H2020 EMPHASIS Project: Effective Management of Pests and Noxious Alien Species: Integrated Solutions
- Type Project
- Status Filled
- Execution 2015 -2019
- Assigned Budget 6.526.038,51 €
- Scope Europeo
- Main source of financing H2020
- Project website Proyecto EMPHASIS
CHALLENGES AND EVALUATION IN PLANT HEALTH: A method was created for technology developers to assess market opportunities based on analysis of the national pest risk register and compare existing and future pest risks. This allows industry and authorities to re-evaluate target species and identify new market opportunities for technologists. A learning platform facilitated knowledge sharing and collaboration with stakeholders throughout the project. The evaluation was conducted through a multilingual survey.
EMPHASIS results can contribute to minimizing the negative impacts of pests and diseases. PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR SURVEILLANCE AND MONITORING: Targeted monitoring techniques (loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), biological surveillance tools (sentinel plots and plants), and non-targeted metagenomic surveillance techniques were developed. LAMP assays for various pathogens were developed and validated to provide detection and species-level identification of target organisms. The Genie instrument was implemented with automated result calling, user interface features, and wireless connectivity. Sentinel plots proved effective in providing early warning in different systems. A method using the MinION platform (Oxford Nanopore) proved to be a promising alternative to the meta-barcoding method for identifying pests in complex samples.
PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT AND ERADICATION: Practical solutions for effective protection, management and eradication of native and exotic threats. A pheromone blower technique was optimized for the codling moth (Cydia pomonella). Two new predatory insects (Dicyphus bolivari and D. errans) were tested on vegetables. RNAi entomopathogenic fungi, natural products and pesticides were tested against Bemisia tabaci, a pest of vegetable crops, and Sitobion avenae, a cereal-feeding aphid. In conifers, the antagonistic activity of some isolates of the fungus Phlebiopsis gigantea was tested against Heterobasidion irregulare (invasive species) and H. annosum (native species). An easy-to-use operating device for Heterobasidion spp. A containment system was developed, and procedures for local eradication of H. irregulare were identified. High resistance to stem rust (Puccinia graminis tritici) was found in wheat planting material, which could serve as a basis for genetic improvement for resistance.
The results were made available to the World Reference Centre for Wheat Rust (Denmark). A scheme was developed to predict the likely occurrence of wheat stem rust. In the winter rotation of cereals and oilseeds, crop residues constitute an important source of inoculum for two fungal diseases caused by Zymoseptoria tritici (septoria tritici blotch of wheat) and Leptosphaeria maculans (stem canker of rapeseed). From an applied perspective, agricultural practices should preserve and possibly enhance the balance prevailing in the overall microbial community of crop residues. A practical guide for farmers and land managers was developed on containment and eradication strategies for the invasive weeds Heracleum spp., Ambrosia artemisiifolia, and Ailanthus altissima, as well as a practical guide for growers on soil- and airborne pathogens and the containment of Bemisia tabaci in protected vegetable crops. Ash varieties that are less susceptible to or resistant to ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, formerly Chalara fraxinea) were identified. A practical guide for rapeseed growers was developed, identifying cultural practices to reduce insect damage to seedlings while preserving honeybee populations.
OPEN MULTI-STAKEHOLDER ACTIVITIES (ON-FARM VALIDATION AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT): To enable the implementation of innovative practical solutions by end-users, advisory services, SMEs and farmer groups, on-farm validation experiments were carried out to:
- Vegetable crops: Use of two generalist predators belonging to the genus Dicyphus, resistance inducers, BCA, compost, and fertilizers against soil-borne pathogens; trials in basil to evaluate the best combination of cultural practices and foliar spraying with salt-based calcium oxide to control downy mildew.
- Orchards: blower technique to control the codling moth (Cydia pomonella).
- Forests: resistant varieties, BCA, tree injections and other strategies to control Heterobasidion spp. and Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (Chalara fraxinea).
- Herbaceous crops: intercropping and other strategies for managing seedling insects in rapeseed.
- Weeds: Efficacy of selective herbicides against Heracleum spp., Ailanthus altissima, and Ambrosia artemisiifolia. Open days, demonstrations, webinars and videos, training courses, and field training sessions were organized. A Model Business Plan was developed. Specific business plans were drafted for the commercial/public implementation of selected innovations. DISSEMINATION AND TRAINING: The results were disseminated to a wide audience through brochures and posters, a project website, white papers, newsletters, email campaigns, social media, and press articles.
- Webinars for a large specialized audience, workshops with policymakers and the scientific community, summer schools, seminars, and exhibitions were organized. The training generated awareness and compliance with EMPHASIS practical solutions. Scientific articles were published in peer-reviewed journals. A "Call for Early Adopters" of EMPHASIS solutions was promoted.
