Affiliation: Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI) University of Florence

Riccardo Marziali is a PhD student in agricultural and environmental sciences at the University of Florence. His current research, conducted within the Agricultural Genetics Group (DAGRI), focuses on the application of genomic and biotechnological approaches to develop Rhizobium-based bioinoculants aimed at enhancing chickpea resilience under drought conditions.

Prior to his doctoral studies, he served as a research fellow at the Institute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology (IBBA CNR) in Milan, where he investigated maize drought tolerance and stomatal guard cell signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. He holds a master’s degree in agricultural sciences from the University of Bologna, where he specialized in the genetic control of root architecture in barley.

By integrating genetic improvement with plant-microbe interactions, his work aims to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change on modern agriculture.