THE FARM

Research projects

The European fruit industry is facing significant economic challenges, dictated by:

  • growing international competition,
  • reduced consumption,
  • demand for more sustainable production,
  • biological problems due to climate change.

FruitBreedomics

Daniele Neri Vivai is taking part in the FruitBreedomics project, which is an ambitious European project aiming at improving and using the most recent methods, technologies and knowledge to increase the efficiency of current fruit rearing.

This way it will be possible to bridge the gap between scientific research and the application of genetics in fruit growing.

FruitBreedomics adopts a multidisciplinary approach (through genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, ecophysiology) in order to:

  1. develop new and appropriate tools;
  2. study a wide range of characteristics to broaden the cover of selection criteria;
  3. analyse and use the wide genetic diversity available;
  4. make the results of the research (i.e. genetic markers and genes, innovative tools and methods and so on) straight applicable for farmers;
  5. create a net of stakeholders.

The project, the brainchild of an international consortium, focuses most of all on apples and peaches, two important fruits in Europe (even though a lot of tools and pieces of knowledge acquired will also benefit other species belonging to the Rosaceae family, through the relations existing between these two species).

Some figures:
- the consortium is made up of 24 partners: 18 research institutes in Europe, Israel, South Africa, New Zealand and China, and 6 small and medium-sized enterprises
- the project started on 1st March 2011 and will finish on 31st August 2015
- total budget: 10 million euros co-financed by the European Union FP7 (Seventh Frame Work Programme 2007-2013) with 6 million euros