AGROALNEXT Project: Development and introduction of tomato rootstocks with lower water and nutritional requirements through selection by pollinators
- Type Project
- Assigned Budget 137,300 €
- Scope Autonómico
- Autonomous community Murcia, Región de
- Main source of financing NextGenerationEU
- Project website Web del Proyecto
Description
The project explores the use of bumblebees as natural phenotypists in tomatoes, analyzing how their preferences reflect plant resilience and productivity based on genotype and fertilization. It develops an automated platform for plant selection based on ecological plant-pollinator interactions.
Results
The presence of bumblebees under stress conditions resulted in increased production parameters, accompanied by a decrease in the abortion rate. Furthermore, it increased total nitrogen content in leaves and macronutrient content in flowers, particularly potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg). Under fertigation deficit conditions, the number and duration of bumblebee visits were higher on plants grafted onto hybrids with a wild tomato species. Pollinator preference parameters were positively correlated with root development parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content, and efficient water use during cultivation.
Contact information
- Coordinator/entity name: Francisco Pérez Alfocea
- Mailing address: Not available
- Email coordinator/entity: alfocea@cebas.csic.es
- Phone: Not available
Coordinators
- CEBAS-CSIC
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