My Research targets, applied to Cereal Genetics and in particular Wheat Genetics: genetics of plant adaptive traits (genetics of flowering and maturity, plant architecture and root architecture, drought response), agronomic performance, response to wheat diseases such as leaf rust, powdery mildew, SBCMV, Septoria Tritici Blotch and Fusarium Head Blight.
I've been using molecular genetics to develop mapping populations, mapping and fine mapping loci of agronomic interest, investigating their presence in germplasm collections through association mapping and transferring favourable alleles to breeding materials (pre-breeding).
My Focus: screening of germplasm collections, linkage mapping and association mapping, germplasm characterization for association mapping studies, development of novel molecular markers (gene-derived STS and SNP, candidate gene identification, development of consensus linkage maps, comparative genomics among grass species and re-sequencing of allelic variants, phenotyping under field and greenhouse conditions. Specific experience in polyploid species (tetraploid and hexaploid wheat).