EMPHASIS is a participatory research project addressing native and exotic pest threats (insect pests, pathogens, weeds) in diverse natural ecosystems and agricultural systems (field crops, protected crops, forestry, fruit orchards, and ornamental plants). The overall objective is to ensure a European food security system and the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services by developing integrated response mechanisms (practical solutions) to predict, prevent, and protect agricultural and forestry systems from native and exotic pest threats. The specific objectives are as follows:
- Predict, prioritize, and plan: Pest management challenges and opportunities will be assessed using stakeholder-centered criteria and through analysis of action pathways.
- Prevention: Practical surveillance solutions will be provided to end users across multiple pathways to improve preparedness, and tools for post-outbreak monitoring and eradication will be developed.
- Protect: Practical solutions for managing native and exotic pests in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry will be developed, their technical and economic viability will be demonstrated, and their market acceptance will be enhanced.
- Promotion: A mutual learning process will be developed with end-users, and the solutions identified in the project will be promoted through training and dissemination. The project is aligned with the EU policy framework (Directive 2000/29/EC on Plant Health, the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides, the Roadmap to a Resource-Efficient Europe) and its future developments (Regulation on protective measures against plant pests, Regulation on Invasive Alien Species).
- The project does not focus on a single management system, but rather addresses the plant and pest ecosystems it addresses with a multi-method approach to design a true IPM methodology that will be developed for key systems and transferable to other similar systems, generating significant impact.
Plant diseases caused by invasive and exotic pests and pathogens are increasing with climate change and international trade. Now, EU-funded scientists are looking for innovative ways to protect crops and forests. Exotic pathogens and pests wreak havoc on crops and forests, affecting food security and livelihoods, as well as biodiversity and ecosystem services. The EU-funded EMPHASIS project was designed as a comprehensive approach to detect and prevent the threat of invasive exotic pests and local pathogens. “Global trade, coupled with climate change, is significantly impacting the movement of pests, fungi, bacteria, and insects that continually arrive in Europe with plant material and seeds,” says project coordinator Maria Lodovica Gullino, Director of the Competence Center for Agro-Environmental Innovation (AGROINNOVA) at the University of Turin, Italy. "It's important to have good risk analysis tools and models to understand the crops most at risk in Europe and the pathogens that can affect them," Gullino adds. Epidemiological models have been established and existing ones have been expanded to predict the arrival of new pathogens, especially exotic species that can be difficult to detect in advance.
Timely prevention and protection tools were also developed that can reduce pesticide use in accordance with EU environmental regulations. Diagnostic tools: Molecular-level diagnostic tools based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification. The LAMP method was developed to detect specific pathogens through DNA amplification. "The molecular system is very easy to use: it allows for rapid DNA extraction, which can be performed in the field, with results in just a few minutes," says Gullino, adding: "This diagnostic method has been developed for numerous pathogens, with tests already commercially available, which technicians use directly in the field." This considerably reduces delays while waiting for laboratory culture results. "If instruments for rapid detection are available, particularly molecular tools, it becomes a prevention method, as the pathogen is detected very quickly and the number of subsequent direct interventions can be reduced," he notes. "As part of the project, the LAMP system was expanded in field trials to include various pathogens affecting vegetables, cereals, and forest products," Gullino adds. These include stem rust in wheat, downy mildew in basil, stem canker in rapeseed, and several others. Sentinel plants. "We also used sentinel plants: special plants planted in the field that are affected very quickly, allowing for rapid detection of the arrival of numerous pathogens."
This is a simple system that uses plants or plots, varieties with resistance or susceptibility, and treated or untreated crops as an early warning system. It is also useful for scheduling initial spraying, thereby reducing excessive pesticide use. Other non-target-specific monitoring approaches included the analysis of fungal spores and trapped insects. A metabarcode was developed using high-throughput DNA sequencing technology for identification, to monitor spore trap samples for fungal pathogens and to monitor sticky traps for spikes in the number of invading insects.
Other prevention methods included seed treatment, the use of specialized compost to improve plant health and disease resistance, soils with microorganisms that reduce the growth of soil-borne diseases, and integrated pest management systems. Farmer associations were involved, with experiments conducted at the farm level. “This helps with prevention and also promotes awareness, and is a way to help more farmers adopt the new technologies and management methods developed,” says Gullino.
EMPHASIS adopts the three-stage hierarchical approach advocated by the Convention on Biological Diversity, with supporting measures based on challenge identification, target prioritization, prevention, early detection and control, and long-term containment.
IMPACTS OF EMPHASIS:
- Effective solutions for the prevention and management of invasive alien species, both native and exotic, pests and pathogens.
- Scientific support for the development of relevant EU policies.
- Significant economic benefits/avoided losses for European agricultural and forestry systems.
- Scientific tools to improve the productivity and resilience of agricultural and forestry systems in the context of changing environmental conditions.
- Impact on various agricultural and forestry productions and risk management practices.
- UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO (UNITO)
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