Tomato is the most consumed vegetable in the world. Increasing its natural resistance and resilience is key for ensuring food security within a changing climate. Plant breeders improve those traits by generating crosses of cultivated tomatoes with their wild relatives. Specific allele introgression relying on meiotic recombination, is hampered by structural divergence between parental genomes. However, previous studies of interspecific tomato hybridization focused in single cross or lacked resolution due to prohibitive sequencing costs of large segregating populations. Here, we used pooled-pollen sequencing to reveal unprecedented details of recombination patterns in five interspecific tomato hybrids. We detected hybrid-specific recombination coldspots that underscore the influence of structural divergence in shaping recombination landscape. Crossover regions and coldspots show strong association with specific TE superfamilies exhibiting differentially accessible chromatin between somatic and meiotic cells. We also found gene complexes associated with metabolic processes, stress resistance and domestication syndrome traits, revealing undesired consequences of recombination suppression to phenotypes. Finally, we demonstrate that by using resequencing data of wild and domesticated tomato populations, we can screen for alternative parental genomes to overcome recombination barriers. Overall, our results will allow breeders better informed decisions on generating disease-resistant and climate-resilient tomato.

The CGN cucumber (Cucumis sativus) collection consists of 937 accessions. The majority of accessions originated from the working collection of the former Institute for Horticultural Plant Breeding (IVT), where they were used for breeding. The collection mainly includes old cultivars received from Dutch and foreign seed companies, and genebanks, but also contains landraces and accessions of the cropwild relative C. hardwickii. Passport data were updated in 2002, and used to rationalize the collection. In 2009, CGN participated in a project initiated by The Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing (CAAS), China. The project aimed at developing a structured core collection of cucumber germplasm using well-distributed and highly polymorphic SSR markers. For this purpose, the collections of CAAS, of the USDA (United States) and of the CGN were used. A total of 3,318 accessions were analyzed with 23 highly polymorphic microsatellite (SSR) markers, resulting in a core set of 109 accessions (in preparation). In addition to the collaborative project, the SSR data of 752 CGN accessions were analyzed separately in order to find further options to rationalize the collection based on these markers. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on Jaccard similarity values. Four distinct groups could be recognized, i.e. C. hardwickii, landraces from South Asia, varieties from Asia, and varieties predominantly from Europe and USA. The SSR data were also used to verify passport data, such as origin country, and to improve accession documentation. Twenty-seven groups of accessions with identical microsatellite profile were identified. Trials are planned to compare these potential duplicate accessions morphologically. In the past, a “cucumber” group and a “gherkin” group were recognized within the collection, based on morphological traits. However, this division was not supported by the SSR data and therefore abandoned.

The Solanaceae Working Group (WG) of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) has established six databases for the crops that form its mandate. These include three major crops (Eggplant, Pepper and Tomato) and three minor crops (Cyphomandra, Pepino and Physalis). The ad hoc meeting of the Solanaceae Database (DB) Managers took place on 14 February 2012, prior to the meeting of the whole Solanaceae WG from 15 to 17 February. Willem van Dooijeweert, Chair of the WG, welcomed the DB Managers and explained the objectives of the meeting. The idea of the ad hoc meeting of DB Managers was brought up at an ad hoc meeting of the Vegetables Network Coordinating Group (18 April 2008, Wageningen, The Netherlands), as a response to the requirement of the initiative for “A European Genebank Integrated System” (AEGIS) that each WG submit lists of accessions for inclusion in the European Collection. The meeting was seen as an opportunity for the five attending DB Managers to exchange knowledge and discuss problems related to the management of the databases and, in particular, to prepare for AEGIS. After the one-day meeting, the DB Managers would propose a common vision of the selection process of European Accessions at the WG meeting that was to follow. Ahead of their meeting, the DB Managers had compiled Excel working files containing all data of each crop, which were extracted from the European Plant Genetic Resources Catalogue (or European Internet Search Catalogue, EURISCO) and the Central Crop Databases (CCDBs).

The European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) is a regional network funded by the European countries and coordinated by Bioversity International. The Vegetables Network with representatives of 42 countries, is one of the crop specific ECPGR networks (http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/ networks/vegetables.html). It consists of six Working Groups (WGs), i.e., on Allium, Brassica, Cucurbits, Leafy Vegetables, Solanaceae and Umbellifer Crops. Sharing responsibilities for the ex situ conservation of European vegetable crops genetic resources is the highest priority of the Vegetables Network. It is foreseen that the rationalization of the collections will lead to higher cost-efficiency, and improvement of plant genetic resources documentation and quality. These efforts will be continued within the framework of the AEGIS initiative (A European Genebank Integrated System) (http://www.aegis.cgiar.org/). Challenges for the Vegetables Network include the identification of the so-called Most Appropriate Accessions (MAA) for each crop for their inclusion in the decentrally managed European Collection, and the development of agreed crop specific technical standards for conservation. Achievements of the Network in recent years include the development of European Central Crop Databases (ECCDBs), quality standards for collection man-agement of seed-propagated crops and cryopreserved material, safety duplication improvement and definition of minimum characterization descriptors. Several EU-funded projects have initiated and accelerated the activities of the WGs. Apart from further improvements within the framework of AEGIS, the Network is planning a number of other initiatives, such as improving collaboration at the global level (Allium), developing molecular characterization protocols (lettuce), filling the gaps in the conservation of wild relatives (Brassica and Umbellifer Crops), and improving the Network’s communication with the scientific community and the public at large.