Background:

The synthesis of mineral nitrogen (N) and its application as a fertilizer was one of the main drivers of the green revolution allowing high crop yields. However, N fertilization has a strong impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. On the one hand, due to the large amounts of energy required for the production of fertilizer by the Haber-Bosch process, and on the other hand, because the nitrous oxide emissions emanating directly from the mineral nitrogen fertilizer have a climate impact many times greater than CO₂. In addition, an N balance surplus can lead to nitrate pollution of water bodies. Winter rapeseed can absorb high amounts of N from the soil in autumn, yet a relatively high N surplus is lost after the harvest. Breeding more N-efficient varieties is considered a promising way to reduce these problems.

Objectives:

The aim of the project NORA is to reduce the CO₂ footprint of winter rapeseed, while maintaining high yields, by improving its N use efficiency (NUE). Remote sensing will be used to describe traits responsible for a high N efficiency in a non-destructive manner. Using genomic data, the most important genetic factors will be identified to accelerate the selection of N-efficient winter rapeseed varieties.