Its aim is to unlock the potential of Salicornia by investigating its genetic diversity to identify the varieties best suited to improving soil health, increasing the resilience of agricultural ecosystems and creating new production opportunities in areas most affected by climate change.<\/p>\n \u201cWith increasing drought and soil salinisation, identifying crops capable of thriving in areas where cultivation is currently difficult is a crucial challenge for the future of agriculture<\/strong>,\u201d explains Alberto Vangelisti<\/strong>, project coordinator and researcher in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Pisa. \u201cSalicornia, already valued both as a food crop and for its health-promoting properties, could offer new market opportunities for small and medium-sized farmers<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n For the first time, SAGA<\/strong> will systematically analyse the genetic diversity and characteristics of different Mediterranean Salicornia populations<\/strong>. In addition to coordinating the project, the University of Pisa will lead the genomics and bioinformatics activities, from DNA sequencing using advanced technologies to studies linking genetic diversity with plant traits to identify the most promising varieties.<\/p>\n From the second year onwards, field trials will also begin in the four partner countries<\/strong>, where the selected varieties will be tested to assess their effects on agricultural productivity, soil health and microbial biodiversity. Another distinctive feature of the project will be the direct involvement of farmers, technical experts and policymakers through Living Labs, where solutions will be co-designed and tested together with their future users.<\/p>\n \u201cWith SAGA, we aim to fill a significant scientific gap, because despite its enormous potential for sustainable agriculture, Salicornia has never been studied systematically from a genetic perspective,\u201d concludes Alberto Vangelisti. \u201cOur goal is to transform this knowledge into practical tools for selecting the most suitable varieties through scientific collaboration involving both shores of the Mediterranean<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n At the University of Pisa, SAGA is being carried out by a multidisciplinary team from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, coordinated by Alberto Vangelisti<\/strong> and comprising Alberto Pardossi, Antonella Castagna, Francesca Galli, Tommaso Giordani, Susanna Pecchia, Tiziana Lombardi, Tarek Allali, Irene Ventura, Marco Santin, Gabriele Usai<\/strong> and Samuel Simoni<\/strong>. The team brings together expertise ranging from genetics and horticulture to botany, plant pathology and agricultural economics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Known as SAGA, the project aims to study Salicornia’s genetic diversity to support more sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":571064,"menu_order":3,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"tag-notizie-persone":[],"tags_news":[275,205],"categorie":[159],"class_list":["post-572763","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tags_news-department-of-agricultural-food-and-agro-environmental-sciences","tags_news-sostainability","categorie-unipinews-en"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.unipi.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/gruppo_ricerca_unipi_DENTRO.jpg\")