Landlab, Università degli Studi di Trento, ISI Sementi and Igatech collaborate on drought-tolerant tomato research.
As part of the Spoke4 initiative, Landlab is collaborating with the Università degli Studi di Trento, ISI Sementi and IGA Technology Services Srl to identify tomato accessions that exhibit higher tolerance to water stress.
The focus is on a panel of MAGIC tomato lines, a valuable genetic resource developed to study complex traits such as drought resilience. These lines combine genetic material from multiple parental accessions, enabling a high degree of genetic recombination and diversity, ideal for dissecting traits linked to environmental stress responses.
Last year, 180 tomato lines were screened under controlled pot conditions to assess their response to drought. Based on those results, the focus of this year’s research has narrowed to 20 accessions: 10 identified as drought-sensitive and 10 as more drought-tolerant. These selected lines will now be cultivated in open field conditions and subjected to controlled drought events to better understand their performance under real-world stress scenarios. While last year’s trials were conducted in pots, the current phase will take place in the field, offering more realistic insights.
The broader goal of the project is to foster collaboration between research institutions and contribute to increasing the biodiversity of crops of agronomic interest. This is crucial in the face of increasingly frequent environmental challenges such as heatwaves and water scarcity. Efficient water use and the development of resilient crop varieties are essential for sustainable agriculture.
