Dr Parthenopi Ralli is a Senior Researcher and Genebank Manager at the Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources (IPGRB) of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization-DIMITRA. Her research area is Conservation and Evaluation of Plant Genetic Resources and their Exploitation in Plant Breeding and Agronomy. She received her diploma from the School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agricultural Science of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), with specialization in the Science of Horticulture and Viticulture (1999), her MSc in Applied Genetics and Biotechnology from the Faculty of Science of AUTh (2002) and her PhD in Plant Breeding and Agronomy from the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment of the same University (2015). During her MSc thesis she explored the development and the utilization of molecular markers in plant breeding with emphasis on the evaluation of the genetic diversity of wild beets in Greece (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima). Also, during her PhD thesis she was involved with the evaluation of genetic material of wild species and cultivated Crocus (Crocus spp.) based on agronomic characteristics and molecular techniques, the methods of these species’ regeneration and ex situ and in situ conservation.

From 1998 till 2003 Dr Ralli worked in research projects of the School of Agriculture of AUTh, at the Hellenic Organization of Agricultural Insurances and at the Region of Central Macedonia, Directorate of Rural Development. In 2004 she joined the scientific staff of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization-DIMITRA, Directorate General of Agricultural Research (former National Agricultural Research Foundation-NAGREF) and from 2017 the research staff of the Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources of the same Organization. Her research interests focus on the ex situ and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources (PGR) and she has work experience in collection, regeneration with in vitro and ex vitro techniques, characterization, documentation and evaluation of plant genetic material of landraces and crop wild relatives with the use of morphological and agronomic traits and molecular markers.

Dr Ralli is alternate National Focal Point for monitoring the implementation of the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) and for the preparation of country reports for The Third Report on the State of the World's PGRFA of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Chair of the Beta Working Group (WG) and member of Crop Wild Relatives WG, On-farm Conservation and Management WG, Documentation and Information WG of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) and participates in two Scientific Societies. She was and is involved as a coordinator, work package leader or as a team member in many European and National research projects, and has research publications in internationally referred Journals, Proceedings of International and National Conferences and Book Chapters.

• Ex situ and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources
• Plant genetic resources regeneration with in vitro and ex vitro techniques
• Characterization and evaluation of plant genetic material with the use of morphological and agronomic traits and molecular markers
• Utilization of plant genetic resources in sustainable agriculture and breeding

• “PRO-WILD”: Protect and promote Crop Wild Relatives (2024-2029), Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01, Crop wild relatives for sustainable agriculture, HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01-13 (https://www.pro-wild.eu/el/index.html), funding: Horizon Europe research and innovation program, European Union, UK Research and Innovation and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) (Role: Leader of the research team of ELGO-DIMITRA).
• “AgriGenRe”: Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (2025-2029), funding: Ministry of Rural Development and Food (Role: Work Package Leader)
• “ABC Mediterranean Landraces Activity”: Annual & Biennial Crop Landraces Catalogue of Mediterranean Countries (2026-2027), funding: Activity Grant Scheme of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) (Role: team member).
• “LEMRACE”: Conservation of the crop genetic wealth of Lemnos: local varieties for sustainable development of the Lemnian food system (2023-2024), NATURAL ENVIRONMENT & INNOVATIVE ACTIONS 2023, Priority Axis 4, A.4. Protection and Conservation of Biodiversity (https://lemrace.med-ina.org/), funding: Green Fund (Role: Leader of the research team of ELGO-DIMITRA).
• “INWHEATORY”: Inventorying wheat on-farm diversity (2023-2024), funding: Activity Grant Scheme of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) (Role: Leader of the research team of ELGO-DIMITRA)

Gerakari, M., Ralli, P., Giannakoula, A., Ouzounidou, G., Anagnostou, A., Antoniadis, C., Avdikos, I.D. (2025). Agronomic, Morphological, and Nutritional Characterization of Greek Traditional Pepper (Capsicum annuum ) Landraces at Commercial and Physiological Maturity for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Vegetable Systems. Plants, 14(20), 3164. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14203164

Ralli, P.E., Menexes, G., Dordas, C.A. (2024). Corm size and planting density affect the yield and longevity of saffron (Crocus sativus). Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 52(2), 13556.

Thanopoulos, R., Negri V., Pinheiro De Carvalho, M.A.A., Petrova, S., Chatzigeorgiou, T., Terzopoulos, P.J., Ralli, P., Suso, M.S., Bebeli, P.J. (2024). Landrace legislation in the world: status and perspectives with emphasis in EU system. Resour. Crop. Evol. 71, 957–997. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-023-01824-0

Kadoglidou K.Ι., Krommydas, K., Ralli, P., Mellidou, I., Kalyvas, A., Irakli, M. (2022). Assessing Physicochemical Parameters, Bioactive Profile and Antioxidant Status of Different Fruit Parts of Greek Eggplant Germplasm. Horticulturae 8, 1113. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8121113

Raggi, L., Pacicco, C. L., Caproni, L., Álvarez-Muñiz, C., Annamaa, K., Barata, A. M., Batir-Rusu, D., Díez, M. J., Heinonen, M., Holubec, V., Kell, S., Kutnjak, H., Maierhofer, H., Poulsen, G., Prohens, J., Ralli, P., Rocha, F., Rubio Teso, M. L., Sandru, D., Santamaria, P., Sensen, S., Shoemark, O., Soler, S., Străjeru, S., Thormann, I., Weibull, J., Maxted, N., Negri V. (2022). Analysis of landrace cultivation in Europe: A means to support in situ conservation of crop diversity. Biological Conservation 267, 109460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109460

Tsivelikas, A.L., Avramidou, E.V., Ralli, P.E., Ganopoulos, I.V., Moysiadis, T., Kapazoglou, A., Aravanopoulos, F.A., Doulis, A.G. (2022). Genetic diversity of Greek grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cultivars using ampelographic and microsatellite markers. Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization 20, 1-13. doi:10.1017/S147926212200020X

Lazali, M., Boudsocq, S., Taschen, E., Farissi, M., Hamdi, W., Ralli, P., Sentenac, H. (2021). CROSYMED Project: Enhancing Nutrient Use Efficiency through Legumes in Agroecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin. Sustainability, 13, 4695. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094695

Xepapadeas, A., Ralli, P., Kougea, A. E., Spyrou, S., Stavropoulos, N., Tsiaousi, V., Tsivelikas, A. (2014). Valuing insurance services emerging from a gene bank: The case of the Greek Gene Bank. Ecological Economics 97, 140-149. doi:1016/j.ecolecon.2013.11.012.

Ralli, P., Dordas, C. (2012). In situ conservation of Crocus cartwrightianus in Cyclades and Crete. In: Agrobiodiversity Conservation: Securing the Diversity of Crop Wild Relatives and Landraces. (Maxted, N., Ehsan Dulloo, M., Ford-Lloyd, B.V., Frese, L., Iriondo, J.M., Pinheiro de Carvalho, M.A.A. eds). CABI Publishing, Croydon, pp. 96-102. 10.1079/9781845938512.0096.

Ράλλη, Π., Τσιβελίκας, Α., Κόταλη, Ε., Σαμαράς, Σ., Σταυρόπουλος, Ν. (2010). Aegilops speltoides Tausch var. ligustica (Savign.) Fiori. Σε: Βιβλίο Ερυθρών Δεδομένων των Σπάνιων και Απειλούμενων Φυτών της Ελλάδας. Ελληνική Βοτανική Εταιρεία. σελ. 8-10.