Europatat is excited to be one of the consortium partners of the new POMATO project (Effective management strategies to tackle Clavibacter sepedonicus and Ralstonia solanacearum outbreaks on POtato and toMATO crops) which address the growing threat of bacterial diseases affecting vital horticultural crops. Funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme, with a total budget of €6.5 million, this four-year initiative aims to minimize crop losses and enhance sustainability across agricultural systems in Europe and Latin America.
The project officially kicked off with a two-day meeting held on May 13–14, 2025, hosted by the coordinating institution, Universidad de Burgos (UBU). The event brought together the full POMATO consortium, including Europatat, to align on goals and launch collaborative activities. Watch a short video summarising the meeting here below.
Led by UBU, the POMATO consortium includes 16 partners: universities, research institutes, SMEs, agrochemical companies, and farmers from Europe and Latin America. This diverse collaboration reflects the urgent need for integrated, sustainable crop protection strategies in the face of increasing pathogen pressure, climate variability, and tighter regulations on chemical pesticide use.
POMATO specifically targets Clavibacter sepedonicus and Ralstonia solanacearum, two of the most destructive bacterial pathogens threatening solanaceous crops. These EPPO A2listed quarantine pests pose serious phytosanitary and economic risks within the EU and globally. In response, the project will deliver integrated pest management (IPM) solutions that are field-tested, natural, and environmentally sound. These will combine advanced early detection technologies, biological control methods, and digital decision-support tools. A safety and sustainability assessment (SSbD Framework) of POMATO’s solutions will be carried out since their development phase making them safer and more sustainable.
Field trials and validation activities will take place in both greenhouses and naturally infected fields across Europe and Latin America, ensuring the solutions are scalable and adaptable to diverse climatic and agricultural conditions. Alongside technical innovations, the project will assess socio-economic impacts and propose policy recommendations aligned with the SSbD Framework.
Key innovations of the POMATO project include:
- Portable diagnostic and sensor technologies with over 90% detection accuracy
- Nature-based control agents, including bio-control coatings and chemoperceptiondisrupting compounds
- A multi-actor engagement model involving farmers, researchers, industry, and policy stakeholders
- Integration of solutions into practical, sustainable IPM strategies
Europatat will be involved in communication and dissemination activities, and will help develop policy recommendations linked to the results of the project.
For more information:
- Check the official Press Release
- Visit the website www.pomato.eu
- Follow the project on X, LinkedIn. and YouTube
