CNR ISPA, VIA AMENDOLA 122/O – 70125, B +39 080 5929331 + ...

S H O R T
C U R R I C U L U M V I T A E
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Surname, Name VURRO, MAURIZIO
Address
CNR ISPA, VIA AMENDOLA 122/O – 70125, BARI, ITALY
Telephone +39 080 5929331
Fax +39 080 5929374
E-mail
Skype
Website
maurizio.vurro@ispa.cnr.it
mauriziovu
http://www.ispa.cnr.it/
Nationality
Date and Place of birth
Italian
09.12.1961 - BARI
Home address
VIA RAFFAELE PERRONE 6 - 70129 - Bari Loseto
Cellular +39 339 2200937
WORK EXPERIENCE
Period (from – to) FROM 1987 - ONGOING
Name and address of employer
Istituto di Scienze delle Produzioni Alimentari del CNR (former Istituto Tossine e Micotossine da
Parassiti vegetali) – Bari - via Amendola 122/O
Type of business or sector Public Research Institution
Occupation or position held Senior Researcher
Main activities or responsibilities Research activities and project scientific coordination
Personal registration number 22419
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Period (from – to) 1980-1985
Name and type of organization
providing education
University of Bari Faculty of Agriculture
Principal subjects / skills covered
Plant Pathology, Biological Control, Mycology, Natural compounds, Weed Management,
Parasitic Weeds
Title of qualification awarded Degree in Agricultural Sciences
NATIVE LANGUAGE
ITALIAN
OTHER LANGUAGES
Reading
Writing
Talking
ENGLISH
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Pag. 1 - Curriculum vitae of Vurro Maurizio

TRAINING
October 1999
He has a study visit at Nitra and Bratislava (Slovak Republic) within a bilateral project between CNR and
the Slovak Academy of Science.
9 - 19 December 1996 He has a short study visit at the International Institute for Biological Control, Ascot (UK), thanks to a
fellowship within the international scientific agreement CNR/British Council.
10 July - 10 August1996 He spends one month, thanks to a CNR short-mobility fellowship, at the Department of Plant Science,
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
June - December 1995
He spends 6 months at the Department of Plant Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver,
Canada, thanks to a fellowship, under the guidance of Prof. Brian E. Ellis.
3 - 13 April 1995 He attends the Course "Systems analysis and simulation of crop-weed interactions" held in Viareggio
(Italy), organized within the CNR Project "RAISA".
18 July - 12 August 1994 He has a study visit at the Department of Biochemistry, del Max-Planck Institut fur Zuchtungsforschung
of Cologne (Germany), under the guidance of Dr. Wolfgang Knogge.
19 - 20 November 1992 He attends a Course “ESA-QUEST” on the use of data banks held in Frascati (Italy) organized by the
European Space Agency.
13 - 22 May 1991 He has a study visit at the Department of Botany, Nottingham University (UK), under the guidance of
Prof. John Peberdy.
5 February - 1 March 1990 He attends a Course on Mycology at the CBS in Baarn (The Netherlands) supervised by Prof. Walter
Gams
1986 He receives a one-year grant from the Italian National Research Council.
ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
(main)
7-12 June 2011 He organizes the 11th World Congress on Parasitic Plants, held in Martina Franca, Italy
21 - 26 September 2008 He organizes with Prof. Jonathan Gressel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, The International
OECD Conference "Managing parasitic weeds: integrating science and practice", held in Ostuni
(Italy).
8 - 19 September2008 He organizes, with Prof. Jonathan Gressel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, the NATO
Advanced Study Institute “Novel biotechnologies for biocontrol agent enhancement and
management”, held in Gualdo Tadino (Perugia).
18 - 23 June 2005 He organizes the 13th Symposium of the European Weed Research Society and the VII International
Bioherbicide Group Workshop, held in Bari
October 2005
He organizes in Rome the COST 849 International Workshop "Synergistic use of biocontrol agents for
parasitic plant management”.
27 April 2003 He organizes the VI Workshop of the International Bioherbicide Group “Bioherbicides, the next
generation”, held as a satellite meeting of the International Symposium of Biological Control of
Weeds, in Canberra (Australia)
18 - 20 October 2001 He organizes the Workshop “The State of the Art in Orobanche Research and Control”, within the
European network COST 849 "Parasitic plant management in sustainable agriculture”, held in Bari
(Italy)
9 - 15 June 2001 He organizes with Prof. Jonathan Gressel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, the NATO
Advanced Research Workshop “Enhancing biocontrol agents and handling risks” held in Florence
(Italy)
from 1998 - ongoing
He is editor of the Newsletter of the “International Bioherbicide Group” distributed by e-mail to the
members of the international group, as well as posted on the website http://ibg.ba.cnr.it.
