860 - Sustainable low-input cereal production : required varietal characteristics and crop diversity

The main objective was to establish methods for selecting varieties, lines and populations, and to develop ways to increase and make use of crop diversity and genotype-environment interactions to ensure stable and acceptable yields of good-quality crops for low-input, especially organic cereal production in Europe. There was an increasing demand throughout Europe for sustainable crop production characterised by reduced inputs of pesticides and synthetic fertilisers (low-input cropping systems) and increased agricultural biodiversity.