Results

Summary of the results

Work Package 2 (Soil function, biodiversity and water management) and Work Package 3 (Safety and quality of products)

Work package 4 (Quantitative and qualitative assessment of potential impacts)

The crop-livestock integration trajectory in Jahjouka, Larache Province, northern Morocco – English version

The crop-livestock integration trajectory in Jahjouka, Larache Province, northern Morocco – French version

The crop-livestock integration trajectory in Jahjouka, Larache Province, northern Morocco – Arabic version

PUBLICATIONS

Rheological, Technological, and Nutritional Profile of Sustainable Crops: Bread Wheat Evolutionary Populations

Authors: Chiara Natale, Elena Galassi, Francesca Nocente, Federica Taddei, Silvia Folloni, Giovanna Visioli, Salvatore Ceccarelli, Gianni Galaverna and Laura Gazza. Published in Foods 2025, 14, 3821. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14223821

Abstract: The present research aimed to design innovative wheat cultivation systems that are less resource-intensive, promote biodiversity, and show greater resilience to both biotic and abiotic stress. It was focused on the cultivation and characterization of two evolutionary populations (EPs) of common wheat, namely EP_Floriddia and EP_Li Rosi, grown in Italy, over two growing seasons. The EPs were cultivated in organic management under legume or wheat precessions. Physico-chemical analyses included thousand kernel weight (TKW), test weight (TW), and ash content. Location and genotype mostly influenced TKW; TW, instead, was affected only by year. Wholemeal flour from each sample was assessed for protein content (PC), total starch (TS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and total dietary fiber (TDF). Protein content was higher on leguminous precessions than on wheat; the opposite behavior was observed for TS. The growing season predominantly impacted on TAC and TDF values. Technological and rheological parameters such as alveograph W and P/L value, SDS sedimentation test, farinograph quality, gluten index, and falling number revealed EP_Li Rosi as the best for baking aptitude, although both EPs were characterized by weak gluten. These findings support the use of EPs under legume precession as an agroecological approach to pursue agrifood biodiversity, quality, and sustainability.

Can perennials plants be used to improve soil health in drought affected Mediterranean regions?

Authors: Charlotte Vedere, Widad Benziane, Axel Felbacq, Younes Hmimsa, Salama El Fatehi, Abad Chabbi, Laura Gazza, Gianni Galaverna, Cornelia Rumpel. Published in Soil Security 21 (2025) 100209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soisec.2025.1002090209

Abstract: With climate change, drought is expected to intensify in Mediterranean areas, calling for crop system adaptations. Cultivation of perennial grains could address these issues due to permanent cover and ability to enhance soil health while increasing resilience and reduced input requirements. Our aim was to assess the performance of new perennial grains, and their effects on soil functioning in Morocco. We conducted a two-years experiment and analysed soil health and agronomic parameters across four crop species annual durum wheat, perennial wheat species, two new perennial wheat lines, and undisturbed forest. All perennials received less fertilizer inputs than annual wheat. Soil health was evaluated using Biofunctool®, a functional assessment framework analyzing three core soil functions: structure maintenance, nutrient cycling, and carbon transformation. As expected, the forest showed the highest health scores. Scores under annual wheat were comparable. In contrast, the perennial specie had lowest scores. Cultivation of new perennial wheat lines showed contrasting values, with one line showing similar soil health than the forest soil. The systems differed by higher total NO₃^– in
annual crops and forest while higher available NO₃^– were observed in perennials and annual crops. As well higher aggregate stabilities were found in forest. The highest grain yields were provided by new perennial grains with similar thousand kernel weight than those observed for annual wheat, despite no fertilisation. We conclude that under Mediterranean conditions, well selected perennial grains can ensure yields, with less external inputs while showing positive effects on soil health supporting their relevance for agroecological transitions.

