Aegilops tauschii at John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK. Photo: N. Capozio

Chair

Albrecht Serfling
albrecht.serfling@julius-kuehn.de
Confirmed as Chair for Phase X in March 2020 with starting date June 2020

View CV (446,1 KB)

Working Group actvities and related events

June 2023
The BiDifferent mid-term meeting was held from 29-30 June 2023 in Clermont-Ferrand, France [more info].

December 2022
The project on 'Inventorying wheat on-farm diversity (INWHEATORY)' – submitted by the On-farm Conservation and Management, and the Wheat Working Groups for funding under the Sixth Call of the Phase X ECPGR Activity Grant Scheme –  was selected by the Executive Committee. [more info]

July 2022
The BiDifferent kick-off meeting took place in Innsbruck from 14-15 July 2022. Read more

May 2020
Launch of the European project AGENT (“Activated GEnebank NeTwork “)
Kick-off meeting, 18 May 2020

Extract of Press release available on the AGENT project website
Large international consortium aims to improve the management of plant genetic resources through unified standards and a global gene bank network
The new EU research project AGENT aims to unlock the full potential of the biological material stored in gene banks around the globe by introducing a new international standard and an open digital infrastructure for the management of plant genetic resources. Targeting a better integration of existing genetic material into modern breeding programmes, the project will make an important contribution to global food security and the adaption of staple food crops to changing climatic conditions worldwide. The AGENT project’s objectives will be exemplified using barley and wheat, but the generated data management processes could be applied to other crop collections in the future. Over the next five years, the 19 project partners will receive EUR 7 million funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 framework programme. 
[more] 

May 2020 
European Evaluation Networks (EVA) – Wheat and Barley Network. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting of the EVA Wheat and Barley Project, originally planned for 5-6 May 2020 in Gatersleben, Germany, was replaced by a full day virtual meeting on 5 May 2020 [more info]

January 2020
Following up on the training workshop, an overview of the characteristics of the different Triticum species studied during the workshop was prepared by Emmanuelle Escarnot and Noor Bas, and validated by Michiel van Slageren. This overview is available here.

September 2019
The workshop “Training on identification of botanical varieties in Triticum species” was  held 17-19 September 2019 at the Research Institute of Plant Production, National Agricultural and Food Centre in Piešťany, Slovakia. [more info]

September 2018
European project ECOBREED: Increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of organic crop breeding
ECOBREED will improve the availability of seed and varieties suitable for organic and low-input production. Activities will focus on four crop species, selected for their potential contribution to increase competitiveness of the organic sector: buckwheat, wheat, potato and soybean.
The project will develop (a) methods, strategies and infrastructures for organic breeding, (b) varieties with improved stress resistance, resource use efficiency and quality and (c) improved methods for the production of high quality organic seed. [more]

May 2018
The project "Training on identification of botanical varieties in Triticum species", submitted by the Wheat Working Group for funding under the Sixth Call of the ECPGR Activity Grant Scheme, was selected by the Executive Committee and approved in May 2018.  [more info]

April 2018
Identification and updating data of eligible AEGIS accessions in both wheat and rye species (TRISECA): the final Activity Report and related data are now available online [here]

October 2017
Announcement  –  Breeding cereals for sustainable agriculture (EUCARPIA cereal section meeting and 2nd International Wheat Innovation Workshop, March 2018, Clermont-Ferrand, France)

October 2017
The meeting of the TRISECA Activity Partners, organized in collaboration with the Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute (IHAR), took place 3-4 October 2017 in Radzików, Poland [more info]

May 2016
The project on "Identification and updating data of eligible AEGIS accessions in both wheat and rye species (TRIticum and SECale in AEGIS = TRISECA)", submitted by the Wheat Working Group for funding under the ECPGR Activity Grant Scheme, was selected by the Executive Committee. [more info]

February 2016

  • "Triticum in AEGIS: Identification and Documentation (TRAID)"
    The final Activity Report and related data are now available online [here]
  • Meeting of a Wheat Initiative Expert Working Group, 2-3 February 2016, ICARDA, Rabat
    Created in 2011 following endorsement from the G20 Agriculture Ministries, the Wheat Initiative provides a framework to establish strategic research and organisation priorities for wheat research at the international level in both developed and developing countries.  François Balfourier, Chair of the ECPGR Wheat WG, was nominated as member of the Steering Committee of the “Global Wheat Germplasm Conservation and Use Community Expert Working Group” of the Wheat Initiative. He attended the Expert Working Group meeting where he gave a presentation on ECPGR and AEGIS and their wheat-related activities.

January 2016
The Wheat Working Group agreed on their crop-specific standards for orthodox seeds (see here)

September 2015
The meeting of the project "Triticum in AEGIS: Identification and Documentation: TRAID" took place 15-17 September 2015 in Tallinn, Estonia. [more info]

December 2014
The project on "Identification and update C&E data of AEGIS Triticum sp. Accessions (Triticum in AEGIS: Identification and Documentation: TRAID)", submitted by the Wheat Working Group for funding under the ECPGR Activity Grant Scheme, was selected by the Executive Committee.

2013
The AEGIS supported project ‘Improving the prerequisites for a European rye collection’ has been concluded. Based on a survey and a workshop that involved the main rye collection holders in Europe, the project produced a draft of rye germplasm conservation procedures, a draft descriptor list for cultivated rye and a provisional list of Secale candidate European Accessions [more info]

Previous years  [link to ECPGR archive]

Working Group operative documents

Activities carried out in Europe on genebank material

Data provided by our members and partners 

Background information

Following an ECPGRad hoc meeting on wheat held in Paris, France, in May 1996, the ECPGR Working Group on Wheat was officially established by the ECPGR Steering Committee in July 1998. The Working Group met for the first time in Prague, Czech Republic, November 2001. The second meeting took place in September 2005 in La Rochelle, France.