A NOVEL AND INTEGRATED APPROACH TO INCREASE MULTIPLE AND COMBINED STRESS TOLERANCE IN PLANTS USING TOMATO AS A MODEL (DBA.AD001.289)

Thematic area

Biology, agriculture and food sciences

Project area

Structure responsible for the research project

Institute of plant genetics (IBBR)

Project manager

GIORGIA BATELLI
Phone number: 0812539480
Email: giorgia.batelli@ibbr.cnr.it

Abstract

Tomato is a main EU agricultural commodity, cultivated all over Europe in open and protected field and in glasshouses,
representing a biological and agronomical model crop. Combined water and nutrient stress is a major problem for tomato
farmers and solutions are needed to safeguard yields, while preserving the environment.
TOMRES will select, among over 10,000 available accessions, rootstocks and scions tolerating combined stress, while
retaining fruit quality and yield, taking advantage of innovative screening approaches. Novel traits, in particular belowground,
to be exploited in breeding, will be identified. The role of selected hormones (strigolactones and brassinosteroids) will be
studied to identify further resilience traits.
TOMRES will test and optimize sustainable crop management strategies such as legume intercropping, precision fertilization
and irrigation techniques, manipulation of symbiotic microorganisms, and the use of rootstocks more suited to water and
nutrient uptake from the soil.
Novel genotypes X management strategies will be developed with the goal of reducing N and P application by at least 20%,
water input by 40%, while granting environmental sustainabilit

Goals

TOMRES aims to identify new traits and management practices which can improve water and nutrient use efficiency. Within this general objective, CNR participates in the identification of root systems that can maximize extraction of resources and of molecular mechanisms to improve stress tolerance.

Start date of activity

01/06/2017

Keywords

Plant water relations, Plant nutrition, Horticulture

Last update: 25/04/2024