Research Activities
(main)
2012 - ongoing He is National Delegate of the project COST FA1206 "Strigolactones: biological roles and
applications" (STREAM).
Pag. 2 - Curriculum vitae of Vurro Maurizio

2012 - ongoing He is National Delegate of the project COST FA1203 "Sustainable management of Ambrosia
artemisiifolia in Europe" (SMARTER), and coordinator of Task 5: Training Activities.
2010 - 2012 He is team manager of the two-year-project "Biological control of weeds in archaeological sites in the
Apulia Region ", from the Italian Ministry for the Cultural activities and goods.
2010 - 2011 He is team manager of a bilateral project for the scientific cooperation with JSPS (Japan) on the role
of strigolactones in the plant-parasite relationships.
2010 - 2011 He is team manager of a two-year National Project named "ECOVIA" on the "Optimization and preindustrial
development of a natural herbicide of microbial origin".
2004 - 2006 He is coordinator of the European project “Enhancement and Exploitation of Soil Biocontrol Agents for
Bio-Constraints Management in Crops”, within the "Food Quality and Safety" topic of the VI
Framework Programme
2001 - 2006 He is National Delegate of the project COST 849 "Parasitic plant management in sustainable
agriculture" and coordinator of the Working Group 2 “Biological control”.
2000 - 2005 He coordinates a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Scientific Research on “Biological control of
Orobanche using phytopathogenic fungi and their toxic metabolites”
1998 - 2000 He is team manager of the Institute of Toxins and Mycotoxins within the three-year-project "Optimizing of
biological control of a dominant weed in major crops" funded by the European Commission.
1994 - 1999 He is National delegate of the project COST 816 "Biological control of weeds in Europe".
1990 He obtains an Italian patent (in collaboration with three other scientists) on the "Process for the
production of cytochalasin B by Phoma exigua var. heteromorpha"
Teaching Activities
(main)
He acted as a tutor for 3 PhD students and 3 B.Sc. students
He supervised several thesis, and several students hosted at the ISPA labs
He received several invites to have speeches at national and international congresses, PhD classes and
courses
Publications
60 articles in International Scientific Journals (ISI)
3 Books
10 Chapters in books
17 Articles in National or not ISI Scientific Journals (ISI)
well over 100 abstracts in international or national congresses
1 patent
Pag. 3 - Curriculum vitae of Vurro Maurizio

Selected publications of the last 5 years
VURRO M., YONEYAMA K., 2012. Strigolactones, intriguing biologically active compounds: perspectives for deciphering their biological
role and for proposing practical application. Pest Management Science, 68:664-668.
EVIDENTE A., ZONNO M.C., ANDOLFI A., TROISE C., CIMMINO A., VURRO M., 2012. Phytotoxic pyrones produced by Pestalotiopsis
guepinii, the causal agent of hazelnut twig blight. Journal of Antibiotics, 65: 203-206.
VURRO M., ANDOLFI A., BOARI A., ZONNO M.C., CARETTO S., AVOLIO F., EVIDENTE A., 2012. Optimization of the production of
the herbicidal toxins by the fungus Ascochyta caulina. Biological Control, 60: 192-198.
AVOLIO F., ANDOLFI A., ZONNO M.C., BOARI A., VURRO M., EVIDENTE A., 2011. Process for the Large Scale Production and
Purification of Ascochyta caulina Phytotoxins, Potential Herbicides: A New Method for Toxins Analysis. Chromatographia, 74:633-
638.
TÜRKKAN M., ANDOLFI A., ZONNO MC., ERPER I., PERRONE C., CIMMINO A., VURRO M:, EVIDENTE A., 2011. Phytotoxins
produced by Pestalotiopsis guepenii, a causal agent of hazelnut twig blight. Phytopathologia Mediterranea, 50: 154-158.
DUKE S.O., EVIDENTE A., FIORE M., RIMANDO A.M., DAYAN F.E., VURRO M., CHRISTIANSEN N., LOOSER R., HUTZLER J.,
GROSSMANN K., 2011. Effects of the aglycone of ascaulitoxin on amino acid metabolism in Lemna paucicostata. Pesticide
Biochemistry and Physiology, 100, 41-50.
