Laimburg Research Centreannounces a PhD scholarship for the PhD program "Scienze agroalimentari e ambientali” in collaboration with the Università di Trento, under the supervision of Prof. Fabrizio Costa (UniTN), Dr. Walter Guerra (Laimburg Research Centre) and Prof. Matteo Scampicchio (UniBZ), on the following topic: Genetic analysis of fruit quality in apple (GAIN-APPLE) Description of the PhD topic - Fruit quality is a key determinant of economic value and consumer acceptance. Beyond sensory attributes, functional quality is increasingly linked to texture properties and redox-active secondary metabolites, particularly polyphenols. While polyphenols are known to contribute to antioxidant activity, the relationship between composition and antioxidant performance remains poorly defined, as current indices are largely empirical and concentration based. This project addresses two major fruit quality traits in a reference apple collection: texture/storability and antioxidant activity. Texture will be analyzed at harvest and after storage using advanced texture analysis to define a storage index reflecting cell wall and middle lamella disassembly. Antioxidant performance will be characterized using mechanistically grounded descriptors, including inhibition rate constants, redox potentials, and Gibbs free energy changes, moving beyond single-endpoint assays. These phenotypes will be integrated with genomic analyses to identify loci associated with texture and kinetically and thermodynamically efficient antioxidant profiles, supporting DNA-informed breeding strategies for improved functional fruit quality. Project goals: - Characterization of the texture performance and antioxidant activity in a large apple collection. - Correlation between polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant properties. - Mapping of the QTLs controlling storability and antioxidant properties of apple fruit and defining the set of genes deputed to the control of these quality features. - Identification of the genes included in these QTL intervals. - Genomic selection for fruit texture and storability. Methodologies: - Texture profiling - SNP markers - Genome Wide Association Studies - Genomic prediction - Electrochemistry, calorimetry, spectrometry Mandatory Requirements:completed university studies of at least four years (Master’s degree) Contract duration:full time, 36 months (start in autumn 2026) Additional information: A major part of the work for this PhD scholarship will be carried out at Laimburg Research Centre in Vadena/Pfatten (Bz). Il Centro di Sperimentazione Laimburg è l’istituto di ricerca leader nel settore agroalimentare in Alto Adige. Ci occupiamo soprattutto di ricerca applicata diretta ad aumentare la competitività e la sostenibilità dell’agricoltura altoatesina e a garantire la qualità dei prodotti agricoli. - Azienda: Centro di Sperimentazione Laimburg - Sede : Centro di Sperimentazione Laimburg - Vadena - Dipartimento : Pomologia Persona di contatto: Jennifer Berger - Telefono: 39 0471 969508