Ferdinando Branca

Biography

In June 1987 he graduated in Agricultural Sciences, plant production address at the University of Catania with a vote of 110/110 and praise. From 1988 to 1991 he attended the IVth cycle of PhD in "Productivity of Cultivated Plants" at the University of Catania and in May 1992 he obtained his Ph.D. degree from November 1985 to February 1994. 'Institute of Horticulture and Floriculture of the University of Catania as an internal student and from 1987 to April 1992 he has worked professionally with the Institute of Horticulture and Floriculture of the University of Catania for conducting research funded by Different Bodies. From March 1992 to February 1994 he was awarded the biennial scholarship of the CN R., funded under the RAISA project, and in July 1995 he was employed as a researcher at the Faculty of Agriculture in Catania (SSD G02C first and AGR04 after). Since 2007 he has been Associate Professor of the University of Catania for the SSD AGR04 by first taking the DOFATAe to date at DISPA. After graduation, he conducted research on the production of Allium cepa L. and Lactuca sativa L. and studied aspects related to the diversification of horticultural production by deepening biology and adaptation in protected crops of certain orthe species spread in other geographic contexts , neglected and / or notoriously cultivated in the air, and spontaneous flora of food interest. It has initiated for spontaneous herbaceous species of food interest the identification of the diffusion sites, the collection and preservation of propagation materials, the study of the biological characteristics of the collected material and the evaluation of the adaptive culture in air in a cold greenhouse, under various research projects. He has been working continuously since 1994 to collect, characterize and evaluate spontaneous and cultivated species of Brassicaceae. Particular attention has been paid to the Sicilian germiculas of violet cauliflower for which the collection and conservation of local cultivars has been carried out, the characterization of the main morphobiological, agronomic and aromatic traits, the evaluation of the profile of the glucosinolate compounds and the suitability for freezing, the identification of tolerance sources at Xanthomonas campestris pv campestris, and several synthetic and androgenic lines were obtained. He studied the profile of glucosinolate compounds by attending experimental fields and the laboratory of prof. CF Quiros of the Vegetable Crops Department of the University of California (Davis). It has deepened aspects regarding the improvement of vegetable crop production protected under the project "Applying Innovative Technologies for the Improvement of Southern Horticulture" funded by MURST-CNR. He has participated as research manager for various research projects funded by the European Union, the Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry, Agricultural and Forestry Resources, Education and Research, and the Agriculture and Forests of the Sicilian Region. He is a member of the Italian Society of Horticulture (SOI), the Italian Society of Agronomy (SIA) and the International Society of Horticulture Science (ISHS). E 'chair of the Brassica Working Group of the European Coordination Program on Genetic Resources co-ordinated by Bioversity International since 2006 and 2014 is vice chair of the Section Vegetables - Roots, Tubers, Edible Bulbs, Brassica and Asparagus of the International Society for Horticultural Sciences ISHS). He is author of approximately 100 publications relating to the exploitation of germplasm of spontaneous and cultivated species of ortho and officinal interest in the qualification and innovation of the corresponding productions. the Italian Society of Agronomy (SIA) and the International Society of Horticulture Science (ISHS). E 'chair of the Brassica Working Group of the European Coordination Program on Genetic Resources co-ordinated by Bioversity International since 2006 and 2014 is vice chair of the Section Vegetables - Roots, Tubers, Edible Bulbs, Brassica and Asparagus of the International Society for Horticultural Sciences ISHS). He is author of approximately 100 publications relating to the exploitation of germplasm of spontaneous and cultivated species of ortho and officinal interest in the qualification and innovation of the corresponding productions. the Italian Society of Agronomy (SIA) and the International Society of Horticulture Science (ISHS). E 'chair of the Brassica Working Group of the European Coordination Program on Genetic Resources co-ordinated by Bioversity International since 2006 and 2014 is vice chair of the Section Vegetables - Roots, Tubers, Edible Bulbs, Brassica and Asparagus of the International Society for Horticultural Sciences ISHS). He is author of approximately 100 publications relating to the exploitation of germplasm of spontaneous and cultivated species of ortho and officinal interest in the qualification and innovation of the corresponding productions. E 'chair of the Brassica Working Group of the European Coordination Program on Genetic Resources co-ordinated by Bioversity International since 2006 and 2014 is vice chair of the Section Vegetables - Roots, Tubers, Edible Bulbs, Brassica and Asparagus of the International Society for Horticultural Sciences ISHS). He is author of approximately 100 publications relating to the exploitation of germplasm of spontaneous and cultivated species of ortho and officinal interest in the qualification and innovation of the corresponding productions. E 'chair of the Brassica Working Group of the European Coordination Program on Genetic Resources co-ordinated by Bioversity International since 2006 and 2014 is vice chair of the Section Vegetables - Roots, Tubers, Edible Bulbs, Brassica and Asparagus of the International Society for Horticultural Sciences ISHS). He is author of approximately 100 publications relating to the exploitation of germplasm of spontaneous and cultivated species of ortho and officinal interest in the qualification and innovation of the corresponding productions. 

Research Interest

 Conservation and exploitation of germplasm of horticultural and officinal species, seed propagation and production, low environmental impact systems and methods, biometric, biochemical and genetic characterization of vegetable and medicinal products, product innovation and process innovation.