THOUSANDS OF TOMATO QTLS HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED, BUT THERE IS NO INFORMATION TO INDICATE WHAT PROPORTION HAS AN EPIGENETIC BASIS. GENETIC VARIATION IN CULTIVATED TOMATO IS LIMITED, DESPITE SUBSTANTIAL PHENOTYPIC DIVERSITY. THIS IS A TIMELY MOMENT TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPORTANCE OF EPIGENETICS FOR HERITABLE VARIATION IN THIS COMPLEX GENOME. IT WILL BENEFIT OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE FUNDAMENTAL PROCESSES REGULATING GENE EXPRESSION AND THE METABOLOME AND INFORM FUTURE BREEDING STRATEGIES IN TOMATO AND OTHER CROPS. TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF EPIGENETICS IN CROPS WE NEED TO DEVELOP TOOLS TO STUDY THE GENERATION, STABILITY AND EFFECTS OF EPIGENETIC VARIATION IN COMPLEX CROP GENOMES. SEVERAL MAJOR QUESTIONS AWAITING ELUCIDATION INCLUDE; (I) DOES EPIGENETIC VARIATION IMPACT ON CHEMOTYPES AND PHENOTYPES THAT INFLUENCE CROP QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY, (II) IS THIS EPI-VARIATION INHERITED AND STABLE, AND (III) CAN INDUCED EPIGENETIC CHANGES PROVIDE A NEW SOURCE OF VARIATION FOR ENHANCING CROP TRAITS INCLUDING THOSE FOR RESILIENCE AND QUALITY? THE EPI-TOM PROJECT ALSO PROPOSES TO USE HIERARCHICAL METABOLOMICS AS A PRE-BREEDING TOOL FOR IDENTIFYING IMPORTANT FRUIT TRAITS, WITH STATE OF THE ART UNTARGETED CHEMICAL FINGERPRINTING TO RAPIDLY ASSESS METABOLIC VARIATION, FOLLOWED BY TARGETED EVALUATIONS OF DISTINCT METABOLITE DIFFERENTIATORS.BROADER IMPACTGLOBAL FOOD SECURITY IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PRESSING ISSUE. A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE SOLUTION WILL BE THE ABILITY TO BREED NEW FIT FOR PURPOSE VARIETIES, DELIVERING HIGHER YIELDS IN COMBINATION WITH IMPROVED STRESS TOLERANCE AND PRODUCT QUALITY. THIS WILL DEMANDNEW SOURCES OF BIOLOGICAL VARIATIONACCESSIBLE WITHIN ELITE BACKGROUNDS AND SUITABLE FOR MODERN INTENSIVE BUT SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. EPITOM WILL CREATE ANEW EXPLOITABLE PARADIGMIN NATURAL VARIATION. THE OUTPUTS WILL BE IMPORTANT AND NOVEL BECAUSE THEY ADDRESS THE UNDER EXPLORED AND POORLY UNDERSTOOD ROLE OF EPIGENETIC VARIATION. THIS IS ANEW FRONTIERIN HARNESSING NATURAL VARIATION THAT MAY HELP CROPS WITHSTAND ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC STRESS WHILE DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY NUTRITIOUS FOOD PRODUCTS. THE KNOW-HOW FROM THIS PROJECT COULD BE USED BY BREEDERS TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY IN TOMATO ANDTRANSLATEDTO OTHER FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CROPS. THE DATA WILL ALSO BENEFIT RESEARCHERS IN UNIVERSITIES AND INDUSTRY WORKING ON BIOLOGICAL VARIATION AND THE MECHANISTIC BASIS OF PLANT PHENOTYPES. A REVOLUTION IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING PLANT DEVELOPMENT AND THE CONTRIBUTION OF EPIGENETICS TO ANIMAL AND PLANT VARIATION IS UNDERWAY AND THIS INFORMATION WILL BE OFGENERAL INTEREST.