Luca Sebastiani
Title: Professor
Institution: Crop Science Research Center, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
Short biography and experience
Luca Sebastiani research activity is on the study of the defense mechanisms of plants to abiotic stresses, such as, drought, salinity organic and inorganic xenobiotics. During his career he has published over 140 articles in international journals and contributed to the writing of specialized books. He serve as Associate Editor for Agricultural Water Management journal and as Editorial Board member in other international journals specialized in the field of Agricultural Sciences and Plant Biology.
- ORCID or Research gate link if is applicable
Luciana Baldoni
Title: Dr.
Institution: CNR – Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, Division of Perugia, Italy
Short biography and experience (max. 150 words)
Main focus of my research includes the biology, genetics, genomics and breeding of olive, with current activities carried out on:
– genotyping of olive cultivars and wild olive populations;
– functional characterization of genes involved in important metabolic pathways, including oil accumulation, phenol and triterpene synthesis, flowering and fruit ripening;
– sequencing and transcriptome analysis;
– evaluation of plant response to environmental and biological stresses;
– development of SNP, polynucleotide SSR and plastidial markers:
– phenotyping of fruit characters and tree architecture;
– identification of functional markers and QTLs through genetic mapping and genome-wide association studies;
– breeding through intervarietal crossings;
– conservation and evaluation of a large collection of olive genotypes, including varieties, wild olive trees and related subspecies.
- ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6636-0055
Holger Zetzsche
Title: Dr.
Resistances to major pathogenic fungi – breeding progress and recent challenges for resistant crop production of wheat and barley
Institution: Institute for Resistance Research and Stress Tolerance (RS) Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants
Short biography and experience
2021- Research group leader (Crop fungal pathogen interactions) at JKI, RS Quedlinburg, Germany
2013-2020 Scientist at JKI, Quedlinburg, Germany (BRIWECS – Analysis of innovations in disease resistance and grain quality of wheat, SpeedBarley – Expansion of the genetic base and development of new selection strategies for breeding of hybrid barley, WeGa – Analysis of temperature-dependent candidate genes for breeding of wide adaptation cauliflower)
2005-2012 Postdoctoral Fellow, DNA bank curator and lecturer at Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem (BGBM), Freie Universität Berlin, Germany (Establishment of the DNA Bank Network, molecular systematics and DNA based identification of organisms)
2004-2005 Adjunct Assistant Professor, Kent State University, Ohio, USA
Maria Carlota Vaz Patto
Title: PhD, Principal Investigator and Head of the Genetics and Genomics of Plant Complex Traits Lab (PlantX Lab)
Institution: Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB NOVA), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
Short biography and experience
Agronomic Engineer and PhD in Plant Quantitative Genetics, Maria Carlota Vaz Patto leads the Genetics and Genomics of Plant Complex Traits Lab (PlantX Lab) (https://www.itqb.unl.pt/labs/plantx/welcome) at ITQB NOVA, Portugal.
Here they identify the genes controlling complex interesting agronomic traits, as end-users quality or other yield parameters such as resistance to biotic or abiotic stresses, in legumes (common bean and Lathyrus sp.), but also in cereals of national interest (maize). With this fundamental knowledge, they develop molecular tools to support plant breeding programs. Being in favour of a more participatory research, she frequently involves farmers and other stakeholders in their projects. With 87 ISI papers, and more than 190 congress presentations, she is presently Vice President of the International Legume Society (ILS) and Editor-in-Chief of the Legume Perspectives Magazine.
Marek Živčák
Title: Assoc. Prof., Ph.D.
Institution: Department of Plant Physiolgy, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovakia
Short biography and experience:
PhD in Plant and Crop Physiology (2006); Research Fellow (2005-2008), Assistant Professor (2008-2016) and Associate Professor (2016-recent) at Department of Plant Physiology, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia. Expertise in plant and crop physiology, biophysics of photosynthesis, various spectrometric methods for analysis of the photosynthesis in vivo, including different applications of chlorophyll fluorescence technique. The research activities aimed at application of non-invasive methods for in vivo laboratory and field studies of plant and crop responses to environmental constraints, such as drought, high temperature, high light and others. Active participation in EU H2020 project European Plant Phenotyping Network 2020. Experienced external expert – project evaluator and rapporteur for the European Commission (since 2016). Leader of several research projects focused mostly on plant phenotyping using the optical sensors (hyperspectral, fluorescence, RGB, thermal imaging). In addition to large-scale research aimed at practical application of phenotyping techniques for field and indoor screening of crop genetic resources, the small-scale mechanistic laboratory studies focused on plant photoprotective responses in conditions of various environmental factors are performed in a close cooperation with numerous international partners and visiting scientists.
Research gate link:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marek-Zivcak
Nelson Nazzicari
Title: Ph.D.
Institution: CREA – Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture, Viale Piacenza, 29 – 26900 Lodi
Short biography and experience:
a. Nelson Nazzicari is tenured scientist at CREA-ZA, Lodi. His main research interests are on genomic selection for modelization of complex traits and the application of deep learning to agriculture. He has worked on several legumes plants (alfalfa, pea, white lupin, soybean…) curating the full bioinformatics pipeline from sequencing to plant selection. Since 2020 he started teaching at Physalia school of advanced studies. Since 2022 he’s affiliated to the Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity and Molecular Plant Breeding in Zagreb, Croatia
Research gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nelson-Nazzicari
Personal webpage: https://genleg.crea.gov.it/index.php/2022/02/14/nelson-nazzicari/
Rina Kamenetsky-Goldstein
Title: Prof. Dr.
Institution: Institute of Plant Sciences ARO, The Volcani Center, Israel
Short biography and experience:
Prof. Dr. Kamenetsky-Goldstein research interests focus on three major directions: (1) The mechanisms of internal and environmental control of flowering and dormancy in geophytes and herbaceous perennial plants; (2) Strategies and technologies for the development and production of ornamental and edible crops; 3) Plant biodiversity, the introduction of new ornamental plants, and their cultivation in warm regions. She developed an academic course on “The Biology and Production of Geophytes”, and also supervises PhD and MSc students and hosts postdoctoral fellows and foreign trainees in her lab.
The results of her research have been published in more than 200 papers, reported at international meetings and symposia, and summarized in 20 scientific reviews and book chapters. She serves as Israel’s representative to the Council of the International Society of Horticulture Science (ISHS) and Chairperson of the ISHS Working Group on Flower Bulbs and Herbaceous Perennials (2012-2016).
Dr. Kamenetsky-Goldstein is an active participant in international scientific teams, and she has also been invited to take part in numerous international missions, consultations and meetings worldwide.
Research gate link:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rina-Kamenetsky-3
Violeta Anđelković
Title: Dr.sc.
Institution: Maize Research Institute Zemun Polje, Belgrade, Serbia
Short biography and experience:
Head of maize genebank at Maize Research Institute, Zemun Polje. Violeta does research in Food Science and Agricultural Plant Science. Research interest: Drought tolerance in maize (molecular, physiological and agronomic level); Maize genetic resources, diversity, genotyping and phenotyping; Prebreeding and creation of core collections for important traits (drought, grain quality)
She is currently Chair of ECPGR Maize Working Group and Chair of EUCARPIA Maize and Sorghum Section.
ORCID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9746-1281
Research gate link: