International Solanaceae Genomics Project (SOL)
Systems Approach to Diversity and Adaptation

Over the coming decade the International Solanaceae Genome Project (SOL) will create a coordinated network of knowledge about the Solanaceae family aimed at answering two of the most important questions about life and agriculture:
  • How can a common set of genes/proteins give rise to such a wide range of morphologically and ecologically distinct organisms that occupy our planet?
  • How can a deeper understanding of the genetic basis of diversity be harnessed to better meet the needs of society in an environmentally-friendly way?
On this page, you will find more information about the strategy used to answer these questions. A whitepaper is available with more details. It contains contributions from Solanaceae scientists around the world. The whitepaper and the accompanying Powerpoint presentation are meant to be resources for people who want to write grants in the International Solanaceae framework. All texts and images can be used freely.
SOL sites around the world 
  • AFRI-SOL The African SOL initiative, focusing on African Solanaceae plants and information exchange.
  • Lat-SOL - South American SOL laboratories
  • SRCUK - Solanaceae Research Community in the United Kingdom
SOL Newsletters 
SOL White Paper 
Updated whitepaper [Sept 4, 2004]
The updated whitepaper is now conveniently available in 5 parts:
[pdf] Part I – The SOL vision
[pdf] Part II – Solanaceae Crops
[pdf] Part III – Solanaceae Countries [updated August 9, 2005]
[pdf] Part IV – Tomato Sequencing Strategy
[Google doc] Part V – Bioinformatics Standards and Guidelines
[ppt] SOL Project presentation slides [updated December 31, 2003]
International Solanaceae Meeting, Nov 15, 2003 
Location: Washington, D.C. (Holiday Inn Dulles International)

Date: November 3, 2003

The purpose of the meeting was to determine the feasibility, utility, strategy and level of international interest/commitment for sequencing the tomato genome as a reference for the family Solanaceae and other closely related plant families. The workshop brought together and international group of scientists to discuss:
  1. the current status of Solanaceae research - including aspects of plant biology for which Solanaceous species are a preferred model,
  2. the impact of sequencing the tomato genome on research in the Solanaceae and plant biology in general,
  3. sequencing strategy,
  4. mechanisms by which such a sequencing project can be conducted as part of a multinational consortium, and 5) strategies for sequence information management, curation and public dissemination.
Complete meeting summary: [html] [pdf (U.S. letter)] [pdf (A4)] [doc]
SOL Bioinformatics pages 
Refer to the SOL bioinformatics pages with meeting notes, powerpoint slides, etc
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