Agata Rascio | Agricultural Science and Innovation | Research Excellence Award

Prof. Agata Rascio | Agricultural Science and Innovation | Research Excellence Award

CREA-CI | Italy

Agata Rascio is a senior plant physiologist with more than four decades of scientific contribution in crop ecophysiology, genetic resources, and plant stress biology, with a primary focus on durum wheat and quinoa. She earned a PhD in Productivity and Sustainability of Mediterranean Agricultural Systems from CREA, Italy, holds a three-year Specialistic Diploma in Nutrition from the University of Pavia (Faculty of Medicine), and graduated with a first-class degree in Biology from the University of Pavia. Her professional career includes long-term service as Senior Research Scientist and Laboratory Director at CREA-CI in Foggia, professorship under the Italian Ministry of Public Education, and consultancy roles in crop physiology. Her research interests span abiotic stress tolerance, yield formation in semi-arid environments, phenotyping methodologies, induced mutagenesis for biodiversity enhancement, gene expression under environmental stress, and metabolomic and nutraceutical characterization of plant genetic resources. SActively engaged in global scientific networks and editorial activities, she has also contributed as an evaluator for major international programs. Her achievements include the Wheat Initiative Recognition Award for innovative phenotyping approaches supporting wheat improvement, underscoring her lasting influence on sustainable agriculture and crop resilience research.

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Featured Publications


Enhanced osmotolerance of a wheat mutant selected for potassium accumulation
A. Rascio, M. Russo, L. Mazzucco, C. Platani, G. Nicastro, N. Di Fonzo,
Plant Science, 160(3), 441–448, 2001. (Citations: 113)

The accumulation of solutes and water binding strength in durum wheat
A. Rascio, C. Platani, G. Scalfati, A. Tonti, N. Di Fonzo,
Physiologia Plantarum, 90(4), 715–721, 1994. (Citations: 74)

Leaf morphology and water status changes in Triticum durum under water stress
A. Rascio, M.C. Cedola, M. Toponi, Z. Flagella, G. Wittmer,
Physiologia Plantarum, 78(3), 462–467, 1990. (Citations: 70)

Physiological responses to water stress following a conditioning period in berseem clover
A. Iannucci, A. Rascio, M. Russo, N. Di Fonzo, P. Martiniello,
Plant and Soil, 223(1), 219–229, 2000. (Citations: 64)

Characterisation of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) accessions for saponin content in a Mediterranean environment
G. De Santis, C. Maddaluno, T. D’Ambrosio, A. Rascio, M. Rinaldi, J. Troisi,
Italian Journal of Agronomy, 11(4), 2016. (Citations: 55)

Leone Ermes Romano | Space Exploration Technologies | Young Scientist Award

Dr. Leone Ermes Romano | Space Exploration Technologies | Young Scientist Award

Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II | Italy

Leone Ermes Romano is a plant biologist and space life sciences researcher specializing in plant adaptation to altered gravity environments, with a strong focus on sustainable food production for space exploration. He is currently a PhD researcher at the University of Naples Federico II, where he is also serving as Principal Investigator on European Space Agency–supported projects. Romano received advanced academic training in plant physiology and space biology, developing expertise in experimental design, spaceflight hardware development, and controlled-environment cultivation systems. His research experience includes leadership and key scientific roles in ESA and ASI projects such as SuperFood for Space, Wolffia Hyper-g, Rootrop, Multitrop, and WAPS, as well as hands-on work at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center during late-access flight preparations. His primary research interests include plant gravitropism, hypergravity and microgravity effects on growth, duckweed (Wolffia spp.) biology, space farming, and bioregenerative life-support systems. He has contributed to peer-reviewed scientific publications indexed in Scopus and currently holds a Scopus profile with h-index: 8, documents: 16, and citations: 140, reflecting a growing international research impact. Romano has been associated with award-winning ESA CORA projects and competitive space research initiatives. His work contributes to advancing space agriculture and resilient crop systems, supporting long-duration human space exploration and sustainable food technologies.

Citation Metrics (Scopus)

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Citations
140

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Featured Publications