Research Institute for Fruit Growing Pitesti - Maracineni was founded in 1967 under the management of acad. prof. T. Bordeianu (dead in 1969). After 10 year activity, in 1977, the Research Institute for Fruit Growing was extended and called Trust for Research, Design, Technological Engineering and Fruit Production located also in Pitesti – Maracineni having 26 fruit research stations. In this way, an integrated coordinator of the whole Romanian fruit growing was achieved for the major sectors in this field: research, design, production and development. This Trust worked until 1979 when the research and design activity was continued within the Research Institute for Fruit Growing. Nowadays, The Institute co-ordinates scientifically the fruit research and development activity of 6 experimental R&D stations located in the most important fruit-growing areas of Romania: Research Station for Fruit Growing Baneasa, Bistrita, Constanta, Falticeni, Iasi and Voinesti.
The research division of the Institute carries on scientific investigations in 5 units:
- Genetics and Breeding
- Plant Propagation
- Tissue Culture and Virology
- Small Fruits and Strawberry
- Orchard Technologies and Plant Protection
The main fruit growing research topics for the 2014 – 2020 period are:
- Studies of genetic variability and inheritance of major characteristics in fruit trees and berries;
- Preservation and evaluation of the fruit germplasm ex situ and possibly in situ; over 5,000 accessions;
- Germplasm maintenance and breeding of fruit tree rootstocks;
- Breeding of new cvs. with high fruit quality and genetic resistance to biotic and abiotic factors;
- Zoning of the fruit species and varieties;
- Sustainable fruit technologies and environment protection;
- Nursery techniques – macro and micro propagation, virology.