Awards: Livia Pappalettere, PhD student at Agrobiosciences, received a special mention for the Young Researcher Award at the Biostimulant World Congress in Milan for her study on the use of bacteria to improve olive rooting

The study on the bacterium Azospirillum baldaniorum Sp245 was awarded at the Biostimulant World Congress. The study stimulates the rooting of olive trees and improves their development during the transplanting phase. This is an important recognition for Livia Pappalettere, PhD student in Agrobiosciences, from the Crop Science Research Center of the Sant'Anna School, who was awarded second place in the selection for the prize dedicated to young researchers, for 'excellent commitment, significant impact on the scientific community and dedication to innovative research in the field of plant biostimulants'.  

The Biostimulant World Congress, held in Milan from 28 November to 1 December 2023, is the most relevant world event on the subject of plant biostimulants. The congress presents cutting-edge research and unpublished results with the common goal of ensuring a sustainable future for the planet. Livia Pappalettere's PhD project focuses on the 'Study of new polymicrobial inoculants to improve the production of herbaceous and tree species'. The study is being conducted under the supervision of Susanna Bartolini, assistant professor at the CROP Research Centre of the Sant'Anna School and Annita Toffanin, assistant professor in Agricultural Microbiology of the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Pisa. 

Cover: Livia Pappalettere at the Biostimulant World Congress. Marta Vasconcelos (Universidade Catolica Portugues), Livia Pappalettere, Patrick Brown (UC Davis), Patrick du Jardin (University of Liegi), Jean Crhristophe Avice (Université de Caen Normandie), Petronia Carillo (Università degli Studi della Campania).