Breeding drought tolerant buckwheat for sustainable Plant Protein production in Italy

Supervisor: Prof. De Paoli Emanuele
Co-Supervisor: Prof.ssa Elisa Marraccini, and Dr.ssa Gabriela Alandia

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) are the two most important cultivated buckwheat species for their nutritional benefit and ecosystem service provided. However, in the context of climate change, buckwheat production can be affected by several abiotic stress such as drought, which causes decrease photosynthesis efficiency, limited vegetative growth, flower abortion, and unable to seed setting or high temperature affecting the pollination and causing flower abortion.

Therefore, this project focuses on utilizing modern genetic tools to enhance the nutritional and agronomic traits of common buckwheat, which is the functional and resilient crop now adays. Through on station experimentation and targeted breeding techniques, the goal is to develop a buckwheat crop better adapted to the fragile environments and maximizing habitat diversity as well as enhancing resilient and reliable production system in soil moisture-scarccme environment.

This initiative aligns with the broader aim of promoting sustainable agriculture and addressing climate change challenges, with the ultimate objective of ensuring reliable buckwheat yields for sustainable plant protein production in Italy. To accomplish the proposed project goal, the researcher will have to do the following major activities i.e variety screening and characterization, high-throughput genotyping, developing a genomic selection model, phenotypic characterization for nutritional and physiological traits, and conducting detailed nutritional analyses.

Biography and Contacts

Getalew Ayizengaw CHANA was born in 1991 in Liben, Amhara Region (Ethiopia). In 2013 He Graduated in Plant Science at Debre Markos University (Ethiopia).

In 2019 He Completed his MSc degree in Agronomy Science at Bahir Dar University (Ethiopia)

In 2022 He Obtained his MSc degree in Plant Breeding through Erasmus Mundus Scholarship (emPLANT) Programme at Institute Polytechnique UniLasalle (France) and EGE University (Turkey).

In December 2023, He Started his Doctoral Course in Agricultural science and Biotechnology at Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Science (DI4A) at the University of Udine (Italy). 

Email: chana.getalewayizengaw@spes.uniud.it, getalewayizengaw@gmail.com

Phone: +39 3473 15 8561