Ti trovi qui: Home » Research topics

RESEARCH TOPICS FOR XXXVIII CYCLE – Selection procedure for one position with grant on the specific topic “Study and exploitation of Brassicales plant species attracting honeybees and other pollinators, for providing and/or enhancing ecological services in agriculture”

Title of the Research Topic: Study and exploitation of Brassicales plant species attracting honeybees and other pollinators, for providing and/or enhancing ecological services in agriculture

1 (one) position with grant funded by Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria(CREA)

Scientific Tutor: Prof. Nicola Pecchioni

 

Research topic:

Aim of the research is to valorise spontaneous species of the Brassicales order, traditionally known as alimurgic, dyeing, or officinal plants, for their attractiveness to pollinators, potentially linked to the profile and content of glucosinolates (GSLs), an important class of secondary metabolites particularly abundant in these species and with potential nutritional and nutraceutical properties for insects.

Some edible and/or officinal spontaneous species, owned by the Research Centre for Cereal and Industrial Crops of CREA (CREA-CI), will be chosen for their different flowering time: early, late or continuous flowering, to guarantee an as long as possible nourishment for insects.

The research activities of the PhD project will include the characterization and maintenance of the collection of Brassicales at CREA-CI, the set-up of field experiments with the selected species, with characterization of phenological growth stages from emergence to seed harvest and a series of other morpho-agronomical traits, by traditional and innovative phenotyping, the chemical characterization of GSLs of the aerial plant tissues (stem, leaves and flowers) during flowering time, and the capture and classification of the visiting insects. The flowering tissues of the most attracting species will be collected at fixed time intervals to evaluate the possible correlation between pollinator visits and GSL content and/or structure.

The most interesting tissues will be finally used for the development of formulations, enriched in GSLs, for the feeding of honeybees. The nutraceutical effect will be explored in laboratory tests carried out in a controlled environment and in field.

For a successful realization of the project, the candidate will spend a period of at least 6 months in laboratories where she/he could develop knowledge in observation, capture, and identification of visiting pollinators, and/or in chemistry of secondary metabolites.