The third edition of “From Seed to Pasta” (FSTP3), is timely in view of the remarkable progress in durum wheat science and the increasing concern on the future availability of durum grain due to climate change, a matter with fundamental socio-economic implications in the Mediterranean countries where durum-derived products are a staple.
The awareness of the crucial importance of the food security issue and the role played by research-based innovations is highlighted by the launching of the EU-funded program Prima (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) aimed at enhancing crop productivity and sustainability in Mediterranean countries.
The recent release of the durum wheat sequence coupled with advances in precision farming and modeling provide unprecedented opportunities toward the release of climateproof cultivars for a more sustainable and profitable durum wheat value chain. Equally impressive has been the progress in enhancing the nutritional and safety features of durumderived products made possible by an increasing capacity to tailor gene functions and genotypes via the new breeding technologies (Nbt).
The interdisciplinary nature of the FSTP3 congress will provide a unique opportunity to learn and debate the latest achievements in durum wheat production and processing and to assess the impact of the durumvalue chain on the environment and our health (www.fromseedtopasta.com).
