PVwide Organization

The Agricultural Research Council (CRA)

CRA is a National Research Organization which operates in the fields of agriculture, agro-industry, food and forestry. The distribution of CRA – Research Centres and Units throughout national territory allows it to widely extended its expertise and to closely operate in collaboration with local and regional institutions, companies and agricultural and industrial associations.

The Plant Pathology Research Centre (CRA-PAV)

CRA-PAV carries out studies and researches regarding diseases of plants and their products caused by pathogens (fungi, bacteria, viruses, viroids and phytoplasmas) and develops physical, chemical and biological methods to prevent and control the diseases in field and post-harvesting. The main research activities of the Laboratory of Virology focus on characterisation, aetiology and epidemiology of viruses and viroids of the major crops (fruit tree, grapevine, olive, vegetables and ornamentals), development and optimisation of diagnostic techniques, identification of germplasm resistant to important viral diseases. The current research programs on vegetable viruses deal with potyviruses (WMV, ZYMV, ZYFLV) and yellowing viral agents of cucurbits (BPYV, CABYV), asparagus viruses (AV1 and AV2), emergent tomato viruses (PepMV – Pepeira , TICV, ToCV) and evaluation of pepper germplasm for PVY resistance.

Selected publications:

• Tomassoli L., Zaccaria A., Tiberini A., 2007 – Use of one step RT-PCR for detection Asparagus virus 1. Journal of Plant Pathology, 89 (3), 413-415.
• Infantino A., Tomassoli L., Peri E., Colazza S., 2007. Viruses, fungi and insect pests affecting caper. European Journal of Plant Science and Biotechnology 1(2): 170-179.
• Tomassoli L., and Meneghini M., 2007. First report of Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus in Italy. Plant Pathology 56, (3), 537.
• Tomassoli L., Faggioli F., Zaccaria A., Caccia R., Albani M., Barba M., 2004. Molecular diagnosis of Chrysanthemum stunt viroid for routine indexing. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 43 (2), 285-288.
• Tomassoli L., Lumia V., Siddu G., Barba M., 2003. Yellowing disease of melon in Sardinia (Italy) caused by Beet pseudo-yellow virus. Journal of Plant Pathology, 85 (1): 57-59.
• Tomassoli L., Lumia V., Ghedini R., Cerato C. , 1999. Severe outbreak of potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD) in Italy. Proceedings of the 10^th EAPR virology Section Meeting, Baden, Austria, 110-115.
• Tomassoli L., Lumia V., Cerato C., Ghedini R., 1998. Occurrence of potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD) in Italy. Plant Disease, 3 : 350.