The team

The research unit of the University of Siena (Department of Life Sciences) will be involved in issues related to pollen and pollen tubes. UNISI will participate in the evaluation of pollen quality in both control and stressed plants (in collaboration with the other research units). This step is a prerequisite to evaluate the effects of temperature stress on pollen function, which will be analyzed both in planta and in vitro. The analysis carried out by UNISI will allow us to draw a cytological profile of the pollen and of the effects induced by temperature stress. This cytological profile will then be accompanied by the characterization of molecules and proteins that act as targets but also as barriers to stress conditions.

The University of Catania (UNICT) will participate in the project through the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment. The working team of UNICT has a solid experience in fruit tree breeding, genetic transformation, differential gene transcription analysis and molecular characterization using different types of molecular markers. With specific reference to the subject of this project, the team has already achieved remarkable results and has deeply studied the reproductive biology of citrus species. The research unit UNICT will address aspects related to the reproductive biology development of citrus species and varieties in field and controlled conditions.

The Research Unit of the University of Bologna is currently part of the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences. The Research Unit has a long experience in the study of pollen biology and in the framework of this project it will carry out a transversal activity by studying the viability of pollen and its capacity to form a pollen tube after temperature stress, as well as the role that some molecular factors in floral biology have on the mechanism of pollen fertilization. The research will focus on the study of stress effects, the analysis of the stages of pollen development in anthers by spectrophotometric and histological quantification of reactive oxygen species, and the evaluation of scavenging enzyme activity.