Our program works to maintain crop biodiversity by increasing the production of new varieties in fruit and vegetable breeding programs, which is a challenge in the vegetable production chain. We mainly work with melon, apple, peach and strawberries.
Part of the research we carry out consists of selecting new varieties with better organoleptic quality and to extend the shelf life of fruits, avoiding wastage.
On the other hand, climate change and globalization have led to the appearance of new risks to crop health in the form of emerging pests and diseases. We are therefore investigating ways to find genes that could help plants resist infection by microorganisms such as fungi or viruses. To this end, our research spans several disciplines, including genetics, genomics, bioinformatics and biotechnology. We also use large-scale phenotyping, metabolomics and digitization to apply artificial intelligence and assisted breeding for genomics. In this way, we work from phenotype to gene to validate plant functions.
Study and improvement of varieties
We generate bioinformatic tools to apply to genetic improvement, variety characterization and visual representation of pedigrees and to identify and control varieties. We develop molecular markers and other genomic tools to increase efficiency and reduce the development time of improved varieties in fruit tree species such as peach, apple, pear and strawberry.
Metabolism
We study the primary metabolism of plants to improve their adaptation to environmental changes.
Plant health
We study the molecular level resistance of the melon plant to CMV virus using a melon germplasm collection and a strain collection.
Biotechnological tools
We use biotechnological tools such as CRISPR/Cas gene editing or viral vectors for the expression and production of molecules of interest in plant matrices.
Melon
We study the climacteric ripening process by performing genetic dissection of the fruit to improve shelf life and reduce food loss in the market.
Fruit trees
We conduct genome-wide association studies to shed light on the genetics of fruit quality, resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, and other agronomic traits, and develop strategies for a rapid and efficient introgression of valuable genes into high-quality varieties.
Strawberries
We compare the genomes between wild and cultivated strawberries to gain more knowledge about taste, sugars, aromas and nutritional quality.
Plants for medicinal therapeutic use
We study genomics and metabolomics in cannabis and other medicinal plants to develop markers for Assisted Selection and to generate prebreeding materials. We have the technology to evaluate the genetics of the lines and their content on specific metabolites, such as cannabinoids or aromas (terpenes).
