A group of New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPBT) has opened unprecedented opportunities in agriculture. Those NPBTs are at least as efficient and often more precise than previous traditional and GM techniques, while circumventing the introduction of heritable transgenes from distant species in the plant genome. Properly communicated, NPBTs are expected to gain wide acceptance, especially when applied to breeding objectives which are seen as beneficial for the society. A well-perceived objective is Molecular Farming, which refers to the use of plants for the production of valuable biomolecules (e. g. biopharmaceuticals). Cultivated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and its close Australian relative Nicotiana benthamiana, are preferred species in Molecular Farming due to their favourable features: non-food crops, easy tissue regeneration, high productivity, rich secondary metabolism and availability of genetic tools. In sharp contrast, traditional tobacco cultivation is in serious decline in the EU, causing serious social problems in many rural areas. NEWCOTIANA aims to revitalize those areas by breeding efficient Nicotiana biofactories of high-value non-smoking products as alternatives for traditional tobacco crops. NEWCOTIANA will develop the most advanced tobacco NPBTs toolbox, easily transferable to other plants. This will position EU in the avant-garde of breeding innovation. This toolbox will be used to create elite multipurpose Nicotiana varieties improved in product-specific traits (bioproduct quality, stability and yield), next to more general traits as biomass, resilience and biosafety. The “Newcotiana” varieties will be carefully tested in relevant pre-industrial environments for the production of end-value chemicals, namely proteins and metabolites for health and nutriceutical use. Ethical, social and legal aspects will be closely monitored and public and stakeholder engagement will be assured using innovative science communication methodologies.

Plants evolved diverse strategies, including the production of specialized metabolites to adapt to changing environments. These specialized metabolites are often linked to glandular trichomes (GTs) density. To study GT’s biology, cultivated tomato and their wild relatives are considered ideal models, varying in GT types (I, IV, VI, VII) and associated metabolites. While type IV GTs, rich in acyl sugars (AS), persist throughout the life cycle of wild tomatoes, in cultivated varieties, they explicitly appear in early stages (especially on hypocotyl and cotyledons). AS provides resistance to various pathogens, including whiteflies, a significant threat to global tomato production. Although the role of type IV GTs and AS in adult plant resilience is understood, their regulation at the juvenile stage remains unknown. This study aims to address these knowledge gaps, employing an integrative OMICS approach in the early developmental stages of cultivated tomato and their wild relatives. While factor like plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) is known to influence the development of type VI GTs and terpenoid metabolism, the JA-mediated regulation of type IV GTs and AS metabolism remains unidentified. The present proposal aims to tackle these crucial knowledge gaps by utilizing combinatorial forward and reverse genetics approaches. Furthermore, this project aims to explore the ecological functions of type IV GTs and AS in shaping the plant microbiome at the cotyledon stage, a yet unknown aspect of plant fate. Through an interdisciplinary approach, including genetics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and microbiome analysis, the research aims to offer comprehensive insights into plant defense mechanisms and adaptation strategies in early developmental stages. The outcomes of this research will revolutionize our understanding of plant resilience at juvenile stages, thereby contributing to the progress of sustainable agriculture and offering new opportunities for crop improvement.

CHIC is the Chicory Innovation Consortium. Its objective is 1) to implement New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPBTs) in chicory in order to establish it as a multipurpose crop for the production of health-related products with clear benefits for consumers, and 2) to develop co-innovation pathways with stakeholders for game-changing technologies, such as NPBTs. CHIC will develop four different NPBTs. They will be used to steer bioprocesses in chicory and mobilize its under-explored potential to produce immunomodulatory prebiotics and medicinal terpenes. The conceptually different NPBTs will be assessed with respect to technological potential, risks, regulatory framework and their socio-economic impacts. This will be done in close consultation with a Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) composed of relevant stakeholders in industry and society. Ongoing project activities and results will be discussed with stakeholders and communicated to interested public using innovative methods including cultural communication and linking art to science. In this context, CHIC will develop two business cases in different application areas, inulin as healthy food ingredient and terpenes as medicinal lead compounds. This effort requires a highly interdisciplinary approach with expertise from molecular sciences, economy, arts, social sciences & humanities, and legislation. The partnership includes three SMEs and a chicory end-user, and international collaboration is established via a research institute in New Zealand. The SAG plays a crucial role in consultation in all phases and activities of the project. Via this co-innovation approach, we aim to contribute to leadership in responsible research innovation and to promote improved understanding of plant biotechnology. Chicory will be boosted as a robust multipurpose crop, tolerant to adverse environmental conditions from which bioactive compounds can be extracted, contributing to sustainable agriculture and a biobased economy.