Both Europe and China have a low level of protein autonomy. They import 30% and 60%, respectively, of the world plant protein production for both human and animal nutrition. However, in both continents, regions with appropriate agro-ecological conditions for the production of plant proteins exist. The project EUCLEG, recently granted by the H2020 programme of European Union, has the ambition to give a new momentum to forage legume (alfalfa and red clover) and grain legume (pea, faba bean and soybean) breeding. The scientific objectives of this project are (i) to broaden the genetic base of legume crops, (ii) to analyse the genetic diversity of European and Chinese legume accessions using phenotypic traits (yield, quality in a context of climate change) and molecular markers, (iii) to analyse the genetic architecture of key breeding traits using association genetics (GWAS) and (iv) to evaluate the benefits brought by genomic selection (GS) to create new legume varieties. Comprehensive searchable databases containing passport data, as well as agronomic and genetic features will be developed. The breeders that are members of EUCLEG will exploit the results to create the new varieties needed to improve protein production.

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is a highly adaptable species, with a wide geographic distribution. At the genetic level, wild ecotypes possess high variability, which enables them to adapt rapidly to diverse environments. This variation can be identified, via molecular techniques, and used to determine the differences between populations that may otherwise be indistinguishable. The results presented here are part of a wider study undertaken with a view to assess the available genetic diversity and use it to facilitate future introgression of useful traits into red clover breeding populations.