Work Packages

WP1 aims to characterise, in conditions of climate change-induced stress, existent biodiversity of vegetable crops in the Mediterranean area, and to select at least 10 accessions (from an estimated starting >1,000 local and 10,000 other) across tomato, pepper and melon, endowed with superior adaptation to heat, draught and salinity.

WP2 aims to increase knowledge on, and identify above- and below-ground molecular traits linked with adaptation to drought, heat and salinity stress in vegetables. Tomato is a major vegetable crop grown also as rootstock, and on which molecular, genetic and phenotyping tools are most advanced; thus, it will be used as a model plant and results will be translated to other species .

WP3 aims at obtaining novel genetic traits and genotypes, and at developing genomic prediction models that may help breeding for resilience to climate change-induced stress.

The goal of WP4 is to develop crop management systems which are less susceptible to climate change-induced stress.

WP5 aims at evaluating the impacts of climate change on vegetable cropping systems and at assessing the socio-economic contribution of proposed project innovations on Mediterranean value chains and organizations.

WP6 aims at disseminating results from the project among Mediterranean farmers, service providers, citizens, scientists and policy makers and by building capacities of young researchers, thus enabling environment for implementation and uptake of project results.

WP7 goal is to enhance networking, coordination and cooperation of the different institutions that share multidisciplinary expertise around the common programme of research.