Alexios Polidoros

Scopus Publications

Genome-Editing Products Line up for the Market: Will Europe Harvest the Benefits from Science and Innovation?
Alexios Polidoros, Irini Nianiou-Obeidat, Nikolaos Tsakirpaloglou, Nestor Petrou, Eleftheria Deligiannidou, and Nefeli-Maria Makri
MDPI AG
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) technologies have revolutionized genome editing, significantly advancing the improvement of cultivated crop species. This review provides an overview of genome-edited crops that have either reached the market or received the necessary approvals but are not yet available to consumers. We analyze various genome-editing studies to understand the distribution of different genome-editing systems, the types of site-directed nucleases employed, and the geographical spread of these studies, with a specific focus on global and European contexts. Additionally, we examine the target crops involved. The review also outlines the multiple steps required for the legal acceptance of genome-edited crops within European jurisdictions. We conclude with suggestions for the future prospects of genome-editing research in Europe, aiming to streamline the approval process and enhance the development and adoption of genome-edited crops.

Impact of nitrapyrin on urea-based fertilizers in a Mediterranean calcareous soil: Nitrogen and microbial dynamics
Georgios Giannopoulos, Lars Elsgaard, Vasileios A. Tzanakakis, Rima B. Franklin, Bonnie L. Brown, Georgios Zanakis, Nikolaos Monokrousos, Ioannis Anastopoulos, Murad Awad, Ioannis Ipsilantis,et al.
Wiley
AbstractNitrification inhibitors, such as nitrapyrin (NI), are increasingly co‐applied with nitrogen (N) fertilizers as part of sustainable agricultural practice. Several studies in temperate regions have documented the effectiveness of NI in retaining soil ammonium (NH4+), minimizing N loss and increasing crop yields. However, less is known about the effects of NI in Mediterranean regions, where agricultural production is challenging and requires intensive irrigation and fertilization. We investigated the short‐term impact of the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin (2‐chloro‐6‐(trichloromethyl)pyridine) in a two‐factor mesocosm experiment, using a typical Mediterranean soil, where NI was co‐applied with a selection of urea‐based fertilizers: urea (U), U with urease inhibitors (U + UI), methylene urea (MU) and zeolite‐coated urea (ZU). NI co‐applied with urea fertilizers resulted in higher availability of soil NH4+ and a concurrent increase in NH3 volatilization. Net cumulative soil NH4+ availability was 1.5–3.3 fold greater when NI was applied. Concurrently, net cumulative nitrate (NO3−) and nitrite (NO2−) availability was reduced by 10%–60%; this was found for all the tested fertilizer types except MU fertilizer, where the net cumulative soil NO3− and NO2− doubled. Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from urea fertilization were reduced by 40% with UI, 50% with NI and 66% with NI + UI. Interestingly, after 28 d, the composition of soil microbial communities was distinctly different, due to NI application. Specifically, NI application dramatically reduced the abundance of ammonia‐oxidizing and denitrifying bacterial functional groups. NI was effective in reducing N2O emissions in this calcareous soil; however, NH3 emissions were remarkably enhanced. These findings have important implications for the large‐scale adoption of inhibitor technologies in Mediterranean agroecosystems and for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Adaptation Mechanisms of Olive Tree under Drought Stress: The Potential of Modern Omics Approaches
Georgia-Maria Nteve, Stefanos Kostas, Alexios N. Polidoros, Panagiotis Madesis, and Irini Nianiou-Obeidat
MDPI AG
Olive (Olea europaea L.) is a crop of enormous economic and cultural importance. Over the years, the worldwide production of olive oil has been decreasing due to various biotic and abiotic factors. The current drop in olive oil production resulting from climate change raises concerns regarding the fulfillment of our daily demand for olive oil and has led to a significant increase in market prices. In the future, there will be a higher chance that we will face a severe shortage of olive oil, which could harm both the economic sector and the food supply. As olive groves cover more than 5 million hectares in the European Union alone, the need to preserve the crop in the context of extreme climatic events is imperative. As drought is considered one of the most limiting factors in agriculture, drought-resistant varieties and sustainable irrigation strategies are being developed to mitigate the impact of drought on crop productivity and secure the future supply of olive oil. This review focuses on recently gained insights into drought stress in olive trees through omics and phenomics approaches to unravelling mechanisms that may lead to developing new varieties that are tolerant against drought elicited by changes in growing systems.

