The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The role of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is centred around the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) as one of the model crops for CAPITALISE. Over the past 35 years diverse germplasm resources have been developed and characterized genetically. Prof Dani Zamir will lead the team to zoom-in on photosynthetic genes that drive productivity with a new specifically designed backcross inbred line (BIL) population of an unprecedented size which is derived from a cross between a newly discovered self-compatible drought tolerant accession of the green fruited species Solanum pennellii (LOST Accession LA5240) and two divergent elite modern inbreds (Solanum lycopersicum). This genetic material carries introgressions around photosynthetic genes and also includes lines that excel in productivity under drought; these will be phenotyped by the project to uncover higher dimensions of the complex relationship of genotype to phenotype.