The EU has assembled a multifunctional collection of 226 traditional tomato varieties to study the stability of agronomic traits and genetic variability, EastFruit reports, citing SEEDS.
During the research, scientists identified 141 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with productivity, trait stability, and their response to environmental conditions.
As a result of the project, an open-access database, HarnesstomDB, was developed, integrating genetic, phenotypic, and metabolomic data. The platform contains information on more than 17,600 tomato accessions, over 127,000 genetic markers, and hundreds of fruit quality parameters.
In parallel, the project includes tasting sessions involving farmers, experts, and consumers — more than 3,000 participants have already taken part in evaluating tomato flavor characteristics.
The platform is publicly available and designed to support breeding programs and the development of tomato varieties adapted to climate change. The tomato database was created within the framework of the international scientific project HARNESSTOM, implemented under the EU’s Horizon programme.
The use of the site materials is free if there is a direct and open for search engines hyperlink to a specific publication of the East-Fruit.com website.