Unveiling the root–rhizosphere environment
of perennial wheat: a metabolomic perspective

Authors: Gianluigi Giannelli, Sophia Luche, Laura Righetti, Paolo Bonini, Laura Gazza, Gianni Galaverna, Giovanna Visioli. Published in BMC Plant Biology 25:942 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-07008-5

Abstract: Perennial grain roots grow continuously, enhancing soil carbon sequestration and forming a “holobiont” with the microbiome, essential for nutrient acquisition and stress resilience. Consequently, perennial grains serve as ideal models for investigating long-term dynamics between root systems and the rhizosphere environment. Despite their potential, the rhizosphere environment of perennial grains remains underexplored. This research utilizes an untargeted metabolomic approach to characterize the root–rhizosphere molecular signals in four new perennial grain (NPGs) lines named 235a, 280b, 11,955, and OK72, across four years of growth.
Metabolomic analysis annotated 2,527 metabolites, most of which originated from fungi (30.3%), bacteria (23%), and plants (15.5%). Principal component analysis explained 54.8% of the variation between rhizosphere and root metabolites, with 8.7% variation separating 1st and 4th year root metabolites, while rhizosphere metabolites showed less variation between years. The comparison between the annual durum wheat variety and NPGs revealed 616 differentially abundant metabolites in roots and 15 in the rhizosphere, already at the 1st year of growth. In the
4th year, NPGs metabolomes diverged significantly from Thinopyrum intermedium, which stood in the soil for 11 years, with 184 root and 138 rhizosphere differentially abundant metabolites. Comparison between genotypes diversified NPGs in the 1st year, showing a higher abundance of root metabolites for OK72 compared to the other lines, including key modulators of root architecture like glutathione and serotonin, and compounds from α-linoleic acid metabolism, which are known to induce systemic resistance against pathogens and herbivore defense. Differences among NPGs also emerged in the 4th year, with OK72 separating from the other three, sharing with Thinopyrum intermedium a higher abundance of purine nucleosides and diazanaphthalenes. The metabolomic analysis revealed that starting from the 1st year, the roots of NPGs produce a set of metabolites distinct from those of the annual durum species, many of which are defense molecules against biotic and abiotic stresses (e.g., syringic acid, glutathione, and α-linoleic acid pathway compounds). The OK72 genotype, which exhibits below-ground traits more aligned with perennialism, differs from the other lines in the abundance of several interesting metabolites, confirming it as an ideal parental candidate for developing new perennial wheat lines.

Regenerative agronomic approaches: technological, biochemical and rheological characterization of four perennial wheat lines grown in Italy

Authors: Elena Galassi, Chiara Natale, Francesca Nocente, Federica Taddei, Giovanna Visioli, Salvatore Ceccarelli, Gianni Galaverna, Laura Gazza. Published in Agronomy 15:939 (2025). https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040939

Abstract: Cereals are the basis of the human diet, and among them, after rice and corn, wheat is the most cultivated in the world. Drought, conflicts, and high prices affect food security in many countries. The CHANGE-UP project funded by the PRIMA program aims at redesigning agricultural systems for the Mediterranean area to make them more resilient to climate change, and includes, among other agronomic innovations, the cultivation and characterization of perennial wheat genotypes. In this study, four perennial wheat lines, 235a, 20238, OK72, and 11955, grown in Italy, were examined for their technological and chemical composition and rheological properties and compared with the perennial species Thinopyrum intemedium (Kernza®) and to a modern durum wheat variety, used as controls. On average, all the perennial genotypes presented very small kernels along with high protein content, total antioxidant capacity, and mineral content, and genotypes OK72 and 11955 presented good test weight values. Line 235a had the best gluten quality, whereas line 20238 reported the worst values for bread-making aptitude. Results indicate that perennial grains could adapt to the Italian environment and manifest their nutritional and technological potential, constituting promising raw materials for enhancing diversification in nutrition by sustainable agriculture based on agroecological principles.

