Oats

Varieties Bison, Troll and Lion were tested in Serbia, Switzerland and Germany, showing varied responses to stress and intercropping.

Bison delivered high yields in Serbia despite drought and formed strong pure stands in Germany and Switzerland. Intercropping with lupin lowered individual oat yields but could increase overall system productivity. Troll was less competitive, especially in Germany, although nitrogen fertilisation improved its yield; it performed better in Serbia and in mixtures in Switzerland, where it reached the highest protein content. Lion proved stable and resilient, responding well to nitrogen and intercropping and maintaining yield under heat in Serbia and Switzerland.

Selected for use: Bison and Lion for human consumption and feed due to high hectolitre weight, strong performance in mixtures and consistent grain quality.

Buckwheat

Varieties Devyatka, Drushina, La Harpe, Panda, Noiaj, Kora, Hajnalka, Golubica and Novosadska were tested under varying nitrogen levels and cropping systems.

Devyatka and Drushina combined high yields with early flowering, strong pollinator attraction and good response to moderate nitrogen, which also helped reduce lodging. La Harpe flowered later, produced taller plants and showed lower yield. Panda, Noiaj and Kora had lower yields overall. Hajnalka responded to extra nitrogen but still yielded relatively little. Golubica showed good lodging resistance, while Novosadska performed well at lower altitudes.

Selected for use: Devyatka, Drushina, Golubica and Novosadska as promising candidates for human consumption, especially in low-input and intercropping systems.

Faba bean

Varieties Curlew, Pantani and Augusta were tested in pure stands and in intercrops with triticale in Belgium, Germany and Spain.

Curlew had moderate plant height, stable yields and good compatibility with triticale. It was less frost-sensitive than Pantani but less robust than Augusta. Pantani was the shortest variety and was strongly limited by dry conditions, frost and waterlogging, resulting in the lowest yields in mixtures. Augusta produced more secondary stems and stable yields across sites, although wet conditions sometimes reduced germination; it also had notably small seeds.

Selected for use: Augusta and Curlew for feed and potentially food, based on stable yields and solid agronomic performance.

Hull-less barley

Varieties Goljiat, AF Cesar, Oak Ruby and Planet/S6 were tested in pure stands and in intercrops with peas and lentils.

Goljiat had the highest hectolitre weight but lower yields in mixtures and the lowest land equivalent ratio with lentils. AF Cesar combined high β-glucan content with strong hectolitre weight and outperformed Goljiat and Oak Ruby in intercrops. Oak Ruby had short, stiff straw and performed best in lentil intercrops, particularly in growth speed and maturity. Planet/S6 showed very strong tillering and achieved the highest barley yield and land equivalent ratio in intercrops, but its vigour reduced pea yield.

Selected for use: Goljiat for food (high hectolitre weight, disease resistance, bakery and flake potential) and Oak Ruby for food and feed thanks to consistent yield, robust architecture and intercrop adaptability.

Triticale

Varieties Brehat, LG Relampago, SU Casparus, Odisej and Bondadoso were tested in pure stands and intercrops with faba bean or pea.

Brehat and SU Casparus showed moderate plant height increases in response to nitrogen. LG Relampago was less responsive to nitrogen, making it suitable for low-input systems where climate conditions are favourable. In Spain, Bondadoso outyielded Odisej, with earlier maturity, higher plant density and vigorous growth, but with some risk of suppressing companion legumes. Odisej produced moderate yields with later maturity and more balanced growth, making it a better partner for legumes in Mediterranean climates.

Selected for use: Brehat for food and feed due to stable performance across sites and moderate lodging resistance.

Narrow-leaved lupin

Varieties Jupiter/Jowisz, Probor and Lunabor were tested in pure stands and intercrops with oats in Switzerland, Germany and Serbia.

Jupiter/Jowisz achieved moderate to high yields with good stability in pure stands and performed best when intercropped with Lion oats, but it was relatively sensitive to stress. Probor was more stable in dry years and paired well with the oat variety Troll. Lunabor was the top yielder and the most stress-tolerant across sites.

Selected for use: Jupiter/Jowisz for food and feed thanks to low alkaloid content, high protein and strong resistance to lodging and disease.

Triticale

Triticale offers strong breeding potential for improving rust resistance, feed quality and genetic diversity.

Experiments in four countries showed wide variation in yellow rust resistance among 282 genotypes, and genome-wide studies identified markers linked to rust resistance, plant height and heading date, with one marker explaining over 15% of the variation. Genetic analysis across 28 breeding programmes revealed high diversity and no clustering by breeder, encouraging collaboration. Silage trials in 40 winter genotypes showed clear differences in fermentation quality and digestibility, supporting breeding for improved forage use alongside grain traits.

Narrow-leaved lupin

Lupin has strong breeding potential around alkaloid content, genetic diversity and tolerance to climatic stress.

Analyses of 122 genotypes revealed substantial variation in bitter alkaloid levels, clearly separating sweet and bitter types. The panel also included accessions with known resilience to major pathogens, providing a basis for future association studies. Genome-wide genotyping with 18,049 SNP markers showed clear population structure, with cultivated and wild material forming several subpopulations. This diversity, and the presence of contrasting genotypes, supports breeding for drought and heat tolerance, key targets for sustainable lupin cultivation.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat breeding has been constrained by limited knowledge of genetic diversity and climate-stress responses, but CROPDIVA filled important gaps.

Genetic analysis of 170 diverse types uncovered substantial variation clustered into three main families, with some overlap due to natural cross-pollination. Drought and heat experiments identified types with more stable flowering and better climate resilience. These climate-resilient types provide a strong starting point for adaptation to future weather patterns and more reliable performance under stress.

Hull-less barley

Key breeding challenges in hull-less barley include lower yield, threshing problems and the need for higher β-glucan content.

Around 300 genebank accessions were evaluated in Serbia, Switzerland and the UK, revealing strong genetic diversity. A multi-trait index combining yield, β-glucan, hullability, lodging and disease resistance identified the top 10% of lines, with strong performers originating from India and Nepal. Hullability showed the highest heritability, marking it as a key improvement target. Recent genetic studies identified markers linked to β-glucan and hullability, opening the door to marker-assisted selection.

Oats

Oats face challenges in cold tolerance, drought resilience and evolving quality demands, but show strong genetic and agronomic potential.

CROPDIVA tested 250 varieties across five European sites under autumn and spring sowing. Autumn sowing generally increased yield by up to 25%, improved grain quality and advanced maturity, although winter survival varied by genotype. Genome-wide association studies identified markers linked to winter hardiness, early flowering, fat content and powdery mildew resistance, including known and new regions such as the Pm13 gene. Nutritional traits like β-glucan and groat percentage were higher in autumn crops, supporting selection for dual agronomic and nutritional value.

Faba bean

Faba bean improvement targets intercropping performance, agronomic stability and climate adaptation, alongside quality traits.

Multi-site experiments showed that environment had a stronger impact on performance than variety or cropping system, underlining the need for local testing. Traits such as plant height and maturity varied widely across locations and mixtures, complicating prediction from pure-stand data. Anti-nutritional compounds like vicine and convicine remain key constraints, and reducing their levels is a priority for future food and feed use.