Carla Pinheiro

In recent years CPinheiro is contributing to the use of Portuguese germplasm as a source of useful traits for agriculture and forestry. In Portugal, it is possible to find local genotypes and wild relatives displaying high phenotypic plasticity. The phenotype of interest is controlled by the molecular traits that, when identified, are incorporated in breeding programs. The screening of genetic diversity is an initial goal in agricultural biotechnology and also allows for knowledge acquisition.

The phenotypic plasticity has been evaluated for: resilience, i.e. some genotypes cope successfully in a given environment while others perish; productivity, i.e. only a few genotypes are able to produce high yields in contrasting environments; technological abilities, i.e. others uses than food and feed.