"A Novel And Integrated Approach To Increase Multiple And Combined Stress Tolerance In Plants Using Tomato As A Model" (TOMRES) Project Coordinators Presentation, Ljubljana 2018

The project “A Novel And Integrated Approach To Increase Multiple And Combined Stress Tolerance In Plants Using Tomato As A Model”, in short TOMRES, is co-funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Union.

The overall goal of TOMRES is to enhance resilience to combined water and nutrient stress in tomato and to maximize water (WUE) and nutrient use efficiency (NUE) by designing and testing in the field (open and protected) novel combinations of genotypes and management practices reducing the environmental impact of agricultural activities.

To this aim, novel below-ground traits will be identified and rootstocks and scions displaying increased WUE and NUE, while retaining fruit quality and yield, will be selected.

A range of crop management strategies will be optimized, environmental (including water quality) and socio-economic impact will be assessed, and a Decision Support System built on resource efficiency analysis data will assist field testing of genotype x management practices, and transfer to farmers.

Multi-actor approach will be granted by farmers, advisors and farmer associations, private companies and public institutions providing complementary types of knowledge as project partners. In addition, scientific experts, companies, national farmers’ organisations and citizens interested in the topic will be engaged from the start through a Stakeholder Group, thus enabling environment for implementation and market uptake of project results.