Objective
Climate change is projected by the IPCC to raise Mediterranean temperatures by +2.2–5 °C this century, intensifying heat stress, drought, and food insecurity. These risks are acute in the Mediterranean basin, a biodiversity hotspot and vital region for European agriculture. The EU’s Green Deal, Biodiversity Strategy 2030, and Common Agricultural Policy (2023–2027) highlight the urgent need for climate-resilient crops. Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) supplies ~20% of global sugar, with Europe producing more than half. It is both economically important and environmentally relevant, as a deep-rooted crop contributing to soil carbon sequestration. Yet modern cultivars, bred mainly for yield, are highly vulnerable to rising spring–summer temperatures that threaten root yields and seed set, especially in southern Europe.
Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are underused reservoirs of adaptive traits. In the Beta genus, the wild ancestor Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima thrives along Italy’s Adriatic–Ionian coasts, enduring the same heat stress now limiting cultivated beets. These coasts span five macroclimatic zones within a narrow latitudinal band, offering a natural gradient for studying adaptation. Italy also holds strategic importance as Europe’s hub for high-quality beet seed production, itself increasingly at risk from warming.
Bytes4Beets will integrate landscape genomics and haplotype-resolved pan-genomics to uncover the genetic basis of heat stress adaptation in sea beet. Through GPS-tagged collections, long-read sequencing, and genome–environment association (GEA), the project will identify adaptive alleles and prioritise donor ecotypes. It will then screen cultivated sugar, leaf, and red beet germplasm to evaluate whether these alleles are present, rare, or absent. While stopping at donor identification and allele screening, the project establishes a scalable framework for future breeding, enabling rapid integration of adaptive variation into elite lines.
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. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
35122 PADOVA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.