Dalmatian pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium Trevir. /Sch./ Bip.) is an outcrossing diploid, self-incompatible and thermophilic plant species of the family Asteraceae. It is restricted to the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, where it can be found in extremely degraded habitats with shallow rocky soils. It is the source of the most economically important natural insecticide pyrethrin. The cultivation and use of Dalmatian pyrethrum and its products have a documented history in Croatia.

Despite its historical significance and economic value limited genetic and biochemical data on Dalmatian pyrethrum is available. Therefore, the importance of this project proposal lies in the integration of various scientific fields in resolving important issues concerning genetic and biochemical diversity of Dalmatian pyrethrum. The scientific objectives of the project are: (I) development of microsatellite primers (SSR; Simple Sequence Repeats) for Dalmatian pyrethrum; (II) utilization of newly developed SSR and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers in assessing genetic diversity of D. pyrethrum natural populations (III) optimization of Matric Solid Phase Dispersion (MSPD) technique and its utilization in the extraction of pyrethrins, and identification and determination of six extracted pyrethrin components in sampled populations with High - Performance Liquid Chromatography- DAD (HPLC-DAD), (IV) identification of AFLP markers linked to the trait loci related to the content of each pyrethrin component through Association Mapping studies which will facilitate the management of natural populations in future breeding programmes based on Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS).

Emerging technologies and methods proposed in this project will lead to the development of new approaches to biodiversity monitoring, plant genetic resources conservation, future breeding programmes and agricultural exploitation of Dalmatian pyrethrum.