We are pleased to announce the completion of Version 1 of the genotyping array developed under Task 4.1. The array comprises 15,566 SNP markers for pea (Pisum sativum), 15,582 for faba bean (Vicia faba), 11,009 for white lupin (Lupinus albus), and 10,580 markers each for lentil (Lens culinaris) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum).
Comprehensive marker information—including context sequences, positions mapped to the latest genome assemblies, and associations with identified QTLs—is accessible to BELIS consortium members via the project SharePoint.
INRAE and GEVES are currently conducting validation experiments using diversity panels representing all five species, assembled in collaboration with consortium partners. Results from these initial validation studies will be disseminated shortly. A dedicated training session covering array utilization and data analysis protocols will be scheduled following the release of validation results.
Researchers planning to utilise this genotyping tool in the near term are encouraged to contact BELIS coordination team.
The BELIS project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement N°101081878.
On the occasion of the World Pulses Day, we interviewed BELIS Project Coordinator Bernadette Julier, Research Director at the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE). Her work focuses on the genetics of forage legumes, particularly lucerne (alfalfa), with the goal of improving agricultural sustainability through protein autonomy, increased nitrogen fixation, and reduced pesticide use.
Why are legumes so important for sustainable agriculture and our food systems, and what inspired the creation of the BELIS project?
Legumes are unique for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and to transform it into protein. They also enrich soils in nitrate, making it available for other crops, either associated with legumes or in rotations. In addition, plant proteins are valuable in human diets for their positive health impacts, and also for animal feeding. Unfortunately, legume crops in European agriculture are not predominant enough to provide these benefits on a broad scale and therefore the EU is importing proteins from abroad for animal feed and human food. Farmers often complain that legume cropping is not as profitable as grain crops, and even for forage production, they often find it easier to add nitrogen fertilisers to grasslands than to grow legume-rich grasslands. BELIS aims to accelerate legume breeding in order to provide improved, profitable, and well adapted legume varieties for farmers.
What are the main breeding priorities BELIS is addressing to make legumes more competitive and attractive for European farmers, both as grain crops and forage?
Yield, quality, disease and pest resistance, adaptation to frost and drought are recurrent breeding objectives for the main legume crops, but more genetic progress is still required. These same traits are also important for minor legume crops that offer specific adaptation features to climate, soil or use. In addition, studies are being conducted in BELIS on new quality traits, and resistance to emerging pathogens and pests.
How is BELIS integrating modern breeding techniques with traditional approaches to accelerate the development of new legume varieties? Are there any particularly promising innovations emerging from the project?
Molecular breeding has proven efficiency in many plants and animals but is still under-used in legumes. Development of molecular tools, identification of trait-associated markers, and ability to predict traits from sets of markers through genomic selection are emerging innovations. Phenotyping tools are also useful to better describe trait variation in large collections of genotypes. Cooperation between researchers and breeders is promising to release genetic innovations. BELIS is tackling this objective, with experimental breeding schemes as proof of concept to show that genetic progress can be much improved when combining the best tools for phenotyping and genotyping in breeding processes.
As we celebrate World Pulses Day, what message would you like to share about the future of legumes in our diets and on our farms?
The positive impacts of legumes in the “One Health” objective have to be understood by society and shared. Legumes are an excellent, tasty and healthy food. They are an excellent feed —either as grain or forage— for dairy cows, pigs, poultry, and others. Legumes are also an excellent source of reactive nitrogen in the field, that save fossil energy otherwise used to produce chemical nitrogen fertilisers, and thus limit nitrogen pollution in water and air.
World Pulses Day 2026 will be celebrated globally on 10 February, marking the annual United Nations observance that promotes the nutritional, environmental, and sustainable farming benefits of pulses like beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas, highlighting their role in food security and healthier agrifood systems
The BELIS project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement N°101081878.
Annual clovers (Trifoliumsp.) include a wide number of species used either as forage crops (sown in spring or in autumn) or as cover crops (sown in summer or autumn). Recent regulations requiring soil coverage between the harvest time of a cash crop and the sowing time of the next crop (autumn or spring), are encouraging the use of cover crops, which provide ecosystem services such as nitrogen sequestration or fixation and soil conservation. When annual clovers are used, the biomass obtained before the next cash crop sowing can be harvested as forage or left in the field as green manure. In both cases, the biochemical composition of the biomass affects its value. The biochemical composition of annual clovers is poorly described, and any breeding programme that aims at increasing the nutritional value of annual clovers requires NIRS equations. After having tested that lucerne or red clover equations were not correctly predicting annual clovers, INRAE developed new equations to predict biochemical composition of annual clovers.
