Institut für Züchtungsforschung an gartenbaulichen Kulturen
The TroTom project aims to establish scientific foundations for breeding tomato varieties with enhanced drought stress tolerance and improved resource-use efficiency. The project addresses Germany's high dependence on imported tomatoes, the increasing risks associated with climate change, and the need for robust varieties suitable for organic outdoor production. The main objective is to identify genetic and physiological traits associated with drought tolerance and to develop breeding methodologies for climate-resilient tomato varieties. More than 200 tomato genotypes from diverse breeding programs, genetic resources, and geographical origins will be evaluated under both field conditions and controlled stress environments. Since drought stress in the field is often accompanied by heat stress and nutrient limitations, the project will investigate these factors separately and in combination. Advanced phenotyping approaches will be employed, including thermal imaging for monitoring plant stress responses, electrical capacitance measurements for non-destructive root system assessment, and leaf color and chlorophyll analyses. To explore possibilities for early selection, seedling experiments using polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced osmotic stress will be conducted. In addition, metabolomic analyses of contrasting genotypes will provide insights into physiological mechanisms and potential biochemical markers associated with drought tolerance. A major component of the project is the use of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genetic loci linked to drought-related traits. The resulting markers will support future marker-assisted and genomic selection approaches in tomato breeding. The project is carried out through collaboration between the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), the University of Kassel, the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (Saudi Arabia), and the organic seed company Culinaris.Further objectives include:- Identification of highly drought-tolerant tomato genotypes,- Development of efficient selection methods across developmental stages,- Improved understanding of genetic relationships among drought tolerance traits,- Identification of molecular markers for breeding applications,- Support for regional and organic tomato production
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity
