APPLIED PLANT GENETICS AND GENOMICS FOR IMPROVING RESISTANCE TO XYLELLA FASTIDIOSA
Abstract
The genetic improvement of crop plants is a key strategy to adapt agricultural production to climate change, invasive pathogens, higher demands on product quality and quantity, and product differentiation. Conventional breeding is a long-established strategy for crop improvement, but it can take many years to bring innovative crosses onto the market and, in addition, can lead to the loss of distinctive traits of elite cultivars. The direct transfer of genes and other genetic elements into elite crops produces genetically modified (GM) varieties with desirable features much more rapidly than conventional breeding, but the GM –derived plant materials are hampered by health and environmental safety concerns. Actually, the limitations of conventional breeding and GM technology can be overcome by genome editing, which accelerates basic research and plant breeding by allowing the rapid introduction of targeted mutations. The cultivated olive (Olea europaea, subsp. europaea, var. europaea) is one of the most important oil crops in the world and 95% of total olive oil production derives from the Mediterranean Basin. The olive crop counts a very rich varietal heritage, represented by more than 1,200 named cultivars, over 3,000 minor cultivars and an uncertain number of genotypes including pollinators, local ecotypes, and centennial trees. Among these, only a few have a large area of cultivation and a clear impact on the production of oil and table olives. Contrariwise, the availability of a large set of well characterized and highly different cultivars is critical to increase the ability to face new agronomical challenges and future climatic constraints, diversifying the gene pools and preserving unique genetic traits currently available. The overall objective of the project is to develop genomics tools and to identify the bases of resistance to Xf for their application in germplasm screening, genomics-assisted breeding and generating new Xf-resistant olive genotypes. To reach this ambitious objective, critical steps are the generation and analysis of massive genomic datasets, the establishment of transformation and regeneration tools from single and multiple cell explants for a successful application of DNA-free genome editing protocols. To address the challenges posed by the notorious recalcitrance of olive in vitro manipulations, EU and national research centers representing leading research teams in genomics, genetic improvement technologies and in vitro cultures are being involved.
- Xyllela fastidiosa
- olive
- genetic and genomic assessment
- olive-Xylella-microbiome interactions
- Resistance or tolerance mechanisms
Project staff
Anna Keutgen
Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing.sc.agr. Dr.sc.agr. Anna Keutgen
anna.keutgen@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-95211
BOKU Project Leader
01.06.2023 - 31.05.2027
Eduviges Glenda Borroto Fernandez
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Eduviges Glenda Borroto Fernandez
eduviges.borroto-fernandez@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-79011, 79016
Project Staff
01.06.2023 - 31.05.2027
Norbert Keutgen
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Norbert Keutgen
norbert.keutgen@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-95217
Project Staff
01.06.2023 - 31.05.2027
Margit Laimer
Ao.Univ.Prof.i.R. Dr.phil. Margit Laimer
margit.laimer@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-79010
Project Staff
01.06.2023 - 31.05.2027
BOKU partners
External partners
University of Brescia
none
partner
Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Dr. Maria Saponari
coordinator
UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DI PERUGIA
none
partner
SAPIENZA UNIVERSITÀ DI ROMA
none
partner
University of Basilicata
none
partner
University of Bari Aldo Moro
none
partner
POLITECNICO DI BARI
none
partner
ASSOCIAZIONE ISTITUTO DI GENOMICA APPLICATA
none
partner
CENTRO DI RICERCA, SPERIMENTAZIONE E FORMAZIONE IN AGRICOLTURA BASILE CARAMIA
none
partner
UNIVERSITY OF MALAGA
none
partner