Months of drought, followed by sudden violent weather events, have compromised the production schedules of farms. Science is trying to keep up by providing new solutions, so as to cope with climate change (and more) on a global level.
Tomatoes
The EUR 8 million Harnesstom project aims at obtaining higher quality tomatoes that are more resistant to emerging diseases and climate change, together with tools to accelerate the creation of new varieties. The initiative brings together 22 partners, including ENEA, the University of Naples 'Federico II', the University of Tuscia and Semiorto Sementi srl in Italy, and the Spanish state agency CSIC (coordinator).
Research activities (WP, work package) have been developed on: resistance against major emerging diseases, tomato tolerance to climate change, quality improvement, and increased speed and efficiency of breeding in order to respond to emerging challenges in a timely and effective manner.
ENEA coordinated WP4 activities focused on increasing the speed and efficiency of breeding and made important contributions to other WPs that included the creation of a European database on tomato genetic resources and breeding, improving berry quality, and environmental impact analyses.
"Today's tomatoes are the product of many years of selection that have narrowed the genetic base," explains Giovanni Giuliano, ENEA Research Manager and Head of Harnesstom's WP4 (pictured opposite). "The project combines tradition and innovation, using traditional breeding to introduce new resistance and quality genes, as well as new genetic technologies for its further improvement. Harnesstom started 8 years after the publication of the study we coordinated on the tomato genome in Nature. Now, that knowledge has been translated into practical applications transferred to the seed industry, thereby demonstrating how close the link between basic research, applied research, and technology transfer is, even in key sectors for our economy such as the agri-food industry."
For more information: 
ENEA
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