Sofia Casarin
Genomic approaches to find out the genes that differentiate highly and scarcely susceptible grapevine varieties to Flavescence dorée.
(Supervisor: dott.ssa Elisa Angelini)
Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is cultivated worldwide and influences the economy of many countries, both for wine production and table grape consumption. Among the agents that can affect plant health, yield and quality of the final product, phytoplasmas are a serious threat to vineyard survival in several European grape growing areas. In grapevine, phytoplasmas cause grapevine yellows (GY) diseases, which lead to huge losses in grape and wine industry, ranging from a lower yield of berries to plant death. Flavescence dorée (FD) is one of the most destructive GY diseases, and a quarantine pest in the European Community (CE Directive 257/2000). It is transmitted by the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus that is strongly dependent on vine, on which it completes one generation per year. Grapevine varieties completely resistant to FD have not been uncovered yet, however inter and intraspecific differences in susceptibility have already been observed, as poor presence of disease in vineyard, no severe symptoms and recovery ability of the plant. The different behavior among the grapevine varieties suggests the presence of genetic traits in grapevine germplasm related to high or low susceptibility to FD. The aim of the PhD work is to find these genetic traits by means of two methods: 1) to identify Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) by genotyping and phenotyping one segregant population generated by cross between Tocai friulano and Chardonnay, two grapevine varieties with different susceptibility. 2) To uncover the genetic differences in two clones of the same variety with different susceptibility by highly accurate whole genome sequencing, and evaluate the genes differentially expressed with RNAseq during the FD infection of the plants.
Biography and contacts
Sofia Casarin was born in 1991 in Conegliano (Treviso). She obtained her bachelor degree in Biology Science at the University of Ferrara in 2014 with a final grade 104/110, spending her final research internship at AMANC Associations in Queretaro (Mexico) studying a novel method for develop a green roof. From October 2014 to June 2015, she obtained 24 CFU at Plant Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship at the University of Uminho (Braga, Portugal). She graduated in Vegetal Biotechnology master degree at the University of Turin in 2018 with a final grade of 110/110 cum laude; her final thesis was on the use of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), a new class of elicitors, to counteract Plasmopara viticola infection in grapevine. In December 2018 she becomes a trainee at CREA Viticulture and Oenology Research Centre (TV) working on grapevine pathogens, and in October 2019 she enrolled in the Ph.D. School “Agricultural Science and Biotechnology” at the University of Udine, carrying out her research activities at CREA Viticulture and Oenology Research Centre (TV).
Phone: +39 0438 73264