Cernas

CERNAS

Research Center
for Natural Resources,
Envioronment and Society

Pedro Manuel Reis Mendes Moreira

Pedro Manuel Reis Mendes Moreira
Research Interests: genetic resources conservation strategies, on farm conservation and participatory plant breeding.
Leads one of the pioneering participatory breeding projects worldwide, the VASO project since 1984. This project has been working the traditional varieties of maize with the purpose to obtain varieties with higher yields and quality. The fasciation trait in traditional Portuguese varieties has also been studied using quantitative genetics.
Currently participates as responsible for IPC-ESAC involvement, in the European H2020 DIVERSIFOOD project. DIVERSIFOOD focus on participatory research, genetic improvement (statistics and data mining), pre-breeding, pollycropping systems and maize and bean quality germplasm characterization and aspects related to the value chain.
Member of Management Committee by Portugal and vice president of WG3 of TUD COST Action TD1106 – Urban Agriculture in Europe (UAE).
From 2004 to 2015 was the national representative of the On-Farm Conservation and Management of the European Program of the working group and cooperative of plant genetic resources (ECPGR). From September 2010 to February 2015, he was the vice president of conservation on farm for WG-ECPGR (http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/networks/in_situ_and_on_farm/on_farm_wg.html).