Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NextGenBioPest (“NextGenBioPest” - Next Generation Biopesticides for the control of the most “difficult-to-manage” pests and pathogens in fruits and vegetables)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-03-01 al 2025-08-31
Agricultural production and food security in Europe and globally are increasingly affected by invasive and resistant pests and pathogens. Conventional crop protection, largely based on chemical pesticides, faces growing challenges due to regulatory constraints, environmental concerns, and the rapid evolution of resistance. At the same time, EU policy priorities such as the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy aim to reduce pesticide use while maintaining productivity, farmer livelihoods, and food safety. There is therefore a clear need for innovative, sustainable, and integrated pest management (IPM) approaches that also address both ecological and socio-economic dimensions of plant health.
The NextGenBioPest project responds to this challenge by developing a new generation of tools and strategies for pest and pathogen control. The project aims to (i) design, validate, and demonstrate RNA-based biopesticides, molecular diagnostics, and biocontrol agents; (ii) integrate these innovations into predictive modelling frameworks and IPM programmes; and (iii) ensure uptake and impact through close stakeholder engagement, regulatory alignment, and socio-economic assessment. Social sciences and humanities are embedded in the project to analyse barriers to adoption, co-create solutions with farmers and industry, and evaluate consumer acceptance and market potential.
The pathway to impact follows a multidisciplinary and multi-actor approach: laboratory development→field validation→integration into IPM systems→demonstration in diverse European agro-ecosystems→socio-economic and regulatory analysis→dissemination to stakeholders and policymakers. The expected impacts include reducing reliance on conventional pesticides, improving the resilience of farming systems to pest outbreaks, supporting EU policy targets, and strengthening Europe’s global leadership in sustainable plant protection. By addressing urgent agricultural and societal needs, the project will contribute to healthier crops, safer food, and a greener environment at scale.
The NextGenBioPest project responds to this challenge by developing a new generation of tools and strategies for pest and pathogen control. The project aims to (i) design, validate, and demonstrate RNA-based biopesticides, molecular diagnostics, and biocontrol agents; (ii) integrate these innovations into predictive modelling frameworks and IPM programmes; and (iii) ensure uptake and impact through close stakeholder engagement, regulatory alignment, and socio-economic assessment. Social sciences and humanities are embedded in the project to analyse barriers to adoption, co-create solutions with farmers and industry, and evaluate consumer acceptance and market potential.
The pathway to impact follows a multidisciplinary and multi-actor approach: laboratory development→field validation→integration into IPM systems→demonstration in diverse European agro-ecosystems→socio-economic and regulatory analysis→dissemination to stakeholders and policymakers. The expected impacts include reducing reliance on conventional pesticides, improving the resilience of farming systems to pest outbreaks, supporting EU policy targets, and strengthening Europe’s global leadership in sustainable plant protection. By addressing urgent agricultural and societal needs, the project will contribute to healthier crops, safer food, and a greener environment at scale.
During the first reporting period, the project made solid progress across its main activities, advancing its planned work and achieving key scientific and technical objectives for this stage.
Project coordination ensured close collaboration among partners and the timely implementation of tasks. Procedures for data management, ethics, and reporting were established and applied across the consortium.
Progress was made in the development of new tools for detecting plant pests and pathogens. The project designed and tested molecular assays, portable diagnostic approaches, and digital tools, including an early version of a smartphone-based application, supporting faster and more accessible detection in both laboratory and field conditions.
Biological control solutions were further developed through the evaluation of new beneficial organisms and improvements in their rearing and deployment. Some of these are already moving closer to practical use, supported by initial steps towards scaling up production.
Work also progressed on next-generation crop protection approaches based on RNA technologies, alongside other environmentally friendly alternatives. These were tested under controlled and field-relevant conditions, with encouraging results supporting further development towards practical application.
Additional activities focused on plant-based and selective solutions, as well as ecological approaches that enhance the effectiveness of biological control. Field and semi-field trials were set up across different crops to explore how habitat management and companion planting can support beneficial organisms and improve pest control.
Preparatory work for large-scale demonstration was also carried out, including the selection of sites, the design of common protocols, and initial engagement with farmers and other stakeholders, enabling the transition to validation under real farming conditions in the next phase.
Finally, initial work on regulatory and market conditions provided a clearer understanding of factors that may influence the uptake of these solutions.
Project coordination ensured close collaboration among partners and the timely implementation of tasks. Procedures for data management, ethics, and reporting were established and applied across the consortium.
Progress was made in the development of new tools for detecting plant pests and pathogens. The project designed and tested molecular assays, portable diagnostic approaches, and digital tools, including an early version of a smartphone-based application, supporting faster and more accessible detection in both laboratory and field conditions.
Biological control solutions were further developed through the evaluation of new beneficial organisms and improvements in their rearing and deployment. Some of these are already moving closer to practical use, supported by initial steps towards scaling up production.
Work also progressed on next-generation crop protection approaches based on RNA technologies, alongside other environmentally friendly alternatives. These were tested under controlled and field-relevant conditions, with encouraging results supporting further development towards practical application.
Additional activities focused on plant-based and selective solutions, as well as ecological approaches that enhance the effectiveness of biological control. Field and semi-field trials were set up across different crops to explore how habitat management and companion planting can support beneficial organisms and improve pest control.
Preparatory work for large-scale demonstration was also carried out, including the selection of sites, the design of common protocols, and initial engagement with farmers and other stakeholders, enabling the transition to validation under real farming conditions in the next phase.
Finally, initial work on regulatory and market conditions provided a clearer understanding of factors that may influence the uptake of these solutions.
During the first reporting period, NextGenBioPest has started to move beyond the current state of the art by combining different crop protection approaches into more integrated pest management strategies, reducing reliance on conventional chemical control.
The work brings together advances in diagnostics, digital tools, biological control, RNA-based approaches, and ecological management in a more coordinated way. This helps improve the detection of pests and pathogens, enables more targeted interventions, and supports better alignment between different control methods.
An important step forward is the focus on solutions that are not only effective, but also usable under real farming conditions. Early results point to more user-friendly diagnostic tools, digital applications for pest detection, more reliable biological control options, and environmentally friendly crop protection approaches designed with selectivity and safety in mind. At the same time, ongoing work looks at how these solutions can work together in practice, helping to bridge the gap between laboratory performance and field application.
Further work will focus on large-scale validation and integration of these approaches under real farming conditions.
The work brings together advances in diagnostics, digital tools, biological control, RNA-based approaches, and ecological management in a more coordinated way. This helps improve the detection of pests and pathogens, enables more targeted interventions, and supports better alignment between different control methods.
An important step forward is the focus on solutions that are not only effective, but also usable under real farming conditions. Early results point to more user-friendly diagnostic tools, digital applications for pest detection, more reliable biological control options, and environmentally friendly crop protection approaches designed with selectivity and safety in mind. At the same time, ongoing work looks at how these solutions can work together in practice, helping to bridge the gap between laboratory performance and field application.
Further work will focus on large-scale validation and integration of these approaches under real farming conditions.