Project description
Boosting heat-resilient tomatoes
Rising global temperatures are making it harder to grow tomatoes, as heat negatively affects their growth and quality. High temperatures reduce fruit yield, making it crucial to find ways to produce heat-tolerant tomato varieties. The key to this may lie in plant cell membranes, where sterols play a role in heat tolerance. Adjusting sterol composition could improve tomatoes’ resilience by affecting root secretions and the surrounding soil microbes. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SMetRI project is exploring how changes in sterols impact tomato plants under high temperatures. Using advanced lab techniques, it will study the effects of modified sterols. The goal is to create hardier tomatoes, boost food security and promote sustainable farming.
Objective
Rising global temperatures due to climate change are posing significant challenges for tomato production. High temperatures adversely affect fruit yield and quality, necessitating the development of heat-tolerant tomato varieties. Cell membrane function, particularly the role of sterols, is crucial for heat tolerance. This study aims to comprehend how modifying sterol composition can enhance tomato's resilience to high temperatures by influencing root exudate composition and shaping rhizosphere microbial communities. To investigate the mechanisms behind high-temperature tolerance through sterol metabolism manipulation, we outline three specific objectives: (1) To investigate the sterol-mediated impact on compositional changes in root exudates under normal and high-temperature (HT) conditions. (2) To explore the link between modified sterol profile, root exudate composition, and rhizospheric microbial interactions. (3) To evaluate the impact of sterol-modified root exudates on plant performance and resource exchange under normal and HT conditions. Our approach involves utilizing high-throughput technologies, including Gas Chromatography and Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry for lipid and metabolite profiling, as well as next-generation sequencing to analyze the impact of modified sterol metabolism on rhizosphere microorganisms. Additionally, we will assess physiological and phenological parameters to determine the effect of altered sterol metabolism on plant growth in various temperature environments. Given the critical role of Solanaceae family crops, such as tomatoes, in global and European agriculture, this research holds immense potential for enhancing food security and promoting sustainable agriculture. Moreover, it opens doors to innovative approaches for improving plant performance, reducing reliance on agrochemicals, and fostering beneficial plant-soil-microbe interactions.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growing
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiology
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
08193 Cerdanyola Del Valles
Spain