Looking for Partners Unlocking the Genetic Vault: Greek Landraces for Climate-Resilient & Low-Input Agriculture

The Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources (IPB&GR), is part of ELGO-DIMITRA (Hellenic Agricultural Organization). The Greek Gene Bank acts as the guardian of the vast collection of crop plant genetic resources that have been intuitively selected over several generations to survive in the diverse and often harsh Mediterranean climate.

We are looking to join consortia as a Partner where we can exploit this natural variation to solve modern agricultural challenges.

What We Offer (Our Assets):

• Access to the Greek Gene Bank: We hold hundreds of landraces and wild relatives of cultivated crops (vegetables, cereals, legumes, industrial crops) with unique, untapped genetic traits according to the relevant agreements.

• Phenotyping & Evaluation: Expertise in evaluating landraces for agronomic performance, stress resilience (drought/heat), and nutritional quality under field and controlled conditions.

• Pre-Breeding Expertise: Identifying and isolating specific traits (e.g., pest resistance to reduce pesticide use) for incorporation into modern breeding programs.

• Mediterranean Pilot Sites: Ability to test genotypes in real-world Mediterranean environments (Thermi, Thessaloniki).

What We Are Looking For: We are looking for Coordinators or Consortia in Cluster 6 (Biodiversity, Farm2Fork, Climate Action) who need:

• validated genetic resources to test for climate adaptation.

• partners to conduct field trials in Southern Europe.

• expertise in agrobiodiversity conservation strategies (in-situ/ex-situ).

Target Topics (Horizon Europe 2026):

• Biodiversity: Conservation and valorization of crop wild relatives and landraces.

• Farm2Fork: New plant varieties for low-input farming (reduced water/fertilizer/pesticides).

• Climate Change: Crops resilient to heat stress and water scarcity.

Correspondence:

Dr. Efstathios Roumeliotis: stathisroumel@elgo.gr

Dr. Parthenopi Ralli: pralli@elgo.gr (Greek Gene Bank)