Paredes cooperative (Farmers association)
Maize Ears
• Registration
• Number attributed to each ear
Ear deliver
• Ear and reception number
• Data registration and photos, taking 4 ears for
moisture and conservation in BPGV
• Ear Value Formula
• EV= (0.6 KW + 0.2 L + 0.15 R + 0.05 KN)/4
• Other data available only at the end of the
competition
• Breeder information
NUMI, Pt (ears
evaluation)
Best Ear of Sousa Valley
30. Since 2005 Nactional funding and since 2010
from European Union
PTDC/AGR-
ALI/099285/2008
«Exploiting antioxidants,
flavours and aromas
diversity on ‘broa’ bread
maize breeding»
POCTI/AGR/57994/2004
(01-02-2005) “Portuguese
maize bread quality: from
technological aspects to
controlling genes”.
FCT (PTDC/AGR-
AAM/70845/2006) (01-06-
2007) « Analysis of the
breeding potential of
fasciation traits in
Portuguese maize landraces
»
32. • Multilocation trials (CBD) selection of the best top 10 for
diallel based on:
- Agronomy
- Farmers perception
- Preliminary quality data (protein, viscosity, colour)
• Selection of populations by farmers (e.g. Amiúdo, Pigarro)
• Meeting with farmers, ESAC and ITQB teams, presentation
of the data. Field work perception
IPC - ESAC, Pt
Trials location
Farmers selectionEvaluation trials
42. Trials
Three locations in Portugal
RCBD, 3 reps
Coimbra
2005-08
Lousada
2005-07
Montemor-o-Velho
2005 and 2007-08
Iowa, USA
Locations
Calumet,
Kanawha, Ames
and Nashua
2005
50. Participatory elements, “Fork to Soil”
• Search taste in diversity
• Consumer pannels
• food processing practices
• compositional properties
on the end-use qualities
• Search what diversity
can bring to taste and
to health
56. Thank you very much!
FCT, SOLIBAM FP7
To farmers, and other institutions (APCC, EPAAD…) that
have been working with us since long time
To ESAC coleagues colaborators: Daniela Santos, Isabel
Dinis, Cristina Galhano, Cláudia Brites, Manuel Paulo,
Daniel Gaspar, Graciano Spencer, Soraia Ferrão, Rita
Vicente, Joana Laires, Ricardo Carvalho, Maria Otília
Mendes e João Vaz Patto
Coleagues and colaborators ITQB: Carlota Vaz Patto,
Rosário Bronze, Pedro Fevereiro, Mara Alves, Elsa
Mecha, Maria Belo, Ana Catarina Afonso, Marco Dinis,
Andreia Silva, Joana Antunes e Susana Leitão.
To ESAC students