Project

Italy is the first European rice producer, with more than 50% of the total paddy production. Increased productivity and quality stability, resistance to actual and emerging diseases, resistance to old and new environmental constraints such as cold, drought stress and salty soils are major requirements to provide Italian rice production chain to sustain competitiveness at the international level. Industry and consumers’ request are driven by market, tradition, and well recognized search for quality. Farmers need new and more competitive varieties, adapted to the market’s request and tailored to sustain economically profitable cultivation joined to an environmentally friendly agrosystem: the actual rice production chain does not completely meets such requests important traits and associated mechanisms conferring elite characters to the plant.

RISINNOVA general objective is the set up of genetic/genomic approaches to afford development of an innovative Italian rice producing chain, to provide producers and industry with more competitive varieties suitable for inner as well as international markets. To this aim, an integrated research network, including the most experienced Italian research teams in the areas of interest, and international collaborations, has been set up. Genomics-assisted breeding will be strongly facilitated by tools and knowledge developed in this project.

RISINNOVA is structured into activities, training and technology transfer.

WP1. Genetic and genomic approaches to improve protection against the main rice diseases.

WP2. Genetic and genomics strategies for protection of rice from major abiotic stresses (water shortage, saline stress, thermal stress).

WP3. Genetic and functional diversity of rice-associated microbial communities.

WP4. Genomic analysis systems applied to biodiversity.

WP5. Dissemination, training and technology transfer.

The Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Lab is involved mainly in WP2, with the aim to focus on the mechanisms of tolerance to one of three main environmental constraints: saline soils. This target has been chosen according to an analysis of major abiotic constraints occurring in the rice growing Italian areas, also considering recent climate changes and agro-ecological cultivation conditions. Results are targeted to the identification of genotypes/genes suited for introduction of resistant traits into new varieties, and associated molecular tools for assisted breeding.