About 220 samples of annual clovers (T. incarnatum, T. michalianum, T. resupinatum, T. squarrosum, T. subterraneum, T. vesiculosum) were collected at two sites, with a total of three trials sown in either spring or autumn, with different harvest dates in spring, summer or autumn. Samples were dried and ground to pass a 1 mm sieve and NIRS spectra were collected on a Brucker instrument with three repetitions. NDF, ADF and protein contents, as well as digestibility were measured on the samples with two repetitions. A subset of 193 samples was used to develop specific NIRS equations that were used to predict a test set consisting of the remaining 34 samples. The predictions were compared with the measurements.
With the newly developed equations based on annual clovers, R² was 0.96 for NDF content, 0.89 for ADF content and 0.98 for protein content, and the bias were close to 0. More samples, covering a wide range of sites, seasons and stages, will progressively enrich the equations. This offers the prospect of developing NIRS equations to predict the biochemical composition of annual clovers for use in breeding programmes and variety evaluation.
Comparison of biochemical composition contents (% of dry matter) measured in the lab and predicted by an annual clover equation
The BELIS project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement N°101081878.
Representatives from the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, participated in the XII Symposium with international participation «Innovations in Field and Vegetable Crop Production», held in Belgrade (Serbia) on 23 and 24 October 2025 under the auspices of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia. The event provided an important platform for showcasing cutting-edge research and fostering collaboration among scientists working on agricultural innovation.
Showcasing BELIS Achievements
During the symposium, Dr. Ana Uhlarik and Marjana Vasiljević presented two posters highlighting key activities performed within the BELIS project. The first poster, «Contribution to Legume Breeding: Tools Used in BELIS Project,» focused on the advanced methodologies and innovative approaches being developed under Work Package 3. The second poster, «Improved VCU Evaluation for Registration of Legume Varieties in Europe,» showcased the project’s work under Work Package 6 to optimise ‘Value for Cultivation and Use’ protocols and evaluation processes across Europe.
These presentations underscored the project’s ongoing commitment to advancing legume breeding through the development of cost-effective tools and the improvement of regulatory frameworks. By enhancing VCU evaluation procedures, BELIS is working to streamline the registration process for new legume varieties, making it easier for innovative breeding outcomes to reach farmers and contribute to more sustainable agricultural systems throughout Europe.
The symposium offered an excellent opportunity for the BELIS team to engage with the broader research community, exchange knowledge with fellow scientists, and strengthen collaborative networks that support the project’s mission of building a robust foundation for legume breeding across the continent.
The BELIS project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement N°101081878.
The national Serbian TV show «Nauka privredi (Science to Business)» recently dedicated an entire 20-minute episode to BELIS, airing in October on RTS. Four speakers from the IFVCNS team share insights into how BELIS is transforming legume breeding through research, innovation, and cross-European collaboration.
Watch the full feature and hear directly from the researchers driving advances in sustainable agriculture:
Discover how BELIS is connecting science and business to boost food security, biodiversity, and farmer livelihoods across Europe.
The BELIS project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement N°101081878.
Researchers at INRAE (IGEPP, France) are conducting a controlled environment study to assess pea resistance to Aphanomyces euteiches, a pathogen causing devastating root rot in legume crops.
The team is evaluating a MAGIC (Multiparent Advanced Generation Intercross) population comprising 1,800 pea lines. Initial screening of 300 lines has been completed using a rapid disease assay that measures root symptoms in 14-day-old plants, seven days post-inoculation. The results reveal promising variability in intrinsic resistance, with some lines showing high levels of disease resistance.
This population will be genotyped using the multi-species array developed in BELIS WP4. The genetic data will enable genomic prediction and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify resistance genes and accelerate breeding efforts. This approach will support the development of pea varieties combining improved resistance to Aphanomyces root rot with enhanced agronomic performance and technological traits.
Contact: Clément Lavaud, Research Scientist, INRAE
The BELIS project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement N°101081878.
