معرفی
Stefano Giovanni La Malfa is Full Professor of Arboriculture and Fruitculture at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Catania since 2017, teaching 'Mediterranean fruit tree species' and 'Fruitculture' for the second level degree course in Agricultural Science.
His educational background includes:
- Graduated in Agricultural Science at Catania University (1994) with full marks and laude
- PhD in 'Productivity of cultivated plants' (2001) with thesis on 'Citrus genetic improvement through genetic transformation and identification of useful genes'
La Malfa's research focuses on propagation, breeding, and genetic resources of fruit tree species, with particular emphasis on citrus. His work spans:
- Biotechnological approaches for propagation and breeding
- Molecular characterization of species and varieties
- Germplasm collection and exploitation of minor fruit trees (carob, prickly pear, pomegranate)
He has published over 100 SCOPUS-indexed publications and edited scientific works including Acta Horticulturae Volume 892 (Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Citrus Biotechnology).
His honors include:
- Ordinary Academic of Accademia dei Georgofili of Florence
- Correspondent Academic of Accademia di Scienze, Lettere e Belle Arti degli Zelanti e dei Dafnici
- President of Fruitculture Section of Italian Society of Horticulture (since 2022)
- Member of International Society for Horticultural Sciences
La Malfa has supervised PhD students and coordinated international research projects including Erasmus exchanges with Turkey and extensive collaborations in China. As founder and former chair (2019-2022) of university spin-off Agriunitech s.r.l., he bridges academic research with commercial applications. His administrative roles include membership on the executive board of Italian Society of Horticulture, representation on the Marine protected area 'Isole dei Ciclopi' committee (2014-2019), and leadership in regional agro-biodiversity committees.
