Collection and identification of the most promising native perennial grasses, within the European OPTIMA Project.

Objective The general objective of WP3 is to establish the most appropriate agronomic practices that would lead to optimize the productivity of perennial grasses under Mediterranean climates. The specific objectives are: To identify, collect, and test spontaneous native grass species with a great yielding potential under Mediterranean conditions To enhance knowledge on the morphological and physiological traits and responses of native perennial grasses to environmental constraints in Mediterranean environments To improve the agronomic practices such as plant propagation, crop establishment and development and harvest Evaluate the productivity of perennial grasses under salinity and drought stress conditions Optimize the use of soil resources (water, nutrients)