Harnessing the value of tomato genetic resources for now and the future

Project Information

HARNESSTOM

Grant agreement ID: 101000716

DOI

10.3030/101000716

Project closed

EC signature date 11 September 2020

Start date 1 October 2020

End date 31 December 2024

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 8 075 196,25

EU contribution

€ 7 048 236,25

Coordinated by

AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - HARNESSTOM (Harnessing the value of tomato genetic resources for now and the future)

Reporting period: 2023-10-01 to 2024-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Tomato is a paradigm of crop domestication: a widely cultivated and consumed vegetable but with reduced genetic diversity and therefore highly vulnerable to emerging diseases and climate change. Fortunately, tomato is rich in genetic resources and information to overcome those difficulties and a coalition of scientists and breeding experts which have generated a large amount of this information have been organized under an effective management structure and a series of objectives to overcome those threats. HARNESSTOM aims to demonstrate that increasing use of Genetic Resources is key for food safety and security and can lead to innovation and benefit all stakeholders. By capitalizing on the large effort done recently in several EU-funded projects to connect phenotypes/genotypes in a large number of accessions from different germplasm banks and academia, HARNESSTOM is first collecting, centralizing and normalizing this wealth of information in a way that is easily searchable and displayed in a user-friendly manner adapted to different type of users. Second, HARNESSTOM is developing four prebreeding programs addressing the major challenges of the field: 1) introducing resistances against major emerging diseases, 2) improving tomato tolerance to climate change, 3) improving quality 4) increasing resilience in traditional European tomato by participatory breeding. And additional goal is to increase speed and efficiency in prebreeding what is needed to be able to respond to the emerging challenges in a timely and effective manner. Joint leadership of both academia and industry in each of the WP and the participation of two NGOs representing different stakeholders guarantees the results of the project will have an impact in industry innovation and also in the society. An efficient management and outreach and communication platform is also in place to make sure the project runs smoothly and the interests of all stakeholders are protected

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

HARNESSTOM has consolidated the alliances with previous and current EU projects on genetic resources and established since the beginning of the project the strategy for transferring the information from those projects to the HARNESSTOM DB. The HARNESSTOM DB has been established (deliverable) and first datasets uploaded. A HARNESSTOM website (http://harnesstom.eu) has been generated and is operative for communication, visibility and project outreach.
HARNESSTOM has contributed to consolidate panels of plant materials with a wealth of genetic and phenotypic information. Biotechnological tools and physical techniques were developed to speed-up breeding. We started to implement tools to increase efficiency of breeding.
HARNESSTOM have focused in selecting materials, and conducting surveying and prebreeeding activities towards durable resistance to C. fulvum, and identifying some resources of resistance to the emerging viruses, including ToBRFV, stuydying the enetics basis for the new resistances and generating introgression lines from resistant wild accessions. A strategy to combine tolerant non-elite genetic variability able to increase tolerance against climate change related stresses with elite germplasm from HARNESSSTOM companies have started. Sources of abiotic stress tolerance alleles identified by academic partners have been shared with industrial and academic partners to evaluate them in different conditions and to start their introduction into elite germplasm. QTLs have been validated, also fine mapping approaches have been implemented to increase the mapping resolution of some major effect and epistatic QTLs identified to increase tomato yield in different growing conditions. The identification of the most interesting resources for fruit quality breeding has been conducted. Marker assisted selection breeding have been initiated to improve elite material for specific targets related to flavour traits (sugars, acids, volatiles). In addition, simultaneously improving the fruit’s health-related characteristics and shelf-life is being addressed by generating new populations.
HARNESSTOM focused in developing innovative strategies for involving farmers, consumers, influential chefs and academics in pre-breeding and breeding activities Online surveys, designed for definition of agronomic and sensory ideotypes were produced, translated into seven languages and disseminated through several websites and local newspapers. More than 3,000 citizen had participated and Informationcollected, A first repository of promising genotypes has been established and seeds distributed to farmers. In parallel different plant breeding programs are being developed departing from prestigious landraces.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

While HARNESSTOM is still in its first phase, a number of achievements has been obtained including the largest ever centralized compilation of information about genetic resources on tomato for breeders, scientist, farmers etc. This will have an impact in the use of genetic resources not only in the academic sector for improving or understanding of the genetic basis of traits but for their direct use in breeding and for increase knowledge and access to those genetic resources.
Sources of resistance against the most important tomato (emerging) diseases, including TOBRFV have been identified and characterization of those resistances and introgression programs initiated. Some of them seem to provide good resistance and therefore expected to have a high impact in farmers /breeding companies competitiveness and also sustainable production for consumers.
Backcross programs initiated that eventually will result in prebreeding materials able to tackle climate change conditions threatening tomato cultivation in many areas and it is therefore expected they would have an impact in food sustainability and stability. The different prebreeding programs initiated for higher organoleptic quality and increasing health-related compounds are expected to also positively impact tomato consumption and improve HARNESSTOM companies position in the market.
The participatory breeding and citizen science is already having an impact in the way genetic resources are seen by farmers, cooks and citizens at large. A very good participation and responses to surveys and commitment to participate in different citizen science activities initiated by HARENSSTOM are good indications of an excellent impact
THe new tomato prebreeding varieties developed by ring-fenced academia/industry partnership or by participatory breeding are expected to result in a higher appreciation genetic resources, increased diversity and higher adaptability to particular environments The outcomes of the HARNESSTOM project will be used in multiple ways and will ultimately feed into different user communities including researchers, breeders, tomato producers and consumers. The achievements of the HARNESSTOM project in terms of knowledge and tools created will impact scientists and breeders so they will result in improved productivity and stability of the agricultural sector in and outside Europe.

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