Exploring the rhizosphere of perennial wheat: potential for plant growth promotion and biocontrol applications

Authors: Gianluigi Giannelli, Lorenzo Del Vecchio, Martina Cirlini, Marco Gozzi, Laura Gazza, Gianni Galaverna, Silvia Potestio and Giovanna Visioli. Published in Sci. Rep. 14:22792 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-73818-6

Abstract: Perennial grains, which remain productive for multiple years, rather than growing for only one
season before harvest, have deep, dense root systems that can support a richness of beneficial microorganisms, which are mostly underexplored. In this work we isolated forty-three bacterial strains associated with the rhizosphere of the OK72 perennial wheat line, developed from a cross between winter common wheat and Thinopyrum ponticum. Identified using 16S rDNA sequencing, these bacteria were assessed for plant growth-promoting traits such as indole-3-acetic acid, siderophores and ACC-deaminase acid production, biofilm formation, and the ability to solubilize phosphate and proteins. Twenty-five strains exhibiting in vitro significant plant growth promoting traits, belong to wheat keystone genera Pseudomonas, Microbacterium, Variovorax, Pedobacter, Dyadobacter, Plantibacter, and Flavobacterium. Seven strains, including Aeromicrobium and Okibacterium genera, were able to promote root growth in a commercial annual wheat cultivar while strains from Pseudomonas genus inhibited the growth of Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium species, using direct antagonism assays. The same strains produced a high amount of 1-undecanol a volatile organic compound, which may aid in suppressing fungal growth. The study highlights the potential of these bacteria to form new commercial consortia, enhancing the health and productivity of annual wheat crops within sustainable agricultural practices.

Perenniality, more than genotypes, shapes biological and chemical rhizosphere composition of perennial wheat lines

Authors: Marta Bertola, Laura Righetti, Laura Gazza, Andrea Ferrarini, Flavio Fornasier, Martina Cirlini, Veronica Lolli, Gianni Galaverna and Giovanna Visioli. Published in Front. Plant Sci. 14:1172857 (2023). doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1172857

Abstract: Perennial grains provide various ecosystem services compared to the annual counterparts thanks to their extensive root system and permanent soil cover. However, little is known about the evolution and diversification of perennial grains rhizosphere and its ecological functions over time. In this study, a suite of -OMICSs metagenomics, enzymomics, metabolomics and lipidomics – was used to compare the rhizosphere environment of four perennial wheat lines at the first and fourth year of growth in comparison with an annual durum wheat cultivar and the parental species Thinopyrum intermedium. We hypothesized that wheat perenniality has a greater role in shaping the rhizobiome composition, biomass, diversity, and activity than plant genotypes because perenniality affects the quality and quantity of C input – mainly root exudates – hence modulating the plantmicrobes crosstalk. In support of this hypothesis, the continuous supply of sugars in the rhizosphere along the years created a favorable environment for microbial growth which is reflected in a higher microbial biomass and enzymatic activity. Moreover, modification in the rhizosphere metabolome and lipidome over the years led to changes in the microbial community composition favoring the coexistence of more diverse microbial taxa, increasing plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Despite the dominance of the perenniality effect, our data underlined that the OK72 line rhizobiome distinguished from the others by the increase in abundance of Pseudomonas spp., most of which are known as potential beneficial microorganisms, identifying this line as a suitable candidate for the study and selection of new perennial wheat lines.

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

LXVIII SIGA Annual Congress Viterbo, Italy

The LXVII SIGA Annual Congress, Bologna, Italy

Best poster award – Gianluigi Giannelli – PERENNIAL WHEAT RHIZOSPHERE HARBORS A RICHNESS OF BACTERIAL STRAINS EXHIBITING PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING CHARACTERISTICS AND BIOCONTROL ACTIVITY AGAINST PATHOGENIC FUNGI

The XIII AISTEC Congress in Turin, Italy

7th International Conference on Microbial Diversity 2023 (MD23) in Parma, Italy