The Winter School titled “Practical Approaches to Nutribreeding in Maize” was successfully organized at two locations—Koceljeva on 19 January 2026 and Obornjača on 12 February 2026—enabling participation from stakeholders across different maize-production regions. The events gathered approximately 80 participants, including farmers, agricultural advisors, researchers, students, and representatives of the seed and agribusiness sectors.
The training focused on key concepts of nutribreeding in maize, highlighting the importance of genetic resources for nutritional improvement and major grain-quality traits such as protein composition, essential amino acids, oil content, and bioactive compounds. Participants were also introduced to modern breeding approaches and phenotyping tools used in the development of nutrient-enriched maize hybrids.
Special attention was given to the role of nutribreeding in supporting sustainable agricultural production, improving food and feed quality, and strengthening climate-resilient cropping systems. Through expert lectures, practical examples from ongoing breeding programmes, and interactive discussions, participants gained valuable insights into how nutribreeding contributes to the development of value-added maize hybrids adapted to current agricultural and market needs.
In addition to strengthening technical knowledge, the Winter School fostered closer collaboration between researchers and agricultural stakeholders, supporting the wider adoption of science-based solutions in maize improvement programmes. The activity represents another important step toward promoting nutrition-oriented and sustainable maize production systems in practice.
