Research infrastructures - Cereal and Industrial Crops

Experimental farms

Experimental farms constitute an important strength of the Centre. They probably represent the largest network of field trials nationwide, capable of validating physiological, genetic, and agronomic hypotheses under contrasting environmental conditions in terms of soil and climate.
Their main function is to support the experimental activity of research projects. On farms, pre-breeding and breeding activities take place together with the preservation in purity of new varieties, including those subjects to commercial exploitation, which allows to keep their original DUS characteristics.
Open-field experimental activities include evaluation of new varieties and means of production on demand. In addition, on behalf of CREA-DC, the Centre carries out agronomic trials of several cereal and industrial crops in order to allow their registration in the National Register of Plant Varieties.
Through this farm network it is possible .to preserve the biodiversity collections of the Centre that comprise the majority of herbaceous species accessions of CREA. Open field biodiversity preservation of cereal and industrial species is key to make collaboration agreements with national and international partners.
(for the localization of experimental farms on the national territory, please refer to “where we are”)