Abiotic stress is a term to describe a complex syndrome of effects of various environmental stress factors (e.g. temperature, water availability, salt, heavy metals, pesticides, UV) if they severely deviate from a ‘normal’ or 'optimal' (non-stress) situation. The overall aim of the project is to generate knowledge and establish tools required to make the most vulnerable stages of the sugar beet life cycle, namely germination and emerged seedlings, more resilient towards abiotic stresses. Due to erratic weather and climate change in temperate growing regions an increase the abiotic stress tolerance during early season stages requires a strategic focus on germination and seedling responses to improve seed quality.