Innovative Organic Fruit Breeding and uses

Project Information

InnOBreed

Grant agreement ID: 101061028

DOI

10.3030/101061028

EC signature date 8 June 2022

Start date 1 July 2022

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 4 965 151,25

EU contribution

€ 4 790 326,00

Coordinated by

CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE DI ALTISTUDI AGRONOMICI MEDITERRANEI
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - InnOBreed (Innovative Organic Fruit Breeding and uses)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The project addresses structural challenges in the organic fruit breeding sector, including fragmented evaluation systems, limited genetic-resource coordination, and rising pressure from climate change and biotic stresses. Early analyses revealed gaps in technical, scientific, and regulatory frameworks, particularly concerning trait prioritisation, disease tolerance, and the need for harmonised methodologies. In response, the project aims to establish a comprehensive framework integrating technical, socio-economic, and governance dimensions to support innovation and improve breeding efficiency. Key objectives include developing shared evaluation protocols, strengthening stakeholder cooperation, enhancing high-throughput phenotyping capacities, and facilitating coordinated access to genetic resources. The initiative also seeks to create long-term structures—most notably a European network—to ensure continuity, collaboration, and improved knowledge exchange within the sector. Altogether, the project sets out to reinforce the capacity of organic fruit breeding to respond to present and future challenges by aligning scientific innovation with sectoral needs.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Significant progress was made across all work strands. An in-depth assessment of the organic fruit breeding landscape identified technical bottlenecks and informed the definition of priority traits for major crops through stakeholder engagement. These traits were evaluated under harmonised conditions, enabling the development of shared protocols and establishing the basis for coordinated phenotyping. High-throughput methods were piloted and validated: Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy demonstrated strong potential for non-destructive and cost-effective fruit-quality assessment, while digital disease-detection tools improved accuracy and reproducibility, particularly in the assessment of apple scab.
The project also advanced genetic-resource harmonisation by compiling a shared dataset of pome and stone-fruit materials based on standard descriptors. This collaboration led to the creation of the European Organic Fruit Tree Breeding Network (EURORGANIC FRUITBREEDNET) , designed to promote long-term cooperation and exchange. Socio-economic and governance dimensions were incorporated through the adaptation of the Social Innovation Assessment Tool, enabling monitoring of innovation processes and identification of enabling factors and obstacles. Sustainability and transferability assessments ensured that outputs are robust, applicable, and suitable for deployment across European regions.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project delivered several advances that exceed current practices in organic fruit breeding. Harmonised evaluation protocols, co-designed with stakeholders, overcome long-standing fragmentation by integrating agronomic, genetic, and socio-economic dimensions into a unified framework. High-throughput evaluation innovations, including validated NIR spectroscopy and automated digital disease-detection systems, introduce scalable, objective, and cost-efficient assessment methods rarely used in organic breeding contexts.
The creation of a harmonised dataset of genetic resources represents a major step forward, enabling cross-programme comparison and meta-analysis, which were previously hindered by inconsistent descriptors and limited data sharing. The establishment of EURORGANIC FRUITBREEDNET constitutes a significant structural innovation, providing a permanent European platform for coordinated breeding activities and knowledge exchange. Additionally, the integration of social-innovation assessment tools into technical work offers an advanced governance framework that supports more effective and inclusive innovation processes across the sector.

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