Federico La Spada

Dr. La Spada earned his degree in Environmental Science and Technology (LM75) from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A) at the University of Catania in March 2016, receiving a grade of 110/110 with honors. Shortly after graduation, he began working as a research contractor at the Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory of Di3A, where he began to refine his technical and scientific training. In 2017, he passed the competitive exam for admission to the International Doctorate in Agricultural Food and Environmental Science (32nd Cycle) at Di3A, University of Catania, and developed a research project in Plant Pathology funded by MIUR, based on a national selection of 373 proposals (PON-RI Doctorates 2014-2020). During his doctoral studies from 2017 to 2020, Dr. La Spada had the opportunity to study at foreign universities and research centers, including the University of Valladolid (Spain) and the James Hutton Institute (Dundee, UK), where he further refined his technical and scientific training. His research focused on biological control and the study of resistance mechanisms in complex plant-pathogen-antagonist systems, the evaluation of antifungal efficacy (both direct and in terms of induced resistance mechanisms) of biostimulant formulations in the control of post-harvest diseases, and the characterization of oomycete (Phytophthora spp.) communities present in natural environments, agroecosystems, and modified ecosystems through metabarcoding.
After earning his doctorate, Dr. La Spada worked first as a research grant (January-May 2021) and then as a research fellow (July 2021-June 2023) at the Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory of Di3A, developing research topics as part of the international BiOrangePack project (funded by PRIMA – Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area). His main research lines involved: i. the evaluation of the efficacy of eco-friendly active ingredients, beneficial microorganisms, and new low-impact formulations, both directly and through the induction of resistance mechanisms, in the control of post-harvest diseases of citrus fruits; ii. the development of rapid molecular diagnostic methods for the early detection of quarantine fungal pathogens.
Since June 2023, Dr. La Spada has held a research grant at Di3A as part of the PNRR – Innovation Ecosystem "SAMOTHRACE" - Spoke 1 – ITM3 (innovation through microelectronics, microsystems, and materials) - WP5-Smart systems for precision agriculture - Task 1: Sustainable management of water resources in agriculture, with a project entitled "Development of a remote sensing technique for the diagnosis of plant diseases caused by oomycetes and fungi in soil, plant tissues, and irrigation water". He is under the scientific supervision of Prof. Santa Olga Cacciola.
Dr. La Spada's scientific activity is documented by 44 research outputs (including national and international publications in ISI scientific journals and outreach publications, as well as oral and poster presentations at national and international conferences) and mainly focuses on the study of plant diseases (of both agronomic and forestry interest) caused by fungi and oomycetes. In particular, the main topics addressed include: i. transcriptomic studies in plant-pathogen-antagonist and plant-pathogen-biostimulant systems; ii. biological control; iii. evaluation of the effectiveness and use of eco-friendly formulations for the control of pre- and post-harvest diseases; iv. development of diagnostic methods for the early detection of quarantine pathogens; v. studies on the influence of ecological environmental characteristics on the geographical distribution of populations of fungi and oomycetes.