With background in fruit and vegetable genetics as well as in plant system biology, Ifigeneia’s role is to support breeding programs through the evaluation and utilisation of superior germplasm. Ifigeneia’s research focuses on vegetable breeding towards improved fruit quality, enhanced nutritional value (vitamins A, C, and other antioxidant compounds) and increased abiotic tolerance. To this end, Ifigeneia investigates the genetic and molecular control of antioxidant metabolism in leaves and fruits, and how this is coordinated with plant growth and performance under stress conditions. She is looking both at natural diversity of fruit quality and plant performance between different landraces as well as induced variation such as can be found in breeding programs. To achieve these goals, she employs both classical and molecular breeding techniques, as well as –omic approaches and physiology/biochemical aspects.

Dr Ifigeneia Mellidou holds a PhD in the field of Applied Biological Science from the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, University of Leuven, Belgium (2012). Through her PhD studies, under the supervision of Prof. Wannes Keulemans and Dr Mark Davey, she explored the genetic regulation of vitamin C metabolism in fruits (tomato and apple). She has worked as a postdoctoral researcher in numerous research projects in Greece (Groups of Prof K. Roubelakis, Prof I.-E. Constantinidou, Group of Prof A. Kanellis), and other countries such as Belgium (Prof B. Nicolai, Prof. Keulemans) and New Zealand (Dr Chagné). She also holds a patent at the UK Intellectual property office (GB1122298.1: ‘Molecular marker for ascorbic acid content in apple’, KULeuven).

Since November 2017, she is an independent researcher in Vegetable Breeding at the Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, HAO (Thessaloniki, Greece).

• Vegetable quality and nutritional value
• Molecular breeding and quantitative genetics
• Integration of Transcriptomics – metabolomics in Plant System Biology
• Plant molecular physiology of stress
• Holobiome plant breeding and microbiome-associated phenotypes

• ‘Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) that alleviate abiotic stress in plants grown in the Mediterranean environment’, funded by GSRT and HFRI (principal coordinator).
• ‘Preserving and improving the quality characteristics of the local bean varieties “Gigantes” and “Elefantes” from the area of Prespa’, funded by the Operational Program for Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (partner).
• ‘Breeding tomato for enhanced nutritional value’, self-funded research initiative (principal coordinator).

1. Ganopoulos I., Mylona F., Mellidou I., Tsaftaris T., Madesis P. 2018. Molecular screening of pea (Pisum sativum) germplasm with High-Resolution Melting analysis for resistance to powdery mildew. Plant Gene 15, 1-5.
2. Mellidou, I., and Kanellis, A. 2017. Genetic control of ascorbate accumulation in horticultural crops. Frontiers in Chemistry 5, 50.
3. Mellidou, I., Karamanoli, K., Beris, D., Haralampidis, K., Constantinidou, H.-I., Roubelakis-Angelakis, K.A. (2017) Underexpression of Apoplastic POLYAMINE OXIDASE improves thermotolerance in Nicotiana tabacum. Journal of Plant Physiology 218: 171-174.
4. Mellidou, I., Moschou, P. N., Ioannidis, N. E., Pankou, C., Gėmes, K., Valassakis, C., et al. 2016. Silencing S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) in Nicotiana tabacum points at a polyamine-dependent trade-off between growth and tolerance responses. Front Plant Sci, 7, 1–17.
5. Mellidou, I., Buts, K., Hatoum, D., Ho, Q.T., Mattheis, J.P., Johnston, J.W., Watkins, C.B., Schaffer, R.J., Gapper, N.E., Giovannoni, J.J., Rudell, D.R., Hertog, M.L.A.T.M., Nicolai, B.M. 2014. Transcriptomic events associated with internal browning of apple during postharvest storage. BMC Plant Biology, 14, 328-345