Sampling methodology and storage management effect on deformed wing virus (DWV) quantification using real-time PCR
Fotini Papadopoulou, Andreas Thrasyvoulou, Alexios N. Polidoros, Georgios Goras, and Chrysoula Tananaki
Informa UK Limited

Lentil Landrace Seed Origin and Genotype Affects Rhizosphere Microbiome
Anthoula Gleridou, Georgios Giannopoulos, Alexios N. Polidoros, and Photini V. Mylona
MDPI AG
Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is an essential legume crop providing healthy and nutritious food for people in low- to middle-income countries, worldwide. Lentil roots support symbiotic interactions with soil rhizobia species fostering nitrogen fixation; however, assemblage and diversity of the complete microbial rhizosphere community and the effect of seed genotype and origin remain largely unexplored. In this study we examined, via metagenomic analysis, the effects of seed origin on the rhizosphere’s communities in samples of the famous Greek lentil landrace, Eglouvis, derived from different local farmers and farming systems (including a Gene Bank sample), in comparison to a commercial variety. The landrace exhibited higher rhizosphere microbiome diversity compared to the commercial variety for all indexes. A core microbiome comprised of 158 taxa was present in all samples, while a greater number of unique bacterial taxa was recorded in the landrace samples compared to the commercial cultivar. Notably, landrace samples originated from organic farming had more than double the number of unique taxa compared to conventional counterparts. The study revealed a higher diversity of N2 fixers and archaea, Crenarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota, in landrace samples and particularly in those derived from organic farming, underpinning the distinct recruiting efficiency of beneficial soil microbes by the landrace.

The Effect of Phosphorus Fertilization on Transcriptome Expression Profile during Lentil Pod and Seed Development
Ekaterini Koura, Adamantia Pistikoudi, Margaritis Tsifintaris, George Tsiolas, Evangelia Mouchtaropoulou, Christos Noutsos, Triantafyllos Karantakis, Athanasios Kouras, Athanasios Karanikolas, Anagnostis Argiriou,et al.
MDPI AG
Seed coat hardness and water permeability, which are determined by the accumulation of tannins through the phenylpropanoid pathway in the seed, are important lentil quality characteristics. The impact of seeds’ developmental stage and phosphorus (P) fertilization levels on tannin accumulation is still under research. Through RNA sequencing, this study explored the effect of three P treatments (P0, 6 mg kg−1; P1, 15 mg kg−1; and P2, 21 mg kg−1) and three seed maturity stages (S1, immature 2 mm seed in a flat pod; S2, fully developed seed within the pod; and S3, mature seed at the beginning of the pod’s discoloration) on lentil gene expression. The key findings highlighted a significant influence of the seed maturity stage on phenylpropanoid genes, with S1 displaying the highest expression levels, and on phosphorus-related Gene Ontology (GO) terms that presented the highest number of downregulated genes in the S3 to S1 comparison. P exhibited a targeted effect on the flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) and flavonol synthase (FLS) genes and specific gene clusters, as shown by the differential gene expression analysis. This study investigates the molecular mechanisms related to phosphorus fertilization and seed maturity stages that influence tannin accumulation, offering valuable information for the enhancement of lentil product quality through breeding programs.

Whole genome scanning of a Mediterranean basin hotspot collection provides new insights into olive tree biodiversity and biology
Christos Bazakos, Konstantinos G. Alexiou, Sebastián Ramos‐Onsins, Georgios Koubouris, Nikolaos Tourvas, Aliki Xanthopoulou, Ifigeneia Mellidou, Theodoros Moysiadis, Ioanna‐Theoni Vourlaki, Ioannis Metzidakis,et al.
Wiley
Olive tree (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea var. europaea) is one of the most important species of the Mediterranean region and one of the most ancient species domesticated. Τhe availability of whole genome assemblies and annotations of olive tree cultivars and oleasters have contributed to a better understanding of genetic and genomic differences between olive tree cultivars. However, compared to other plant species there is still a lack of genomic resources with olive tree populations that span across the entire Mediterranean region. This study has developed the most complete genomic variation map and comprehensive catalogue/resource of molecular variation to date for 89 olive tree genotypes originating from the entire Mediterranean basin, revealing the genetic diversity of this commercially significant crop tree and explaining the divergence/similarity among different variants. Additionally, the monumental ancient tree "Throuba Naxos" was studied to characterize the potential origin or routes of olive tree domestication. Several candidate genes, known to be associated with key agronomic traits, including olive oil quality and fruit yield, were uncovered by selective sweep scan to be under selection pressure on all olive tree chromosomes. To exploit further the genomic and phenotypic resources obtained from the current work, Genome Wide Association Analyses were performed for twenty-three morphological and two agronomic traits. Significant associations were detected for eight traits that provide valuable candidates for fruit tree breeding and for deeper understanding of the olive tree biology.

