Relevance of the project to the specific call: The ongoing process of global
warming is causing dramatic changes in environmental conditions worldwide.
Predictions show that many regions will become more arid, which will impact on
local crop cultivation. In many Mediterranean Countries grapevine is one of the most
economically and culturally important crop. As a woody perennial plant, grapevine is
particularly sensitive to environmental stresses. Novel and sustainable strategies are
urgently needed to maintain grapevine productivity in future climatic conditions.
Objective of the project. In the last decade, microbiomes have surged as important
players in the physiology of many biological systems. In this project, we aim at
exploiting the natural endophytes biodiversity existing in wild and cultivated
grapevines in different regions of the Mediterranean, characterized by diverse
environmental conditions, from arid areas such as Algeria to Sicily, to study their
contribution to grape tolerance to drought stress.
Methodology. Microbial associations conferring the highest resistance to drought
stress will be selected in controlled conditions. Plants will be characterized at
physiologi
Deadline 15/12/2022
Programme PRIMA Section 2 Call 2020
Institute IBBR – Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources
Contact Davide Pacifico davide.pacifico@ibbr.cnr.it
Role PARTNER