Project description
A little sugar or molasses may keep mango crops in Thailand healthier
The relationships among different species within an ecosystem display an amazing complexity. Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) are major predators of several insects that destroy tropical fruit and nut crops at great cost to farmers. However, they form a mutualistic relationship with honey dew-producing insects (Hemiptera) that are pests of mangos but provide the ants with food. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MolassAnt project will attempt to disrupt this mutually beneficial relationship between weaver ant and Hemiptera in Thai fruit crops by providing sugarcane molasses or a 50 % sugar solution to the ants. The goal is to enhance the production of mangos and of queen brood, a valuable edible by-product and delicacy in Thailand.
Objective
Oecophylla smaragdina weaver ants are important biocontrol agents of fruit crops in Thailand but their mutualistic association with honeydew-producing insect pests can result in an ineffectual crop protection and cause economic harm to farmers. I will take an innovative, application-oriented, and interdisciplinary approach by disrupting the weaver ant-Hemiptera mutualism in Thailand with sugarcane molasses as honeydew and sugar alternative in mango (Mangifera indica) and eventually improve the yield of mangoes and of queen brood, a socioeconomically valued edible by-product of which its harvesting is compatible with weaver ant biocontrol. Specifically, I will evaluate the impact of molasses and sugar provisioning on 1) weaver ant presence in the trees; 2) abundance of honeydew-producing insect pests; 3) weaver ant tending of honeydew-producing insect pests; 4) abundance of the natural enemies of honeydew-producing insect pests; 5) plant damage by honeydew-producing insect pests; and 6) quantity, nutritional composition, and microbial load of mangoes and queen brood. I will apply the experimental treatments (i) molasses provisioning of weaver ants, (ii) 50% sugar solution provisioning of weaver ants, and (iii) no molasses/sugar provisioning of weaver ants (control), with appropriate replication and sample size during 23 months. KU Leuven and Kasetsart University experts will coach and advise me in relevant insect identification, plant damage symptoms, interpreting analytical results, project management, and will analyse nutrient composition and microbial load of mangoes and queen brood. I will be exposed to a corporate research environment through a secondment at the biocontrol company Biobest. I will promote the project on Twitter and YouTube and organize a field workshop targeted at agricultural researchers.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture fruit growing
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3000 LEUVEN
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.