Genetic diversity and structure of Capparis spinosa L. natural populations using morphological and molecular markers
Stella Pegiou, Panagiotis Raptis, Ioannis Zafeiriou, Alexios N. Polidoros, and Photini V. Mylona
Elsevier BV

Characterization of Lupin Cultivars Based on Phenotypical, Molecular and Metabolomic Analyses
Athanasios Mavromatis, Irini Nianiou-Obeidat, Alexios Polidoros, Zoi Parissi, Eleni Tani, Maria Irakli, Konstantinos A. Aliferis, Ioannis Zafeiriou, Photini V. Mylona, Efi Sarri,et al.
MDPI AG
Lupins are an important source of protein that could replace soybeans in the diet of ruminants and monogastrics, without reducing their performance. Lupinus albus (L. albus) is the main species of the genus Lupinus that is cultivated in the Mediterranean region. The aim of the present research was to study commercial cultivars and advanced breeding lines of L. albus by using phenotypical, molecular and biochemical data, in order to be used in breeding projects. Seven commercial cultivars (Estoril, Fas Sweet, Multitalia, Magnus, Orus, Ulysse Sulimo and Figaro) and three advanced lines from the company AGROLAND (LKML, LKAP and LKAU) were used. Eleven morphological traits were described using UPOV Guidelines (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants). Additionally, agronomical traits and yield components were measured. Regarding the nutritional value, grain samples were analyzed for N and the crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), total alkaloids (TA), total phenolic content (TP), total tannins content (TT) and condensed tannins (CT) were calculated. Genetic diversity among genetic materials was assessed by SSRs molecular markers. The metabolomic analysis for four selected cultivars (Figaro, Magnus, Multitalia and Sulimo) was performed on the seeds with the GC/EI/MS technique. According to the results, the advanced lines were most productive but also with higher content of total alkaloids than the commercial cultivars. The only exception was the cultivar Multitalia that was characterized by a high content of alkaloids. Based on the SSRs, the cultivars Magnus, Orus and Estoril were grouped together while the breeding lines LKAP, LICML and LKAU were grouped with Multitalia. Regarding the metabolomic profile, the cultivars Multitalia and Magnus were together, while Sulimo was grouped with Figaro. Finally, the content of several beneficial metabolites for human and animal nutrition was significantly increased in Sulimo and Figaro, compared to Magnus and Multitalia. Both commercial varieties and lines have characteristics that can be exploited and used in breeding programs.

Comparative Analysis of Grapevine Epiphytic Microbiomes among Different Varieties, Tissues, and Developmental Stages in the Same Terroir
Murad Awad, Georgios Giannopoulos, Photini V. Mylona, and Alexios N. Polidoros
MDPI AG
There is limited knowledge about the relationships of epiphytic microbiomes associated with the phyllosphere of different Vitis vinifera cultivars in the same vineyard and terroir. To address this research gap, we investigated the microbiome compositionof 36 grapevine genotypes grown in the same vineyard in different plant sections during the growing season. Using high-throughput NGS-based metagenomic analysis targeting the ITS2 and the V4 regions of the 16S ribosomal gene of fungal and bacterial communities, respectively, weassessed the impact of grapevine genotypes on microbial assemblages in various parts of the phyllosphere. The results indicated that different phyllosphere tissues display high microbial diversity regardless of the cultivars’ identity and use. The selected three phyllosphere parts representing three distinct phenological stages, namely bark and bud, berry set, and fruit harvest, had almost a similar number of fungal OTUs, while a difference was recorded for the bacterial species. The fruit harvest stage hosted the highest number of bacterial OTUs, whereas the bark and bud stage contained the lower. Bacterial dominant phyla were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes, and the genera were Gluconacetobacter, Erwinia, Gluconobacter, Zymobacter, Buchnera, Pseudomonas, Pantoea, Hymenobacter, Pedobacter, Frigoribacterium, Sphingomonas, and Massilia. For fungi, the dominant phyla were Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, and the genera were Aureobasidium, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Davidiella, Phoma, Epicoccum, Rhodosporidium, Glomerella, Botryosphaeria, Metschnikowia, Issatchenkia, and Lewia. Both the genotype of the cultivar and the phenological stage appeared to considerably impact the shape of microbial diversity and structure within the same terroir. Taken together, these results indicate that microbiome analysis could be proved to be an important molecular fingerprint of cultivars and provide an efficient management tool for the traceability of wine and grape end products. Moreover, the unique identity of cultivars’ microbial signatures highlights the need for further development of precision management to support viticulture sustainability in the face of climate change.

