In recent years CCPs have been proposed as a way to create modern landraces of wheat, barley and oats.
[2] The idea of using CCPs in plant breeding was published in 1956[3] based on the barley composite cross devised by Harry Harlan and Mary Martini in 1929.
[2] A number of lines, generally 7-30, with interesting properties, such as yield or baking quality, are selected and all possible crosses of them are done.
Negative mass selection, which is removal of plants/seeds with unwanted properties, can be done when preparing seed for planting, at field visits during the growing season and at harvest.
[7] In PPB farmers are actively participating in developing new cultivars or populations, e.g. by performing selection.
There is no reason to believe that the Darwinian selection will work in the desired direction for traits such as baking quality.
In organic farming seeds can be cleaned by brushing before sowing, but it is also desirable that plants have genetic resistance.
[9] It is legal under EU law to sell and buy seeds from a composite cross population as an experiment in the period between 2014 and 2018.
Wolfe lobbied in Brussels and Westminster to receive an exception to the EU regulations that would allow YQ to be sold.