Role: PhD Student
Affiliations:
- Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine
Description:
After scientific studies during the high school, I graduated in “Agricultural Technologies” at the University of Bologna (bachelor’s degree) and in “Viticulture, Enology and Wine Markets” at the University of Udine (master’s degree). During my master thesis I worked on a novel emerging and sustainable approach called spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) which concerns the exogenous application of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) inducing enhanced plant resistance against fungal pathogens. I tested the ability of SIGS to prevent and counteract infection of Botrytis cinereaI subsequently began my Ph.D. project in Agricultural Science and Biotechnology at the University of Udine. The title of my project is “sustainable techniques for improving microbial biodiversity in the vineyard,” and my current researches fall into the viticultural microbiology field. My work is mainly focused on the isolation and characterization of beneficial microorganisms from grapevine tissues and the formulation of synthetic communities that are able to exert biological antagonism against the major grapevine pathogens and promote plant growth and wellness. My ambition is to improve the sustainability of viticulture through the development of innovative techniques in pathogen containment and vineyard management that rely primarily on the application of microbial agents and the development of ad-hoc synthetic communities. For this reason, I am developing, in collaboration with my colleagues, a database of V. vinifera microbial isolates, looking for the best candidates that can be exploited in the viticulture field, thus limiting the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and increasing the sustainability of the sector.
Contacts: marco.sandrini@crea.gov.it
Publications: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0854-4163