Genomic designing for abiotic stress tolerance in cucurbits
Aliki Xanthopoulou, Harry S. Paris, Ioanna Tsompanoglou, Alexios N. Polidoros, Ifigeneia Mellidou, and Ioannis Ganopoulos
Springer International Publishing

Genetic Variation of a Lentil (Lens culinaris) Landrace during Three Generations of Breeding
Anthoula Gleridou, Ioannis Tokatlidis, and Alexios Polidoros
MDPI AG
Genetic differentiation between 40 lentil genotypes was tested using molecular markers. The genotypes were produced from a Greek landrace of commercial interest via the honeycomb breeding methodology, i.e., single-plant selection in the absence of competition, across three successive pedigree generations. The selected genotypes from each generation were examined for genetic relationships using 15 SSR molecular markers with HRM analysis. As expected, low variation among consecutive generations at the level of 2.5–7.7% was detected. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that partitioning of this variation was at higher percentage within each generation’s population than between them. Population structure analysis indicated that ongoing selection could effectively shift the allelic composition in each generation. The applied honeycomb breeding methodology that effectively improved progeny yield and seed quality increased the percentage of favorable alleles altering allelic composition but not eliminating genetic variation of the breeding population.

Mediterranean white lupin landraces as a valuable genetic reserve for breeding
Ioannis Zafeiriou, Alexios N. Polidoros, Eirini Baira, Konstantinos M. Kasiotis, Kyriaki Machera, and Photini V. Mylona
MDPI AG
Legumes crops are important for sustainable agriculture and global food security. Among them white lupin (Lupinus albus L.), is characterized by exceptional protein content of high nutritional value, competitive to that of soybean (Glycine max) and is well adapted to rainfed agriculture. However, its high seed-quinolizidine alkaloid (QA) content impedes its direct integration to human diet and animal feed. Additionally, its cultivation is not yet intensive, remains confined to local communities and marginal lands in Mediterranean agriculture, while adaptation to local microclimates restrains its cultivation from expanding globally. Hence, modern white lupin breeding aims to exploit genetic resources for the development of “sweet” elite cultivars, resilient to biotic adversities and well adapted for cultivation on a global level. Towards this aim, we evaluated white lupin local landrace germplasm from Greece, since the country is considered a center of white lupin diversity, along with cultivars and breeding lines for comparison. Seed morphological diversity and molecular genetic relationships were investigated. Most of the landraces were distinct from cultivars, indicating the uniqueness of their genetic make-up. The presence of pauper “sweet” marker allele linked to low seed QA content in some varieties was detected in one landrace, two breeding lines, and the cultivars. However, QA content in the examined genotypes did not relate with the marker profile, indicating that the marker’s predictive power is limited in this material. Marker alleles for vernalization unresponsiveness were detected in eight landraces and alleles for anthracnose resistance were found in two landraces, pointing to the presence of promising germplasm for utilization in white lupin breeding. The rich lupin local germplasm genetic diversity and the distinct genotypic composition compared to elite cultivars, highlights its potential use as a source of important agronomic traits to support current breeding efforts and assist its integration to modern sustainable agriculture.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis in Homo- and Hetero-Grafted Cucurbit Seedlings
Filippos Bantis, George Tsiolas, Evangelia Mouchtaropoulou, Ioanna Tsompanoglou, Alexios N. Polidoros, Anagnostis Argiriou, and Athanasios Koukounaras
Frontiers Media SA
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a valuable horticultural crop with nutritional benefits grown worldwide. It is almost exclusively cultivated as grafted scions onto interspecific squash rootstock (Cucurbita maxima × Cucurbita moschata) to improve the growth and yield and to address the problems of soilborne diseases and abiotic stress factors. This study aimed to examine the effect of grafting (homo- and hetero-grafting) on the transcriptome level of the seedlings. Therefore, we compared homo-grafted watermelon (WW) with non-grafted watermelon control (W), homo-grafted squash (SS) with non-grafted squash control (S), hetero-grafted watermelon onto squash (WS) with SS, and WS with WW. Different numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in each comparison. In total, 318 significant DEGs were detected between the transcriptomes of hetero-grafts and homo-grafts at 16 h after grafting. Overall, a significantly higher number of downregulated transcripts was detected among the DEGs. Only one gene showing increased expression related to the cytokinin synthesis was common in three out of four comparisons involving WS, SS, and S. The highest number of differentially expressed (DE) transcripts (433) was detected in the comparison between SS and S, followed by the 127 transcripts between WW and W. The study provides a description of the transcriptomic nature of homo- and hetero-grafted early responses, while the results provide a start point for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms and candidate genes for the functional analyses of hetero-graft and homo-graft systems in Cucurbitaceae and generally in the plants.

