Funded by Sofiprotéol, the TEMPO project (short for Sunflower’s adaptation to new environments with low TEMPerature and Oxygen level) brings together five partners, including three breeding companies — SOLTIS, RAGT, and MAS SEEDS. The project’s goal is to support the expansion of sunflower cultivation into earlier spring sowings and more northern or cooler regions than those currently in use.
To achieve this, genetic improvements are needed to help sunflowers tolerate early sowing in cold or waterlogged soils, which can result in hypoxic conditions according to a press release.
Led by Chloé Elmerich of Soltis, the project officially launched with an online kickoff meeting, attended by 16 participants, including seven from the GEVES team.
GEVES contributes to three key areas:
- Developing a spectral method for evaluating cold tolerance using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS)
- Measuring seed pericarp thickness with X-ray microtomography to study its impact on seed vigor
- Phenotyping heterotrophic seedling growth under cold conditions
The BioGEVES biochemical team is leading the work on NIRS, while two laboratories from the French Seed Testing Station are handling the remaining tasks using tools from the Phenotic platform.
The next project steering committee is scheduled for January 2026 and will be hosted by GEVES in Beaucouzé. Initial results will be shared, and planning for the next phase of trials will be discussed.
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