Work package leader: Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR)

The aim of this work package is to improve the quantity and quality of plant protein from legumes and new high-quality crops from a nutritional and environmental point of view, through multi- disciplinary approach. The crop species included in the work package have been selected on the base of their potential as important food crops in the EU context and for their protein quality and quantity.

The tasks include:

• Identification of the adaptability and crop performance of different crops and their cultivars in three climatic regions of Europe through phenotyping and breeding of these crops on the basis of their protein quantity (legumes) and quality (amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat), yield stability and tolerance to abiotic stresses;
• Enhancement of phenotypic characterization through 3D imaging and analysis of internal structure of seeds;
• Achievement of a better understanding of the genetic mechanisms driving the protein synthesis and accumulation in the seed by using transcriptome analysis of selected target crops;
  Development of optimal cultivation strategies for the selected protein crops adapted to different European cropping systems;
• Improve productivity also on less productive farmland using sustainable best agronomic practices also in organic farming systems in cooperation with seed companies and farmers in the different European Countries

Deliverable 1.3: Protocols for 3D imaging and analysis of internal structure of
seeds for the enhancement of phenotypic characterization

Deliverable 1.4: Protein quality and quantity transcriptomes available for target crops for further use in developing SNPs

Deliverable 1.10: Agronomic interventions (best management practices) for
different European conditions, for each species defined