Lentil Gene Pool for Breeding
Alexios N. Polidoros, Ilias D. Avdikos, Anthoula Gleridou, Stauroula D. Kostoula, Ekaterini Koura, Michalia A. Sakellariou, Evangelia Stavridou, Dimitrios Gerasopoulos, Anastasia Lagopodi, Athanasios Mavromatis,et al.
Springer International Publishing

Genotype may influence bacterial diversity in bark and bud of vitis vinifera cultivars grown under the same environment
Murad Awad, Georgios Giannopoulos, Photini V. Mylona, and Alexios N. Polidoros
MDPI AG
Viticulture is globally an important economic activity, and grapevine microbiomes hold a significant role in influencing yield and quality. Earlier studies showed that cultivar and agronomic management affect grapevine microbiome structure and, potentially, the quality of the end product. While microbial dynamics and ecology were established on some grapevine tissues, i.e., leaves and grapes, there is less knowledge deciphering microbiomes on other tissues, i.e., barks and buds. Moreover, although the impact on the microbiome of the so-called “vitivinicultural terroir” is well established, there are limited data considering microbiomes of genetically diverse cultivars within the same environment. Our study aims to explore microbiome diversity on bud and bark tissues of 37 different grapevine cultivars under the same environment and agronomic management. We targeted the V2-9 regions of the 16S rRNA gene of the microbiomes in bark and buds at the onset of new vegetation and bud expansion using Ion Torrent sequencing technology. Our results show that these tissues display high bacterial diversity regardless of cultivars’ use. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were the most prevalent among 11 detected phyla. The genotype of the cultivar seems to affect bacterial diversity and structure (p < 0.001) within the same environment. Our approach highlights the efficiency of high-throughput sequencing to unfold microbiomes of several grapevine parts that could be an important source of microbial inoculation and an important molecular fingerprint of the wine and grape end products.

Genetic diversity and structure of Sideritis raeseri Boiss. & Heldr. (Lamiaceae) wild populations from Balkan Peninsula
Efstathia Patelou, Paschalina Chatzopoulou, Alexios N. Polidoros, and Photini V. Mylona
Elsevier BV

Grapevine phenological quantitative trait ssr genotyping using high-throughput hrm-pcr analysis
Murad Awad, Photini V. Mylona, and Alexios N. Polidoros
Computers, Materials and Continua (Tech Science Press)

Comparison of hierarchical clustering methods for binary data from molecular markers
George Menexes, Ilias Eleftherohorinos, Panagiotis Madesis, Christos Dordas, Alexios Polidoros, Emmanouil D. Pratsinakis, and Symela Ntoanidou
Inderscience Publishers
Data from molecular markers used for constructing dendrograms, which are based on genetic distances between different plant species, are encoded as binary data. For dendrograms' construction, the most commonly used linkage method is the UPGMA in combination with the squared Euclidean distance. It seems that in this scientific field, this is the 'golden standard' clustering method. In this study, a review is presented on clustering methods used with binary data. Furthermore, an evaluation of the linkage methods and the corresponding appropriate distances (comparison of 163 clustering methods) is attempted using binary data resulted from molecular markers applied to five populations of the wild mustard Sinapis arvensis species. The validation of the various cluster solutions was tested using external criteria. The results showed that the 'golden standard' is not a 'panacea' for dendrogram construction, based on binary data derived from molecular markers. Thirty seven other hierarchical clustering methods could be used.

