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GINOP_PLUSZ-2.1.1-21-2022-00150 Genomics-based selection and hybrid development in sorghum |
Project ID and title: GINOP_PLUSZ-2.1.1-21-2022-00150 – Genomics-based selection and hybrid development in sorghum
Name of beneficiary: ALFASEED Kft.
Brief description of the project:
Alfaseed Kft., based in Karcag, began to focus systematically on sorghum breeding in the 2010s. After 2010, the company gained recognition not only in Hungary but also across Europe, primarily thanks to its Sudan grass and silage sorghum hybrids. Owing to the development of the sorghum breeding programme, the results achieved and the exploitation of the opportunities offered by complex genetic knowledge and molecular genetic tools, the company has had the opportunity to catch up with the forefront of plant breeding. To achieve this goal, the company submitted a grant application, under which it became eligible for a non-refundable grant with a contracted amount of HUF 274.53 million, co-financed by the European Union. Aid intensity: 68.24%. The project is being implemented under the Széchenyi Plan Plus programme.
The project involves industrial research, as a result of which the breeder, equipped with precise knowledge, will be able to select breeding materials and crossing partners in a targeted manner and fix the desired traits in the lines; moreover, it is the knowledge of how traits are inherited that makes breeding extremely efficient. Alongside industrial research, experimental development is carried out, and new equipment leading to technological development is also being procured. The plant breeding chamber (speed breeding chamber) will serve the breeding programme as a dependable tool. The breeding chamber makes it possible to integrate RGA (Rapid Generation Advancement) into the breeding programme's toolkit, which can significantly speed up the homogenisation of individual lines: 3.5 generations can be grown under controlled conditions within a 365-day cycle, so a test line can be developed in as little as 2 years.
The goal of Alfaseed Kft. is for its bred materials to be worthy rivals, in terms of quality and yield potential, to the sorghum hybrids and varieties bred both within and outside Europe. In fact, Alfaseed Kft. believes in European cooperation and partnership, in which it can take pride in Hungarian achievements that help improve the continent's competitiveness.
Actual project completion date: 17 March 2025
Contracted grant amount: HUF 274,527,343
Amount of EU support: HUF 241,584,060
Project GINOP_PLUSZ-2.1.1-21-2022-00150 was implemented with co-financing from the European Union.
The Project was implemented with the support of the European Union and co-financing from the Hungarian State.
Project location: 5300 Karcag, Kunhegyesi út 12.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Monori István, Head of Operations
mobile: 06/70-248-4043
email: monori.istvan@alfaseed.hu