Francesco Loreto

Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection

Papers

Total Citations

167

H-Index

About

Francesco Loreto is a leading plant physiologist whose research bridges the frontiers of photosynthesis, climate change biology, and advanced phenotyping. His work is centered on understanding how plants respond to environmental stress, particularly elevated CO₂ and rising temperatures, and on developing non-invasive technologies to monitor plant health and productivity. Loreto’s major contributions include pioneering studies on volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from plants and their role in stress signaling and atmospheric chemistry. His highly cited work, "Plant Phenotyping Research Trends, a Science Mapping Approach" (2019, 163 citations), has become a foundational reference for the emerging field of digital phenotyping, demonstrating how sensor-based, high-throughput methods can link genetics and environmental pressures to crop performance. More recently, his perspective "Climate challenges: can plants adapt in time?" (2024) addresses the urgent question of whether natural and agricultural vegetation can keep pace with rapid climatic shifts. Loreto’s impact is reflected in his sustained influence on global change biology and his leadership in shaping modern, technology-driven plant science.