The use of lupin as a source of protein in animal feeding: Genomic tools and breeding approaches
Eleni M. Abraham, Ioannis Ganopoulos, Panagiotis Madesis, Athanasios Mavromatis, Photini Mylona, Irini Nianiou-Obeidat, Zoi Parissi, Alexios Polidoros, Eleni Tani, and Dimitrios Vlachostergios
MDPI AG
Livestock production in the European Union EU is highly dependent on imported soybean, exposing the livestock farming system to risks related to the global trade of soybean. Lupin species could be a realistic sustainable alternative source of protein for animal feeding. Lupinus is a very diverse genus with many species. However, only four of them—namely, L. albus, L. angustifolius, L. luteus and L. mutabilis—are cultivated. Their use in livestock farming systems has many advantages in relation to economic and environmental impact. Generally, lupin grains are characterized by high protein content, while their oil content is relatively low but of high quality. On the other hand, the presence of quinolizidine alkaloids and their specific carbohydrate composition are the main antinutritional factors that prevent their use in animal feeding. This research is mainly related to L. albus and to L. angustifolius, and to a lesser extent, to L. lauteus and L. mutabilis. The breeding efforts are mostly focused on yield stabilization, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, biochemical structure associated with seed quality and late maturing. Progress is made in improving lupin with respect to the seed quality, as well as the tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. It has to be noted that modern cultivars, mostly of L. albus and L. angustifolius, contain low levels of alkaloids. However, for future breeding efforts, the implementation of marker-assisted selection and the available genomic tools is of great importance.

Genetic diversity analysis of the Greek lentil (Lens culinaris) landrace 'Eglouvis' using morphological and molecular markers
Georgios F. Tsanakas, Photini V. Mylona, Katerina Koura, Anthoula Gleridou, and Alexios N. Polidoros
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
AbstractThe Greek lentil landrace ‘Eglouvis’ is cultivated continuously at the Lefkada island for more than 400 years. It has great taste, high nutritional value and high market price. In the present study, we used morphological and molecular markers to estimate genetic diversity within the landrace. Morphological analysis was based on characteristics of the seed. Molecular analysis was performed using simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers in a high-resolution melting (HRM) approach. ‘Samos’ and ‘Demetra’, two of the most widely cultivated commercial lentil varieties in Greece, were used for comparisons. Morphological analysis was performed with 584 seeds randomly selected from a lot. Analysis of seed dimensions and colour distributed the samples in different categories and highlighted the phenotypic variability in ‘Eglouvis’ lentil seeds. Genetic variability was estimated from 91 individual DNA samples with 11 SSR markers using HRM analysis. Genotyping was based upon the shape of the melting curves and the difference plots; all polymerase chain reaction products were also run on agarose gels. Genetic distances of individuals and principal coordinates analysis suggested that ‘Eglouvis’ landrace has a unique genetic background that significantly differs from ‘Samos’ and ‘Demetra’ and no overlapping could be detected. Genetic variability within the ‘Eglouvis’ landrace can be considered in targeted breeding programs as a significant phytogenetic resource of lentils in Greece.

Can functional hologenomics aid tackling current challenges in plant breeding?
Amaia Nogales, Tânia Nobre, Vera Valadas, Carla Ragonezi, Matthias Döring, Alexios Polidoros, and Birgit Arnholdt-Schmitt
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Molecular plant breeding usually overlooks the genetic variability that arises from the association of plants with endophytic microorganisms, when looking at agronomic interesting target traits. This source of variability can have crucial effects on the functionality of the organism considered as a whole (the holobiont), and therefore can be selectable in breeding programs. However, seeing the holobiont as a unit for selection and improvement in breeding programs requires novel approaches for genotyping and phenotyping. These should not focus just at the plant level, but also include the associated endophytes and their functional effects on the plant, to make effective desirable trait screenings. The present review intends to draw attention to a new research field on functional hologenomics that if associated with adequate phenotyping tools could greatly increase the efficiency of breeding programs.

Addressing huge spatial heterogeneity induced by virus infections in lentil breeding trials
Anastasia Kargiotidou, Dimitrios N. Vlachostergios, Constantinos Tzantarmas, Ioannis Mylonas, Chrysanthi Foti, George Menexes, Alexios Polidoros, and Ioannis S. Tokatlidis
Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Legume-rhizobia symbiotic performance under abiotic stresses: Factors influencing tolerance behaviour
Haythem Mhadhbi, Photini V. Mylona, and Alexios N. Polidoros
Wiley

Functional marker development from AOX genes requires deep phenotyping and individualized diagnosis
Amaia Nogales, Carlos Noceda, Carla Ragonezi, Hélia G. Cardoso, Maria Doroteia Campos, Antonio Miguel Frederico, Debabrata Sircar, Sarma Rajeev Kumar, Alexios Polidoros, Augusto Peixe,et al.
Wiley

Alexios Polidoros

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Scopus Publications