Improving tomato yield and quality in the face of climate change

Climate change threatens global crop production

Climate change adds further pressure to global crop production because agriculture is critically influenced by environmental conditions, such as temperature and precipitation. Agriculture as a whole will need to advance and adapt in order to tackle the challenges of the uncertain future that the world faces.

It is expected that the global population will grow to over 9 billion by 2050. Consequently, agricultural production must increase by 70% to meet future needs.

TomGEM aims to ensure future global food security by tackling the challenge of needing to increase agricultural production due to a rapidly growing population, even in the face of climate change. TomGEM will use tomato as a reference for fleshy fruit crops to provide new strategies towards breeding of heat-tolerant fruits with the aim that results can be transferred to other crops.

Source:

IFPRI (2010). Food security, farming, and climate change to 2050: Scenarios, results, policy options

FAO (2009). How to Feed the World in 2050.

Area of tomato production is the same size as Slovakia

Worldwide production of tomato has doubled in the last 20 years. Production takes place over an area of 4.8 million hectares, an area equal to the size of Slovakia.
The tomato industry holds great economic importance and in Europe production is valued at approximately € 16 billion. However, climate change poses a significant threat to this industry.

TomGEM seeks to deliver the innovation and knowledge necessary to future-proof the industry against environmental stresses such as an increase in ambient temperature. TomGEM is hoping to develop new tomato varieties which, unlike current cultivated varieties, provide both high yield and high quality fruit when grown at high temperatures.

Source:

FAOSTAT (2013). Statistics database of the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations

Weight of annual tomato production is roughly equal to that of cattle and swine produce combined

In 2013, the weight of tomato production amounted to 162 million tonnes. This was roughly equal to the production of cattle and swine combined.

Europe produced over 20 million tonnes of tomatoes in 2013 however; yields are under threat from climate change. TomGEM will consider all aspects of fruit development to identify variants in genes or gene regions which permit tomato growth at elevated temperatures without affecting yield or quality.

Source:

FAOSTAT (2013). Statistics database of the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations

Ideal growth temperatures for tomatoes

The ideal temperatures for tomato growth are between 21-29 °C during the day and 18-21 °C at night.
Higher temperatures have negative effects on many aspects of fruit development leading to reduced yields and lower quality. Academic studies show that high temperature comprise fruit productivity and demonstrate that increases in ambient temperature of 4 °C can result in dramatic reductions in yield.

TomGEM will select for and breed towards tomato cultivars with desired traits when grown at harsh temperatures from 26-32 °C. To achieve this, TomGEM will implement innovative breeding and management strategies to ensure that the outcomes benefit all user communities including researchers, breeders, tomato producers and consumers.