Sara Montanari

Education

B.S. Agricultural Sciences 2008, University of Pisa (Italy)

M.S. Science of Plant Production and Protection 2010, University of Pisa (Italy)

Ph.D. Plant Molecular Biology 2015, University of Angers (France) – INRA of Angers (France) Fondazione Edmund Mach (Italy) – Plant & Food Research (New Zealand)

Thesis title: “Identification and mapping of genomic regions controlling fire blight and psylla resistance and hybrid necrosis in pear”.

Research Interest

Quantitative genetics and genomics, plant breeding and marker-assisted-selection in fruit tree crops. In particular, I am interested in studying the existing diversity of pear to unravel the genetic architecture of important phenotypic traits and understand the underlying biological mechanisms, elucidate the evolutionary history of this ancient crop and develop genetics tools, such as genotyping array, to be used by pear scientists and breeders. The final purpose of my line of research is the enhancement of marker-assisted selection in pear, aimed at the development of new high-performance cultivars with improved agronomic characteristics, such as resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses, and dwarfing rootstocks.