This book includes papers presented at the 2017 Joint meeting of Fodder Crops and Amenity Grasses Section and Protein Crops Working Group of EUCARPIA-Oil and Protein Crops Section. The theme of the meeting Breeding Grasses and Protein Crops in the Era of Genomics has been divided into six parts: (1) Utilisation of genetic resources and pre-breeding, (2) Genetic improvement of quality and agronomic traits, (3) Breeding for enhanced stress tolerance (4) Implementation of phenomics and biometrics, (5) Development of genomic tools and bioinformatics and (6) Reports of Parallel Sessions.

Part I Utilization of genetic resources and pre-breeding.- 1. Utilization of genebank accessions to improve northern adaptation of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.).- 2. Wild and primitive common bean populations in the germplasm collection at the MBG-CSIC.- 3. Patterns of spring growth and phenology in natural populations of Lolium perenne under contrasting field conditions.- 4. Population structure of red clover ecotypes collected from Europe and Asia.- 5. Enhancing the sustainable use of Lolium perenne genetic resources from genebanks in plant breeding and research.- 6. Tetraploid Festuca apennina is prone to produce triploid hybrid progeny when crossed with diploid Festuca pratensis.- 7. Comparing mitotic and meiotic tetraploid red clover plants for seed yield.- 8. Domesticating shrubby native legumes for pastures and natural grasslands.- 9. Effects of temperature on growth during in vitro embryo culture of field bean (Vicia faba var. minor L.).- 10. Ecological and agronomic evaluation of Dactylis glomerata subsp. Lobata.- 11. Yield and genetic composition of Latvian ×Festulolium cultivars and breeding material.- 12. Genetic variability of the most important traits in alfalfa cultivars under Lithuanian conditions.- 13. Tetraploid induction in Lolium multiflorum.- 14. The sense of testing sheep preference in tall fescue variety evaluation.- 15. Chemical composition of zigzag clover (Trifolium medium L.).- 16. Wild and semi natural ecotypes of perennial grasses and legumes for breeding purposes.- 17. Breeding for improved seed yield of red clover.- Part II Genetic improvement of quality and agronomic traits.- 18. Breeding forage and grain legumes to increase EUs and Chinas protein self-sufficiency.- 19. Identification of loci controlling timing of stem elongation in red clover using GBS of pooled phenotypic extremes.- 20. Grain yield and morphology of dwarf vs tall white lupin in Mediterranean environments.- 21. Deciphering grain legumes quality riddle: The genomics of bioactive compounds.- 22. Manipulation of rumen nitrogen flows by use of Festulolium hybrids in rumen simulation fermenters.- 23. Paternity test for forage yield improvement in timothy polycross breeding.- 24. Preliminary estimation of variation of alkaloids content in white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) collection.- 25. Yields and quality of some perennial legumes in the Czech Republic.- Part III Breeding for enhanced stress tolerance.- 26. Low crown rust resistance in Norwegian material of Lolium perenne and ×Festulolium.- 27. Unravelling the genetic control of bacterial wilt resistance in ryegrass: achievements, prospects and challenges.- 28. Genotyping of Festulolium cultivars involved in EUCARPIA multi-site trial using DArT markers and GISH.- 29. Transcriptomic analysis of drought-sensitive and tolerant genotypes of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.).- 30. Selection of perennial ryegrass spaced plants in sward conditions.- 31. Variation in intrinsic water use efficiency between perennial ryegrass genotypes differing for drought tolerance.- 32. Physiological indicators of tolerance to soil water deficit in Lolium multiflorum/Festuca arundinacea introgression forms.- 33. Incidence of six grass species by Fusarium sp. as a cause of silvertop.- 34. Crown rust and brown blight infection of perennial ryegrass cultivars representing three maturity groups.- 35. Correlation of seed yield and its components and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters in the narrow leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.).- 36. Seventh Workshop of the EUCARPIA Festulolium Working Group.- Part IV Implementation of phenomic and genomic tools in breeding.- 37. Using LIDAR for forage yield measurement of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) field plots.- 38. An indoor screening method for reduced fall dormancy in alfalfa.- 39. Application of multivariate analysis for genotype evaluation in soybean.- 40. Polymorphism of soybean cultivars and breeding lines revealed by marker Satt100associated with the E7 locus.- 41. Genetic diversity assessment of two Medicago sativa genes: CAD and WXP1.- 42. Testing for freezing tolerance in perennial ryegrass.- 43. The multifunctional role of legumes in vineyards and orchards.- 44. Hydroponic evaluation of growth and nutrient uptake in a Lolium/Festuca introgression series.- 45. Use of GBS for lucerne variety distinction.- 46. Genome-wide and functional gene analysis of perennial ryegrass for improved growth under water limiting conditions (GrowGene).- 47. Genomic selection for biomass yield of perennial and annual legumes.