Turin Headquarter

The aim of the Project is to identify genes of insect vectors involved in specificity of phytoplasma transmission mechanisms by verifying their role in vivo through functional analysis. Customized molecular reagents, such as recombinant phytoplasma membrane proteins and specific antibodies, will be produced and characterized. These molecules will be used for the analysis of protein interactions with different species of vectors, allowing to identify the insect proteins involved in the interaction with phytoplasmas. RNA interference (RNAi) technique will be used to silence insect genes coding for the proteins previously identified,…

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Hazelnut cultivation in Piedmont is a rapidly growing agricultural sector characterized by: i) constant and significant increase in the total area planted; ii) high quality profile of its production, based on the cultivar ‘Tonda Gentile Trilobata’ (TGT). This favorable situation is contrasted by the negative impact of climate change on agriculture. Water is a precious resource, and it is now necessary to optimize its use in a more sustainable manner also by powering the selection of rootstocks and new genotypes. The aims of BREEDINCORE are: i) to study the behavior…

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Phosphorus is an essential compound for wheat growth. Due to massive phosphorus fertilizer applications from the 60’s to the mid 80’s, phosphorus availability from the soil is, nowadays, not a major issue for bread wheat in most Western European countries. Nevertheless, recent studies demonstrated that it could become a real threat for wheat production by 2030 because of the constant decrease of fertilizer applications. Indeed, it has been several years that the phosphorus inputs are lower than exports (harvested crop organs), causing a serious depletion of available phosphorus concentrations in…

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RESCHEDULE principal goal is to develop scientifically-informed  and locally-adapted solutions that improve the resilience of smallholder farms to climate change (SOM and nutrient depletion, desertification, erosion). Solutions targeting mainly on soil health restoration consistent with agroecology principles (no tillage, intercropping, tolerant to abiotic factors genotypes, soil microbiota) will be evaluated in an environmental gradient to design appropriate transition pathways of resilient and sustainable smallholder farms. It considers particularities in cropping systems (perennial vs annual) and environmental conditions for developing tailored solutions by implementing activities rooted in agroecology principles. Activities will…

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OPTIMUS PRIME pursues the use of bioresources (including natural compounds and soil microorganisms) as seed priming treatments to improve resilience of widespread commercial varieties and local adapted landraces of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. Mill) to the combination of water deficit, high temperatures and the incidence of two important tomato pests. Specifically, OPTIMUS PRIME will investigate i) the priming effect of different natural products and biological (AMF and PGPB) agent combinations against the concurrent incidence of high temperatures, water deficit and attack of Tuta absoluta and Tetranychus evansi on commercial tomato…

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The aim of VIROPLANT is to apply NGS technology and empirical biological experiments to develop new environmentally friendly virus-based control strategies to manage bacterial, fungal and insect vector-transmitted diseases (phytoplasmas and viruses) as well as insect pests. VIROPLANT will create a database of new viruses (and virus derived biotechnological products) to increase the arsenal for the control of plant diseases caused by the most important biotic stresses. Different NGS and bioinformatics approaches will be applied to explore the virome diversity, including latent infections that can be potentially exploited for new…

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