I have been focused my research on diverse plant cell biology subjects: programmed cell death in plants and plant propagation (micropropagation, in vitro organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis); in the last years, the research has been addressed to the characterization (by molecular, biochemical, physiological approaches) of microbial endophytes, living in grapevine inner tissues, for their potential application to improve crop productivity and plant disease biocontrol. Very recently, linked to the new research activity in the Botanic Garden of Padova, molecular biology studies have been set up: a) molecular identification of fungal specimens from the historical Saccardo’s collection, known at international level and conserved in the Herbarium of the Botanic Garden belonging to Padova University; b) the study of MADS-box genes that are expressed in the floral buds and in the reproductive structures of basal angiosperms that belong to the Nymphaeales order, with the purpose to better understand the MADS-box genes expression pattern involved in these species, thus contributing to an update of the ‘ABC(D)E’ model in these organisms; c) study focussed on the evolution of molecular networks controlling the seed coat differentiation in a Gymnosperm (Ginkgo biloba).