Climate change is making droughts and heatwaves more frequent and intense, causing billions of euros in crop losses every year. These extreme weather events threaten food security and create urgent challenges for agriculture, especially in regions that rely on rainfed farming. Traditional strategies like irrigation, genetic breeding, and soil treatments offer only partial or limited solutions. There is a growing need for new, scalable, and effective tools to help crops withstand these stresses.
PLANeT addresses this challenge by combining advanced plant science with innovation in biotechnology. The project developed EARTH®, a high-throughput screening platform that rapidly tests thousands of natural or synthetic compounds to find those that help plants tolerate drought and heat. This platform uses precise, stress-relevant assays in model and crop plants, enabling early identification of bioactive molecules with real agronomic potential.
As a result of this project, a number of lead compounds were identified and validated in relevant crops, including tomato and wheat. These compounds improve plant survival and growth under stress conditions and have shown promising results in pilot field trials. They are now protected by patent filings and positioned for further development and commercialization.
To support broader scientific discovery, PLANeT also created an interactive database that integrates transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic datasets related to plant stress, which allows researchers to identify biomarkers and explore regulatory networks involved in resilience, accelerating future breakthroughs in crop improvement on desertic ecosystems.
In parallel, the project developed a market-oriented strategy to bring its results beyond the lab. A detailed business model, pitch deck, and investor roadmap were created, and the project team participated in major innovation forums across Europe. These efforts have already attracted early interest from the agri-biotech sector and investors.
PLANeT contributes directly to the European Green Deal and Sustainable Development Goals by offering tools that reduce crop losses, improve water use efficiency, and reduce the need for inputs like fertilizers. By helping farmers adapt to climate stress while preserving resources, PLANeT supports a more sustainable and resilient food system.