Over the past five months, a team from the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences in Germany (FH-SWF) has conducted an extensive Delphi study with 20 legume breeders involved in the BELIS project. The aim of the study was to gain a better understanding of what information is needed throughout the value chain to make the breeding of forage and grain legumes more demand-driven, and which stakeholder groups play a key role in this. The background to this is the assumption that the demand-led breeding approach, meaning the systematic alignment of breeding goals with the requirements of various stakeholder groups beyond agriculture along the feed and food value chains, may represent a promising alternative governance structure for financing legume breeding.
Across several rounds of surveys and through repeated feedback, the answers become increasingly accurate over time. In terms of content, the study focused on two questions: (1) How does the breeding industry itself assess the potential of demand-led breeding? (2) Which groups of stakeholders, e.g. feed manufacturers, food processors or end consumers, etc., must be involved to obtain the information that is most important for the orientation of future breeding programmes?
Following completion of the third and final survey wave, FH-SWF is now analysing the data collected. On this basis, recommendations for action will be derived for governance models and information flows in legume value chains. In addition, based on expert opinions, a follow-up Europe-wide survey of plant breeding customers will be planned and conducted.
The BELIS project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement N°101081878.
The BELIS project was represented at the 4th International and 16th National Congress of the Serbian Society of Soil Science, held under the theme «The Soil Re-Union: Science for Healthy Soils». Marjana Vasiljević from the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS) presented the project through an engaging booth presentation, joining 14 other soil science initiatives in showcasing cutting-edge research and innovation.
Fostering connections across disciplines
The Soil Re-Union provided an exceptional platform for networking and knowledge exchange, bringing together researchers from diverse regions and disciplines united by a common goal: promoting healthy soils. The event facilitated meaningful connections, the exchange of innovative ideas, and the exploration of potential synergies within the research community—perfectly aligned with BELIS’s collaborative spirit.
BELIS: Breeding European legumes for increased sustainability
During the congress, the BELIS project’s mission and achievements were highlighted, emphasising the critical role legumes play in sustainable agriculture. Both grain and forage legumes provide essential proteins for human and animal consumption while offering significant environmental benefits, particularly through symbiotic nitrogen fixation.
Addressing Europe’s legume gap
Despite their potential, legume cultivation in Europe has remained limited due to insufficient high-yielding and resilient varieties, leading to heavy reliance on imports of both legume grains and nitrogen fertilizers. BELIS is working to bridge this gap through advanced breeding methodologies and strong collaboration among research and industry stakeholders.
Project highlights
The project focuses on an impressive diversity of legume species, encompassing seven forage crops (lucerne, red clover, white clover, annual clovers, sainfoin, birdsfoot trefoil, and vetches) and seven grain crops (pea, faba bean, soybean, white lupin, lentil, chickpea, and common bean). This selection represents a major part of the diversity of legume species cultivated across Europe.
The project’s key objectives center on developing cost-effective breeding tools, improving the economic and regulatory environment for legume breeding, and ensuring efficient innovation transfer through collaborative public-private partnership platforms.
Launched in October 2023 under the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, BELIS brings together a consortium of 34 partners from 18 countries. Coordinated by INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement), the partnership includes research institutes, plant breeders, seed companies, registration offices, and advisory services.
IFVCNS’s contribution
The Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS), as a National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, plays an active role in the BELIS project. The institute’s contributions span multiple areas, including developing advanced breeding tools and approaches, creating protocols for abiotic stress tolerance, and conducting phenotypic and molecular breeding proofs of concept. Additionally, IFVCNS is working on improving VCU (Value for Cultivation and Use) tests and protocols, while contributing to variety recommendations at the EU level for various legume crops.
The presentation at The Soil Re-Union underscored the vital connection between healthy soils and sustainable legume production, reinforcing BELIS’s commitment to building a robust foundation for the legume breeding community across Europe. Through continued collaboration and innovation, the project is paving the way for a more sustainable and self-sufficient European agricultural system.
The BELIS project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement N°101081878.
The Fifth International Legume Society Conference will take place from 8 to 12 June 2026, in the city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Following the successful conferences in Novi Sad (2013), Tróia (2016), Poznań (2019), and Granada (2023), this conference will be organised by the International Legume Society in cooperation with the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture.
A premier gathering for legume science
The ILS5 Conference will provide an opportunity to share the latest advances and innovations in the field of legumes, learn about the latest industry offerings, and network with colleagues and experts from around the world. The scientific sessions will be rich and diverse, including presentations by international legume experts in breeding and genomics, high throughput phenotyping, cropping systems, biotic and abiotic stress resistances, health and nutrition, pulse crop value chains, and more.
