NEW CULTIVATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE SUSTAINABLE IMPROVEMENT OF TOMATO PRODUCTION (2016-2018)

The GENEMICS project aims to develop a set of technologies that substantially improve tomato production by developing new hybrid varieties and rootstocks with high mycorrhizal capacity and carrying resistance to nematodes, which, when grown on mixed substrates combined with mycorrhizal fungi, enhance the plant’s root growth and favour its development and production.

This project has been funded by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, within the state programme for research, development and innovation aimed at the challenges of society in its 2016 call (Retos colaboración 2016).

Development of a production system adapted to protected crops (2016-2018)

Development of a production system adapted to protected crops under a new structural design, with light intensity activating particles and advanced nanomaterials, applied to the micro-irrigation system with a biocidal effect.

The main objective of this work package is to apply a varietal selection programme on Carica papaya, a highly light-demanding species. The selection is based on a set of parameters whose correct expression influences the adaptability of this species to the climatic and cultivation conditions of south-eastern Spain. The aim is to promote the introduction of subtropical species in the production sector, diversifying agricultural production and also making it possible to increase the supply of subtropical fruit to Europe.

Subsidised by CDTI, supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and co-financed by FEDER.

Fusion of diversity: from Heirloom varieties to modern tasty varieties. (2017-2020)

The Rainbow project focuses on recovering the valuable properties of heirloom tomato varieties and merging them with the favourable characteristics of modern tomato varieties.

The aim is to obtain tomato varieties that stand out for their aroma, flavour and colour, adapted to new consumer trends that focus on tomato specialities, and that are environmentally friendly by having genetic resistance to diseases and viruses, selected under conditions that allow high productivity in organic farming (OA).

Subsidised by CDTI, supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and co-financed by FEDER.

Tomato breeding: virus and pest protection mediated by genes from wild species introgressed into the cultivated species. (2020-2022)

The aim of this project is to increase resistance to pests and viruses in plant species for the benefit of food security, in particular: Tuta absoluta and Tomato brown rugose fruit virus.

The project aims to obtain new tomato varieties with genetic resistance to two important agents that cause losses in the crop: the pest Tuta absoluta and the virosis Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV); based on the need to explore new sources of resistance and using the genetic diversity present in wild species related to cultivated tomato.

Subsidised by CDTI, supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and co-financed by FEDER.

Minimisation of the water footprint of tomato cultivation under abiotic stress conditions. (2020-2023)

The current overexploitation of natural resources is generating an unsustainable water deficit, which is why the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warns of the need to technify irrigation systems in order to increase water efficiency.

This is a challenge that can only be met through innovative and viable solutions that bring about a new agricultural revolution, generating an increase in sustainable food production by applying resilient agricultural practices that contribute to the maintenance of ecosystems, strengthen the capacity to adapt to climate change and optimise productive resources.

The aim of the TOMABIOTIC project is to develop new solutions for a more sustainable agriculture based on the reduction of the water footprint of one of the most productive crops on the planet, the tomato, to generate individuals with high tolerance to abiotic stress, as well as to put them into seasonal crop production by means of sub-surface irrigation optimisation techniques.

Project funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities – State Research Agency within the RETOS-COLABORACIÓN 2019 call that supports cooperative projects between companies and research organisations, whose aim is to promote technological development, innovation and quality research.

Aubergine genotypes tolerant to yield limiting biotic factors. (2022-2025)

Auber-gen enhances crop health and protection, and therefore food security, in an environmentally friendly way by incorporating disease resistance genes into plants. This technology makes it possible to generate new and competitive products for the international market, promoting sustainable agriculture from its main input: the seed. In addition, Auber-gen works on the basis of biological diversity, using local cultivars from different regions of the world, which contributes to the conservation of the biodiversity of species and their genetic components.

The overall objective is new aubergine genotypes with resistance to soil-borne diseases (Wilt complex) and with traits that improve the crop’s adaptation to biological pest control.

Subsidised by CDTI, supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and co-financed by FEDER.