The Fruit Tree Research Institute is one of the twenty three Institutes of the "Ministero per le Politiche Agricole e Forestali" (Ministry for Policy in Agriculture and Forestry) Mi.P.A.F. Founded by Prof. Alberto Pirovano in 1923, has been directed by Prof. Filippo Lalatta then by Prof. Edoardo Branzanti and now, since 1980, by Prof. Carlo Fideghelli.

 The objectives of the Institute are the improvement of the fruit qualities, agronomic techniques, increasing of vegetative multiplication ability of superior genotypes, understanding the correlation between environment and phenotype, conservation of genetic resources.

 Three of the Sub-stations are located at Trento, Forli' and Caserta where studies and experiments are carried out on the species grown under specific climatic conditions of Nord, Centre and South of Italy respectively.

   The Department of Genetic & Fruit Breeding , directed by Dr. Antonino Nicotra since 1982, is carrying out several original projects of genetic improvement on peach, nectarine, apricot, actinidia (kiwifruit) and stone fruit rootstock. Traditional breeding and genetic engineering to reach the aims of breeding programmes. In the traditional breeding, parents are chosen on the basis of their phenotypic desiderable traits to obtain hybrids that combines the better traits of their parents. The results depend on large number of cross combinations.  

 In 40 ha area of experimental fields we have on observation:

• 244 peach cultivar, 135 of nectarines, 39 of stone fruit, 62 of apricot and 15 of plum;

• 16.000 peach and nectarines seedlings (of these 280 peach advanced selections, 160 of nectarines and 40 of stone fruit);

• 5.700 apricot seedlings (171 advanced selections);

• 15 plum advanced selections;

• 2.400 actinidia seedlings (15 advanced selections).

Main objectives and projects of the Breeding Fruit and Pomology Department are:

•  Liste di orientamento varietale dei fruttiferi project; The evaluation and classification of new varieties is based on technical (pomological and agronomical) aspects. The cultivar are classified “of great interest” if they are evaluated suitable for large geographic areas and therefore suitable to be largely diffused; “of local interest” if they are evaluated suitable for limited geographic areas or for local or particular markets; “of poor or scarce interest” if the negative characters are so preponderant that they make it not suitable to be grown. The character “fruit taste” is so important for the cultivar classification that it makes it “of scarce interest” if it is negatively evaluated. This becomes necessary to meet the consumers requirements who often are in bewilderment because of the introduction in the market of cultivar of poor taste and difficultly distinguishable.

• programme "Servizio Nazionale di Certificazione Volontaria";

• peach linkage map integrating RFLPs, SSRs, RAPDs, and morphological markers;

• genetic improvement of the fruit "qualities";(good taste, exstension of ripening time, increase fruit firmness for shipping et);

• to breed new varieties suitable to the northern areas of Italy and low chilling requirements varieties for southern areas;

• to reduce the cost of the production by creating new varieties with different “habitus” (dwarf, semi-dwarf, columnar, weeping, compact and bushy);

• resistance to the major pests and diseases: green aphid, nematodes, Sharka (Plum Pox Virus), Monilinia, Taphrina (Exoascus), Oidium (Prunus ferganensis). This programme is carried out in collaboration with the Research Institute for the Plant  Patology (ISPAVE);

• obtain new high quality and distinctive types of peach ("flat peach" and "ghiaccio peach") and actinidia fruit.

     CONGRESS & MEETING

 Every year the Breeding fruit and Pomology Department organizes two fruit exhibition, the first one on the last saturday of July were is given particularly care to the early fruit selection and cultivar of peach, nectarine plum and apricot, the second one on the last saturday of september to show the cultivar of temperate fruit ripening on the second half of the summer and the early actinidia advanced selections. Several breeders, farmers, scientists and researchers attends the exibhition in which most of the national scientist institutions show fruit selections of their breeding programme.  

  The 2005 fruit exibhitions are on 30 of july (File xls) and  on 24 of september

  DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE OF THE 40^th FRUIT EXHIBITION OF  JULY 31 2004  (file .doc; file .xls  files jpg 1, 2,  3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

                                                                                                                                        SEPTEMBER, 25 2004 (files .doc; xls)

Contact us     

Telephone: +39 067934811 Fax: +39 0679340158

Postal Address:Via di Fioranello 52, 00040 Ciampino Aeroporto-Roma, Italy

E-mail:  

Webmaster Paolo Fantechi  

Home Scientific Staff Stone Fruit Actinidia Gene mapping Pubblications