The conference offers an excellent opportunity to explore the exciting world of legumes in Dubrovnik, one of the most famous destinations in the Mediterranean, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in recognition of its outstanding mediaeval architecture and fortified old town.
Satellite meeting: 10th International Legume Root Diseases Workshop
The 10th International Legume Root Diseases (ILRD10) workshop will be held as a satellite meeting of the ILS5 on 8 June 2026 in Dubrovnik, following the successful ILRD9 workshop in Granada, Spain in 2023. The meeting will be organised by INRAE French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, in cooperation with the University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture.
Root diseases are economically important in legumes, affecting large areas of crop production in many countries worldwide. Root rots, caused by Aphanomyces euteiches, Rhizoctonia solani, and Fusarium species, and wilts caused by several formae speciales of Fusarium oxysporum, Pythium and Phytophthora species are the most destructive soil-borne diseases of cultivated legumes such as pea, chickpea, lentil, soybean, bean, faba bean, lupin and alfalfa.
The objectives of the workshop will be to report recent advances of science on root diseases of legumes and gather the research community to stimulate networking. The scientific program will include presentations covering various disciplines and research areas in survey, occurrence and epidemiology, pathogen biology, population genetics and genomics, plant-pathogen and pathogen-soil microorganism interactions, plant genetics, genomics and breeding for resistance, and integrated disease management.
The International Legume Root Disease workshops were launched in 2002 in Rennes, France, by the initiative of scientists and professionals from France and the USA. They aim to promote the international dissemination and discussion of the most recent research results and achievements of the science on legume root diseases. Their objective is to support communication and collaboration in the scientific community and help researchers, breeders, extension services and sector stakeholders with the identification of research gaps, priorities and applications.
This event represents an exceptional opportunity to advance legume science and forge lasting connections within the global research community.
The BELIS project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement N°101081878.
The BELIS project held its second annual meeting from 9 to 11 September at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVC) in Novi Sad, Serbia. The event brought together 65 participants from project teams to discuss achievements, plan upcoming activities, and explore key pathways for improvement and innovation in European legume breeding.
Launched in October 2023, BELIS aims to develop cost-effective breeding tools, improve the economic and regulatory environment for legume breeding, and ensure an efficient innovation transfer through public-private partnership efforts. The project consortium comprises 34 partners from 18 countries, including research institutes, plant breeders, seed companies, registration offices and advisory services.
Preliminary Results
BELIS is at the forefront of integrating cutting-edge technologies into legume breeding to optimise genetic progress and develop new varieties. At this annual meeting, participants presented and discussed significant preliminary results in phenotyping and genotyping. Key highlights included KASP (Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR) outcomes in chickpea—a simplified methodology for genotyping polymorphisms at specific markers—new lab and field protocols for measuring disease, pest and quality traits, and innovative use of drone imagery for phenotyping forage legumes in breeding trials. The consortium is making progress on the multi-species genotyping tool that will be ready next year and will be used for diversity studies, material characterisation and genomic selection. This tool will fill a long-standing gap on legume molecular genetic studies and breeding. Beyond breeding innovations, BELIS is committed to ensuring that genetic progress in legumes reaches farmers effectively. The project tests innovations and ideas to provide farmers with actionable insights about seed Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU). This includes adapting the criteria used for official variety testing systems, designing multi-country official tests, as well as developing a GIS supported model for predicting alfalfa varieties suitability under the diversity of European agroclimatological contexts. During the meeting, researchers presented comparative analyses of VCU protocols across countries and showcased lucerne VCU trials conducted through a network spanning eight locations in Serbia, Italy, and France.
To better understand the organisation of seed value chain, a series of case studies were concluded at national scales in pea, faba bean, chickpea, soya and white lupin. The next step will be to ascertain the value of breeding for the users and propose ways for developing breeding programmes more tailored to their needs.
The BELIS Network
This collaborative approach underscores BELIS’s emphasis on the importance of partnership and knowledge exchange in advancing legume breeding. The project is establishing a comprehensive network that brings together public and private breeders, researchers, extension services, registration offices, and the seed, food, and feed industries. This network aims to facilitate business collaborations, deliver technical training, and advocate for supportive policies that strengthen legume breeding activities across Europe. During the following months, transfer activities as webinars and dissemination materials will be delivered and announced to network members.
