EUROPEAN-SEED.COM I EUROPEAN SEED I 11 will be achieved by exploring the genetic diversity of brassi- cas, beans and tomatoes with advanced genomic and pheno- typic approaches, applying novel markers to identify traits in the selection of breeding material suitable to organic farming. The project will create a pipeline for crop improvement that will accelerate breeding activities and production of high quality and quantity organic seed for the studied crops. BRESOV will exploit the genetic variation of these three crops for enhanced productivity thanks to new knowledge on genome diversity and function. Germplasm accessions, pre-breeding and breeding lines, and the new elite breeding materials obtained from gene banks and partners’ collections of the three species will be selected and cultivated in organic vegetable farming systems. These cultivars will be selected for efficiency when grown under environmental stresses and for resistance to pests and diseases. In addition, desirable product traits such as taste, visual appearance and post-harvest performance will be considered. Crop genetic diversity will be broad, as several landraces and crop wild relatives for the pre-breeding and breeding activi- ties will be explored. BRESOV will adopt an innovative approach, where the plant traits related to root growth and its architecture enabling a better interaction with the soil and its microbiome, are sought with the end-users. This approach will enhance resource use efficiency and productivity in organic farming systems by combining benefits of different genetic resources with the best on-farm management practices. Organic farming needs to exploit a broad array of genetic diversity. Thus, plant breeding for organic farming should focus on the enhancement of genetic diversity to better exploit inter- actions between plant genotypes and their environment, thus, focusing not only on the main agronomic traits (yield, product quality) but also on their root system and rhizosphere, and abi- otic and biotic factors. In the context of climate change it is important to increase the water and nitrogen use efficiency as well as to improve resistance/tolerance to pests and diseases. The project will contribute significantly towards developing context-specific, climate-resilient organic production systems. Furthermore, they will serve as a model for the enhancement of other crops using innovative organic vegetable production methods and techniques for more resilient and sustainable agrosystems. Editor’s Note: This column has been condensed for print. To read the full version, go to European-Seed.com BRESOV website: https://bresov.eu; Twitter: @BRESOV_EU; Facebook: BresovEU 1 Source: https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/sites/orgfarming/files/docs/pages/014_en.pdf 2 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 774244.