Thus, in the proposed project, novel approaches in the field of biotechnology and plant breeding, biodiversity research, and data analysis will be applied to tackle complex environmental research challenges. In the field of plant breeding, one conventional and one novel line of sunflower will be used. Biodiversity research will comprise conventional sampling and morphology-based species identification, in comparison to novel pollinator diversity assessment using camera traps, Al, and eDNA metabarcoding. Data generated will follow a findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) standard. By addressing the interdependent topics of promotion of arthropods, plants, and ecosystem integrity (i.e., by assessing arthropod biodiversity for different sunflower lines and a reference meadow) as well as human wellbeing (i.e., optimal crop selection in times of global change), the project follows the One Health approach. The activities carried out in the project will not constitute, directly or indirectly, a significant harm to any of the six environmental objectives of the EU Taxonomy Regulation.
The project BioTechAPS will feed into at least two interdisciplinary Horizon Europe projects running at CUAS as it will implement methods development and optimization for the environmental impact assessment and sustainability model of novel sunflower lines, and farm-scale biodiversity assessment. The obtained data will feed into models that will support decision-making in cultivar and crop selection internationally.