VEG-ADAPT
Adapted from the project website
About
VEG-ADAPT (Adapting Mediterranean Vegetable Cops to Climate Change-induced Multiple Stress) is an international research project. The overall goal of VEG-ADAPT is to contribute to adaptation of vegetable crops to single and multiple stresses induced by climate change in the Mediterranean area.
To this aim, genetic and physiological traits providing tolerance and resilience to drought, heat, and salinity will be characterised; crop management systems adapted to tolerant/resilient varieties will be optimised; new stress-adapted genotypes are profiled and/or developed by exploiting local genetic diversity as well as novel genotypes and hybrids.
VEG-ADAPT takes as case studies three major Mediterranean vegetable crops, namely tomato, pepper, and melon, which will be characterised for adaptation to single and multiple stress and tested in the field for tolerance and resilience under different management systems.
Research focuses on phenotype-and genotype-driven selection of adapted genotypes, on discovery of novel molecular processes, on genetic traits and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) linked to tolerance, on optimisation of soil amendments, and on development of tolerant rootstocks. Fruit quality, and tolerance to pathogens and pests of the selected genotypes will be taken into account.