Short Bio 2026  

Leandro Peña got his PhD in biology/biochemistry at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain) in 1992. He is specialized in plant breeding through biotechnology and has over 30 years’ experience on work in citrus biotechnology. His current research projects cover pathogen and pest resistance, modulation of tree development, altering terpene metabolism and composition in the fruit to improve nutritional and organoleptic characteristics. Peña has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and many book chapters on these topics. Author of 6 international patents, he has coordinated international research projects in Spain, EU, USA and Brazil. He has participated in numerous evaluation committees of Spanish national and international agencies (in USA, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Israel, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the EU, etc.). He has been invited as Keynote Speaker in congresses and meeting held in Spain, Italy, France, USA, Brazil and South Africa. He has been consultant on citrus biotechnology for the Brazilian biotechnology company Alellyx, the National Academy of Sciences USA and the Florida Citrus Production Advisory Board. Currently he is research professor of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the Institute of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP) of the CSIC and the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV), Spain, and is also consulting on citrus biotechnology projects for the Fundo de Defesa da Citricultura (Fundecitrus; Araraquara, Sao Paulo, Brazil), the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF, Florida, USA) and GCM Citrus (Valencia, Spain).

Brief description of the talk

Recent advances in biotechnological resistance against important citrus diseases 

The global citrus industry is increasingly threatened by destructive pathogens and insect vectors, including diseases that have historically limited the use of high-quality rootstocks such as sweet orange and sour orange. We are developing biotechnological solutions by genetically modifying citrus rootstocks and scions to improve resistance against major diseases like Phytophthora root rot, Citrus tristeza virus (CTV), Citrus black spot, Citrus canker, and especially Huanglongbing (HLB). Current strategies include engineering citrus plants to produce antifungal proteins, RNA interference, and volatile compounds that disrupt pathogens or repel insect vectors, as well as identifying resistance genes in Oceanian citrus species to create genome-edited citrus varieties and rootstocks with enhanced disease resistance.