General messages and Results

Since July 2020, the EU Horizon 2020 project Accelerated Development of multiple-stress tolerAnt PoTato (ADAPT) has focused its research activity in understanding the potato signaling pathways for single and combined abiotic stresses to make this crop more resilient to climate change. After four intense and productive years of international cooperation, the different Work Packages in which the project was organised have achieved significant results, which are summarised in the articles listed below. Click on the links and read more:

• WP1: Field phenotyping
• WP2: Physiological profiling
• WP3: Tuberisation signalling
• WP4: Molecular signalling
• WP5: Data Integration and modelling
• WP6: Pathways to impact

WP1 aimed at developing high-resolution field and greenhouse phenotyping methods to analyse physiological and molecular responses to combined abiotic stress conditions. In cooperation with breeders Various field trials were carried out at different European locations covering a wide range of climatic conditions in Austria, The Netherlands, Serbia and Spain (read more about the 2023 trials, 2022 trials and 2021 trials). Locally, newest technologies such as the mobile Field Explorer monitored plant growth and development with sensors for 3D plant modelling (LIDAR), photosynthetic performance (hyperspectral camera), transpiration (IR sensor) were employed and additionally, samples for further in depth analysis of molecular acclimations responses were taken.

The main messages and results from WP1 are:

• Identification of a set of 44 commercial varieties and 10 diploid clones selected based on a wide spectrum of responses and sensitivity to abiotic stress conditions for optimal yield at different sites across Europe.
• The correlation of drone data and obtained yield reveals promising possibilities to develop methods for yield prediction.

WP2 used tailor-made tools and high-throughput techniques to identify the morphological, physiological and molecular changes that determine potato resilience to both single stresses (flooding, heat and drought) and relevant combinations of these stresses.

The main messages and results from WP2 are:

• An advanced phenotyping and analysis protocol was developed for multiple scale integration of single- and combined stresses responses, from observable growth phenotypes to specific molecular responses
• Specific stress signatures were found for each of these providing novel molecular insights for future selection of traits.
• For the first time in potato, deep insights into molecular responses and acclimation to flooding stress were obtained.

WP3 looked at the production of tubers, the edible part of the plant, which formation and growth is typically shut down under climatic stress conditions such as heat or drought stress. Research partners built on their prior research into tuber development with the aim to identify strategies for increasing climate resilience using naturally occurring gene variants and functional genomics approaches.

The main messages and results from WP3 are:

• Molecular key regulators of tuberisation are now understood at unprecedented level thereby providing novel tools to predict impact on yield.
• These were the first systematic approaches to study how tuberisation signals are affected by the environment.

WP4 investigated early signalling events that regulate the molecular and physiological changes required for plant survival under stress conditions. The objective was to develop sensor and gene reporter lines to monitor dynamic changes in stress signalling in real time and under HTP conditions.

The main messages and results from WP4 are:

• Development of tools enabling detection of rapid and early plant adaptive responses in potato, which can be applied as very early markers for selection of stress resilience.
• These powerful tools can be integrated into Novel Breeding Technologies - at the breeding stage, not in the field – whose use will be instrumental to future breeding programmes.

WP5 aimed to use prior knowledge and data generated within the project to feed diverse mathematical modelling and big data analysis approaches for identification of novel molecular master regulators and physiological signatures associated to the performance of the potato in the field environment. The objective was to create a set of tools for easier implementation of diverse technologies in practice.

The main messages and results from WP5 are:

• Data analysis pipelines were developed that enable systematic and fast integration of complex data sets from multiple experiments and multiple molecular levels and provide the basis for future yield prediction.
• Toolboxes were generated and released to the public for data analysis and modelling, applicable to similar studies in other crops.
• The open access StressKnowledgeMap tool provides a comprehensive framework for further molecular analyses and mechanistic understanding of complex stress responses.

WP6 ensured the targeted and efficient exploitation and implementation of the project results, and their communication and dissemination to different target audiences.

The main messages and results from WP6 are:

• An extensive survey of European potato farmers revealed that they feel the impact of climate change in their daily work and urgently need this research and better adapted varieties.
• Software tools for implementation of novel phenotyping technologies involving High-Throughput-Phenotyping (HTP) and analysis of drone data will be adjusted to the needs of the breeders and other end-users with the aim to develop procedures for yield prediction.
• The knowledge obtained from these studies shall feed into optimizing support/decision making tools, available to grower’s through local support agencies.

Final words from Dr. Markus Teige, project's coordinator 

ADAPT kicked off novel collaborations between distinct research areas that have rather been isolated before by combining the complementary expertise in stress physiology with molecular plant breeding and technology development together with bioinformatics and the end-user’s perspective.

Only this combination enabled us to tackle these complex challenges at such a sophisticated level build on the needs of the community/stakeholders. In my view this is the way to go for future research towards more climate resilient crops and should be followed in future projects.

To this end, the consortium is already working on follow-up proposals, for example to train the next generation of researchers in such an interdisciplinary setting and also to take advantage of the unique expert knowledge and available tools that have been developed to bring the research results from this project into practice in breeding programs at the breeders or recommendations for farmers.

After four intense years of potato research, I would like to warmly thank all partners for their tireless and strong collaboration. I look forward to keeping working together and make potatoes fit for the future.

Dr. Markus Teige

ADAPT project coordinator

Senior Lecturer at the University of Vienna and Research Group Leader of the Plant Signalling Group at the Faculty of Life Sciences.