Project: Enhancing diversity in Mediterranean cereal farming systems

Acronym	CerealMed (Reference Number: 2019-SECTION2-8)
Project Topic	An increase in crop genetic diversity, combined with less intensive agro-techniques, could have favourable effects on: a) the adaptation of crops to the current and future environmental scenarios, b) the production of new food with high nutritional quality, c) the development of alternative end-products, d) the enrichment of soil fertility. Among crops, wheat is of significant commercial importance in Mediterranean countries and legumes are the best option for rotation and consociation with wheat. CerealMed will focus on the valorization of diverse wheat germoplasm, including landraces, local genotypes, domesticated wheat relatives, besides with the identification of lentil and chickpea genotypes to be used for soil fertility restoration though crop rotation and consociation. CerealMed will capitalize the immense knowledge, genomic resources and phenotypic data produced for these crops by the research institutions of the Mediterranean countries involved in the project. The main scope of CerealMed is to fill the research gaps for implementing a strategy of biodiversity-based wheat farming adapted to environments across Mediterranean countries to support the sustainable production of staple foods in the scenario of present and future climate changes. The objectives will be achieved through: 1. Biodiversity restoration through the evaluation and use of wide cereal and legume diversity collections including crop relatives; 2. Creation of new biodiversity through inter-generic and interspecific crosses; 3. New agronomic strategies for soil fertility restoration; 4. Valorisation of genotypes for biomass production into high added value compounds; 5. Environmental and economic assessment of the different biodiversity-based wheat farming options; CerealMed addresses the Topic 2.2.2 RIA “Use and management of biodiversity as a major lever of sustainability in farming systems”.
Network	PRIMA
Call	Section 2 Call 2019 - Multi-topic

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro	Coordinator	Italy
2	Council for Agricultural Research and Economics	Partner	Italy
3	Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna	Partner	Italy
4	Beni-Suef University	Partner	Egypt
5	Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible	Partner	Spain
6	Universidade de Santiago de Compostela	Partner	Spain
7	Agricultural University of Athens	Partner	Greece
8	American University of Beirut	Partner	Lebanon
9	NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH	Partner	Morocco
10	University Hassan 1st, FST de Settat	Partner	Morocco
11	Università di Cukurova	Partner	Türkiye