FruitDiv is a European research project launched on 1 January 2024. It is funded under the Horizon Europe programme for a period of five years (January 2024 – December 2028). FruitDiv aims to monitor, characterise, utilise and conserve the diversity of wild relatives of fruit trees (Crop Wild Relatives – CWR), with a particular focus on spontaneous species of Malus, Pyrus and Prunus.
Project duration: 2024 – 2028
Budget ICB Cluj: 993.480 RON (200.000 Euro)
The FruitDiv consortium is coordinated by INRAE by Dr. Véronique DECROOCQ and includes 26 multidisciplinary partners from 10 EU Member States and four other European countries.
Background: In an era of global climate change and growing agricultural and environmental challenges, the wild relatives of cultivated plants represent a genetic treasure that can ensure the sustainability and resilience of agricultural practices. By exploring and conserving these bioresources, FruitDiv aims to revolutionize the way we relate to agriculture, laying the foundation for a future where food security, reduced pesticide use, and biodiversity protection go hand in hand.
The objective of the ICB Cluj team: to characterize, valorize and conserve the high genetic diversity of wild relatives of fruit trees from the genera: Malus (apple), Pyrus (peach), Prunus (plum, almond, cherry). Our goal is not only to characterize this diversity, but also to preserve it for the future, both within orchards (ex-situ) and in their natural environment (in-situ).
ICB project team:
- Dr. Anamaria Roman (co-lider WP1 – CWR inventory and knowledge; project manager at ICB)
- Dr. Tudor Ursu
- Dr. Dana Șuteu
- Dr. Thomas Kuhn
- Biologist technician Irene-Andreea Türk