AppleBIOME brings together the hosting institutions of the Apple Refpop to add the management component into the evaluation of the genetic mechanisms for the response to (a)biotic stresses. Also, apple leaf microbiome will be analyzed to determine microbiome attributes such as diversity parameters, networks and key taxa that are host-regulated and involved in stress resilience. 

AppleBIOME will promote the development of novel varieties that can better respond to climate change-relevant stresses and pave the way towards new agrobiodiversity-based breeding and cultivation systems.