International recognition: a study on agricultural genetics wins the award for best presentation at the Rank Prize Symposium on nutrition

Ettore Riccucci, research fellow in Agricultural Genetics at the Institute of Plant Sciences of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, won the prize for best presentation at the Rank Prize Symposium on Nutrition, awarded every two years in the fields of nutrition and optoelectronics.
Riccucci's work, entitled “From sequences to biology: preliminary forays into the tef pangenome”, demonstrated the possible applications of genomic data generated on 23 genotypes to biological problems. This line of research, connected to the activities of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies as part of the special AfricaConntect project, has the long-term goal of generating advanced resources to accelerate the development of teff (Eragostis tef) varieties that are better suited to the needs of farmers and consumers. The study of the genetic diversity characteristic of this species will allow its potential to be fully expressed, generating opportunities for sustainable agriculture and strengthening food security in Africa.

Riccucci recently discussed his doctoral thesis in Agrobiosciences and works within the Translational Plant Genomics research group coordinated by Prof. Matteo Dell'Acqua.
The honour Student Giorgia Di Santolo also participated in the Rank Prize Symposium, presenting her important contribution to the reconstruction of 23 genomes.

The Rank Prize Symposium

The Rank Prize Symposium was an opportunity to meet and discuss strategies for improving crops that are currently little known but have great potential due to their important nutritional values and adaptability to climate change. The Translational Plant Genomics research group at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies plays an important role in the study of the genetic diversity of teff, a gluten-free cereal that is the staple food for over 120 million people in East Africa, mainly in Ethiopia. The group has assembled the genomes of 23 genotypes and is developing a multiparental population to identify genomic loci associated with phenotypic traits important for the improvement of this species.