Climate change threatens global food security by disrupting crop production through unpredictable weather patterns, declining yields and increased vulnerability to stresses such as pests and diseases and others like drought, extreme temperatures and soil problems. The limited availability of climate-resilient and nutritionally diverse crop varieties restricts the ability of food systems to adapt to these changes and provide sustainable, nutritious diets for growing populations.??

Vegetatively propagated crops include annuals like potato, which complete their life cycle within a single growing season and perennials such as cassava and taro (often cultivated as annuals), which produce for multiple years, as well as citrus and avocado, which are especially vulnerable due to their genetic uniformity. This lack of diversity makes them more susceptible to disease outbreaks and environmental stress, highlighting the urgent need for targeted crop improvement strategies.?

The new coordinated research project (CRP),?Building Resilience to Climate Change: Enhancing Biodiversity in Annual and Perennial Crops with Nuclear Innovations, will develop and optimize nuclear and related techniques to support the improvement of these crops.??

The CRP will focus on:??

• Inducing genetic diversity through nuclear-based mutation techniques.??

• Establishing effective micropropagation methods.?

• Applying rapid generation advance strategies to shorten breeding cycles.?

• Using advanced phenotyping tools to identify superior mutant lines with enhanced stress tolerance and nutritional traits.??

Induced mutation breeding has long been a valuable tool for crop improvement. Although widely used in seed-grown crops, its application in vegetatively propagated crops—plants that reproduce through cuttings or other plant parts—remains limited because they require advanced laboratory techniques to produce new plants. This CRP will explore the use of in vitro cultured clones for mutation breeding to broaden the genetic diversity of crops such as cassava, taro, citrus and avocado.?

Rapid generation advance (RGA) offers new strategies to speed up breeding by promoting early and synchronized flowering in crops with low or irregular reproductive cycles. In taro and cassava, where flowering is often inconsistent, combining RGA with induced genetic variation helps develop diverse plant populations and facilitates trait evaluation.??

In citrus and avocado, long juvenile periods and asynchronous flowering limit breeding efficiency. Avocado also faces mismatched male and female flowering phases, posing challenges for both breeding and fruit production.??

RGA addresses these challenges with physiological interventions such as modified lighting, temperature control and induced genetic variation which can significantly shorten breeding cycles—enabling the faster development of improved, climate-resilient and high-yielding crop varieties.?

Nutritional profiling is another essential component of the research project. Vegetatively propagated crops play a key role in dietary diversity, but their nutritional value varies widely. Improving their quality requires rapid screening of nutrients and antinutrients. Technologies such as near-infrared spectroscopy and other spectroscopy methods allow for rapid, non-destructive, high-throughput phenotyping in breeding programmes, once adequate calibrations are developed.?

To screen for stress tolerance, rapid, reliable and affordable evaluation methods are essential. The CRP aims to use imaging-based methods to identify outstanding lines and determine their performance under stress conditions such as drought or salinity.

• Cassava, a hardy crop well-suited to poor soils and low-input farming, is a crucial source of carbohydrates in many tropical countries, where it is vital for food security. Its adaptability to climate stress, including drought, makes it an ideal crop for smallholder farmers in regions facing climate challenges. Enhancing its nutritional quality, such as reducing cyanogenic glycosides and boosting carotenoids, could significantly improve food security.?

• Taro, grown by resource-poor farmers and valued for its nutritional qualities, is limited in broader adoption due to the presence of calcium oxalate irritants. With climate change affecting rainfall patterns and pests, improving taro’s resilience to these stressors is critical, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is a staple food. Limited research funding and inadequate breeding facilities in many taro-growing regions result in a limited number of improved varieties.?

• Citrus, including oranges, mandarins and lemons, contributes significantly to food systems and economies. However, citrus breeding faces challenges due to complex genetics, pollination inefficiencies and susceptibility to pests and diseases. Developing improved rootstocks and varieties that are more resilient to environmental stressors would ensure sustainability.?

• Avocado is highly sensitive to water and salinity stresses. Breeding is challenged by long regeneration periods, low pollination efficiency and complex flowering behaviour. Developing improved screening methods and genetic diversity will increase avocado yields, enhance fruit quality and contribute to a diverse diet.?

This CRP aims to develop technologies that enhance the diversity of local varieties of both annual and perennial VPCs by making them more nutritious and more adapted to climate-related challenges.?

The specific research objectives are to:

1. Establish and optimise protocols for micropropagation and mutation induction in target crops.?

2. Develop protocols for rapid generation advance.?

3. Establish and optimise rapid and easy-to-apply protocols to screen for adaptation to certain stresses (drought, salinity).?

4. Develop and optimise protocols for screening quality traits (nutritional/antinutritional, cooking, health promoting).?

Up to 15 technical and research contracts will be awarded, with a minimum of two contracts per specific research objective. Research institutes with demonstrated expertise in targeted technologies or active breeding programmes in relevant crops are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to proposals addressing multiple objectives.?

The IAEA will provide coordination and technical oversight.?

Research institutions interested in joining the CRP must submit their Proposal for Research Contract or Agreement via email, no later than 15 September 2025, to the IAEA’s Research Contracts Administration Section, using the appropriate template on the CRA web site.??

The IAEA is committed to gender equality and to promoting a diverse workforce. Applications from qualified women and candidates from developing countries are strongly encouraged. For further information related to this CRP, potential applicants should use the contact form on the CRP page.?