Universidad De Malaga
The Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture Institute “La Mayora” (IHSM) is a joint venture between the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the University of Málaga (UMA) that was created to bring together the research groups from the preexisting Experimental Station “La Mayora” CSIC (EELM-CSIC) and research groups from several departments of the UMA to promote and coordinate more efficiently the current scientific research carried out by both entities in intensive horticulture and subtropical fruit production.
The IHSM is located in one of the most dynamic agricultural areas of Spain (coastal areas of Malaga, Granada and Almeria) where a major concentration of intensive subtropical fruits trees and horticulture production of the Mediterranean basin can be found.
Two milestones have delimited the history of the IHSM. Firstly, the creation of the Experimental Station “La Mayora” (EELM-CSIC) in the year 1961, in the frame of a German-Spanish agreement, with the aim of developing intensive crops with export potential towards Europe, with spectacular results. Among the greatest historical achievements of EELM-CSIC we can cite the development of strawberries industrial cultivation in southern Spain, the development of subtropical crops in Málaga and Granada, and the use of improved horticultural crops based on sustainable control strategies against pests and diseases. Secondly, in February, 2010 the joint institute IHSM “La Mayora” was created in order to host a scientific critical mass to become a center of international reference. The main objective of the Institute is to join efforts to promote the research and the innovation in subtropical fruit trees and Mediterranean horticulture, as well as help to strengthen the productivity of the sector in the region through the transfer of knowledge and technical training.
Nowadays, the departments of IHSM, in which 41 research staff and 58 hired and trainee researchers work are:
- Plant breeding and biotechnology
- Subtropical and Mediterranean Fruit Production
- Plant-Microorganism-Insect Interaction
- Microbiology and plant protection This research has resulted, in the last three years, in obtaining 115 research projects (with regional, national and European funding), 194 scientific publications and 14 Ph.D. Thesis. At present, IHSM maintains international relations with institutions of more than forty countries, from Canada to Vietnam, including most countries of Latin America, the Mediterranean basin, and countries of the sub-Saharan Africa and the Far East.
Main task in the project
Within the BreedingValue project, UMA coordinates work package 3, and thus, is responsible for the scientific project management within this work package. Furthermore, UMA contributes to several tasks being responsible of metabolomic analysis related to fruit quality.
