Italy | Wheat genetics and breeding

2026 Top Agri-food Pioneers: Marco Maccaferri

Marco Maccaferri is a globally recognized leader in durum wheat genetics whose pioneering work has fundamentally advanced both scientific understanding and practical crop improvement. His research bridges the critical gap between genetic discovery and real-world application, enabling breeders worldwide to develop resilient, high-yielding durum wheat varieties essential for global food security. He played a central role in leading international, multi-institutional collaborations to sequence, annotate and analyze the durum wheat reference genome and the tetraploid wheat pangenome. By illuminating the structure and diversity of wheat genomes, his work accelerated gene discovery and enabled the precise identification of traits related to yield, quality and stress tolerance. He also made transformative contributions to widely used genomic tools, empowering researchers and breeders across continents. His visionary leadership directly supports sustainable agriculture by enabling the development of climate-resilient crops