Genotyping of the Landolt Duckweed Collection

The project is aimed at the genotyping, through plastid and nuclear molecular markers (TBP), of the whole collection of small aquatic macrophytes (Lemnaceae) known under the name of Landolt Duckweed Collection and currently managed by Dr Lammler in Zurich. This historical collection, the largest in Europe, includes about 500 clones of the 36 known duckweed species, coming from five continents. Accessions have been mostly characterized on a morphological basis, which may cause a high rate of misclassifications in some species, owing to the simplified structure of these tiny plants and the high similarity between some species.

Since long used as environmental bioindicators, duckweeds and renowned for their phytoremediation capacity. Due to their extraordinary fast growth, duckweeds are one of the most promising new crops, under intensive study for energy production and as a source of high quality proteins for animal and human nutrition, already under evaluation as a novel food by EFSA.

Results will be useful to:

• ascertain the classification of all clones, many of which are under study in many laboratories worldwide
• evaluating inter and intraspecific biodiversity
• contribute to duckweed taxonomy
• understanding duckweed evolution.

RABoLa - Sustainable strategies to reduce the use of antibiotics in dairy farming

The project, which involves different departments of the University of Milan (DISAA, DIMEVET, VESPA), researchers from the CNR ISPA and CNR IBBA and the DIANA Department of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Piacenza, aims the primary identification of operative practices for reducing the use of antibiotics in the dairy cow herds. During the study, operative protocols already preliminary tested (administration of Aloe arborescens, use of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris in pre and post dipping, molecules to inhibit Prototheca spp) will be validated during the entire lactation cycle of the cows.

This project will allow breeders to take advantages of new nutraceutical strategies and alternatives to the use of antibiotics, to enhance the innate defences and reduce the incidence and severity of mastitis. The validation of an effective protocol for the selective drying of animals would lead to a reduction of the preventive use of antibiotics, in line with what is requested at European level.

BIO-MEMORY

The project is organized in 3 main activities:

1) Implementation and updating of the BioGenRes network of biobanks, with a focus on nationally/internationally recognized collections of animal, plant or microorganism species samples (animal and plant germplasm banks, microbial strain libraries of pathogenic/toxigenic organisms, nematodes, soil and water microflora and microorganisms used in agro-industry and food (e.g. microbial starters for fermentations)).

2) Replication (rejuvenation) and expansion of material stored in collections. For plant and microbial collections: multiplication of accessions for which a small amount of material is available and rejuvenation of accessions whose seed viability data are below the expected standards (> 85%). For animal collections of zootechnical interest: collection and freezing of genetic material of local breeds to complete sampling carried out in previous projects or expansion of the number of species and breeds stored in cryobanks.

3) Biochemical, molecular, metabolic, functional and phenotypic characterization of the material conserved in the biobanks of the BioGenRes network, also in order to carry out association studies and to identify markers associated with traits linked to production and/or adaptation to biotic and abiotic stress factors.

sPATIALS3 - Improvement of agrifood productions and innovative technologies for a safer and more secure and sustainable nutrition

sPATIALS3 is a technological and research hub involving 12 CNR Institutes belonging to 4 different Departments and 4 companies. Main objectives will be: obtainment of innovative food products improved for their nutritional and functional properties; provision and implementation of precision technologies to guarantee products quality, safety and traceability; development of innovative and eco-sustainable smart– and active-packaging to minimize and reuse wastes, where possible, and to increase food preservability; provision to consumers and producers of tools for results exploitation.

FNS-CLOUD: Food Nutrition and Security Cloud