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Molecular characterization of fungi from Saccardo's mycological herbarium The main objective of this research project is the molecular identification of fungal specimens belonging to one of the most important collections in the world: Pier Andrea Saccardo's mycological herbarium. This collection, preserved at the Botanical Garden of Padua, has a special scientific importance due to the presence of various specimens that have been used by Saccardo for the morphological descriptions of new fungal species and are therefore known as types. For this purpose, it will be necessary to develop a method for the extraction of DNA from ancient herbarium material and to select specific molecular markers to be used for the univocal identification of the species in the collection. Then, the obtained data will be used for the creation of a database, accessible to the national and international mycological community, in which the analyzed species of the collection will have linked the relevant molecular information used for their identification. Floral evolution of Nymphaeales using MADS-box genes as markers Nymphaeales is an order of aquatic plants placed to the base of the angiosperms phylogeny that includes three families: Nymphaeaceae, Cabombaceae and Hydatellaceae (APG III system of flowering plant classification, 2009). The study of MADS-box genes involved in the floral development of some Nymphaeales’ members could offer insights in their phylogeny. This research line aims to obtain sequences of MADS-box genes from representative species of the Nymphaeales’ families, to use these molecular data to investigate the relationships between these families, and to improve information about the aspect of some of the earliest flowers that appear in the history of angiosperms. Plant endo-microbiome: towards a sustainable crop management By influencing metabolic and biochemical pathways, beneficial bacterial communities, harbored within plant tissues can interact with their hosts. This project aims to characterize beneficial traits of endophytes, isolated from Vitis vinifera, for their potential utility, as alternative environmentally friendly approach, in plant growth promotion and stress alleviation. In parallel we are considering the biological control as innovative strategy which involves the use of beneficial organisms (bacteria) able to cope with plant pathogens, directly interacting with them by the production of many antimicrobial molecules. Among these metabolites, we are investigating lipopeptides. Insights into biocontrol effects are pivotal to develop new agricultural practices for decreasing plant pathogens and negative impact of agricultural chemicals on the environment.

a) molecular identification of fungal specimens from the historical Saccardo’s collection, known at international level and conserved in the Herbarium of the Botanic Garden belonging to Padova University; b) study of MADS-box genes that are expressed in the floral buds and in the reproductive structures of basal angiosperms that belong to the Nymphaeales order, with the purpose to better understand the MADS-box genes expression pattern involved in these species, thus contributing to an update of the ‘ABC(D)E’ model in these organisms. c) characterization (by molecular, biochemical, physiological approaches) of microbial endophytes, living in grapevine inner tissues, for their potential application to improve crop productivity and plant disease biocontrol.