VURRO M., BONCIANI B., VANNACCI G., 2010. Emerging infectious diseases of crop plants in developing countries: impact on
agriculture and socio-economic consequences. Food Security, 2 (2), 113-132..
CASELLA F., R. CHARUDATTAN, VURRO M., 2010. Effectiveness and technological feasibility of bioherbicide candidates for biocontrol
of Green Foxtail (Setaria viridis). Biocontrol Science and Technology, 20(10): 1027-1045.
CIPRIANI M.G., STEA G., MORETTI A., ALTOMARE C., MULÈ G., VURRO M., 2009. Development of a PCR-based assay for the
detection of Fusarium oxysporum strain FT2, a potential mycoherbicide of Orobanche ramosa. Biological Control, 50: 68-74.
BALÁZS E., VURRO M., GRESSEL J., 2009. Managing parasitic weeds: integrating science and practice. Pest Management Science, 65
(5): 451-452.
VURRO M. , BOARI A., EVIDENTE A., ANDOLFI A., ZERMANE N., 2009. Natural metabolites for parasitic weed management. Pest
Management Science, 65 (5): 566-571.
ZONNO M.C., VURRO M., LUCRETTI S., ANDOLFI A., PERRONE C., EVIDENTE A., 2008. Phyllostictine A, a potential natural
herbicide produced by Phyllosticta cirsii: In vitro production and toxicity. Plant Science, 175: 818-825.
EVIDENTE A., CIMMINO A., ANDOLFI A., VURRO M., ZONNO M.C., MOTTA A., 2008. Phyllostictines A-D, oxazatricycloalkenones
produced by Phyllosticta cirsii, a potential mycoherbicide for Cirsium arvense biocontrol Tetrahedron, 64: 1612-1617.
EVIDENTE A., CIMMINO A., ANDOLFI A., VURRO M., ZONNO M.C., MOTTA A., 2008. Phyllostoxin and Phyllostin, bioactive
metabolites produced by Phyllosticta cirsii, a potential mycoherbicide for Cirsium arvense biocontrol. Journal of Agricultural and
Food Chemistry, 56: 884-888.
BOARI A., D. ZUCCARI, M. VURRO, 2008. “Microbigation:”: delivery of biological control agents through drip irrigation systems. Irrigation
Science, 26: 101-107.
EVIDENTE A., ANDOLFI A., CIMMINO A., VURRO M., FRACHIOLLA M., CHARUDATTAN R., MOTTA A., 2006. Ophiobolin E and 8-
epi-ophiobolin J produced by Drechslera gigantea, potential mycoherbicide of weedy grasses. Phytochemistry, 67: 2281-2287.
VURRO M., GRESSEL J., 2007. Novel Biotechnologies for Biocontrol Agent Enhancement and Management. NATO Science for Peace
and Security Series, Springer, The Netherlands, 425 p., ISBN: 978-1-4020-5797-7.
VURRO M., CRISTOFARO M., CASELLA F., BOARI A., ZONNO M.C., 2009. Lotta biologica alle piante infestanti. In: Quaderno VII -
Innovazioni nella difesa delle colture con mezzi a basso impatto ambientale - Accademia dei Georgofili, Polistampa, Firenze, pp.
975-1003.
WATSON A., GRESSEL J., SANDS D., HALLETT S., VURRO M., BEED F., 2007. Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Striga, athletes foot or
Achilles heel? In: Novel Biotechnologies for Biocontrol Agent Enhancement and Management (M. Vurro and J. Gressel eds.),
Springer, Chap. 11, pp. 213-222.
VURRO M., 2007. Benefits and risks of using fungal toxins in biological control strategies. In: Novel Biotechnologies for Biocontrol Agent
Enhancement and Management (M. Vurro and J. Gressel eds.), Springer, Chap. 3, pp. 53-74.
VURRO M., BOARI A., 2006. Natural compounds for novel strategies of parasitic plant management. In: Natural Products for Pest
Management, ACS Symposium Series 927 (A. Rimando & S. Duke eds), ACS Press, Washington DC, USA, Chapter 6, 76-87.
VURRO M., GRESSEL J., 2006. An integrated European approach to biological control of plant diseases and weeds. In: An Ecological
and Societal Approach to Biological Control (J. Eilenberg and H.M.T.Hokkanen eds.) Springer, The Netherlands, Chapter 13, pp.
257-274.
Pag. 4 - Curriculum vitae of Vurro Maurizio