Objective
This project sets out to develop and to study environmentally friendly biological control agents which should replace or reduce the input of chemical pesticides in European agriculture, forestry and horticulture. This is in accord with the reformed common agriculture policy guidelines and is the objective of area 4 of the FAIR programme. This goal will be achieved through the use of new formulated fungal biopreparations. The fungal pesticides have to be evaluated for their environmental benefits and efficacy to demonstrate that these promising products will be an alternative to chemical insecticides.
Larvae of scarab beetles and weevils feed on the roots of a wide range of economically important plants such as soft and top fruit (e.g. Vines, apples, raspberries, blackcurrants, strawberries), ornamentals (e.g. Cyclarnen, nursery stock), pasture, arable crops (e.g. Cereals, potatoes), and forest trees (e.g. Firs, Christmas trees). The estimated damage in the whole of Europe is several billion ecus. Current control measures are dependent on toxic chemical pesticides some of which are ineffective in the soil while others have or will soon be banned (e.g. Methylbromide). Fungal pathogens are endemic in pest populations and efforts are being made to develop these for pest control. There is, however, a need to develop economical methods for the production of large quantities of stable, virulent microbial pesticides, and appropriate targeting strategies to
(1) maximise the impact of these agents for pest control in different soil habitats and
%(2) minimise the impact on the environment.
The aims ofthis project will be to
(1) control scarabs and weevils with virulent, ecologically competent strains of insect-pathogenic fungi
(2) improve production and formulation technologies,
(3) develop biochemical methods to monitor fungal virulence and nutritional (carbon) requirements,
(4) use molecular techniques to characterize strains to monitor the pathogen in the field (spatial-temporal distribution, genetical stability, interactions with autochthonous, conspecific strains) and for the detection of instability factors (e.g. Transposons, mycoviruses),
(5) test new application systems for effective targeting of the pathogen,
(6) study the impact of the pathogens on target and non-target insects
(7) conduct field trials to demonstrate/evaluate the efficacy of the fungal biological control agents and
%(8) address some of the criteria for the registration of insect pathogenic fungi.
This project links partners with different, but complementary expertise from several countries, from research institutions and small medium sized companies, and should accelerate the progress in achieving the proposed objectives. Successful implementation of the expected results should substantially reduce the need for chemical control of soil dwelling pests like scarabs and weevils. Most of the results from this programme have universal applicability and could be utilised in both field and protected crop ecosystems. Key words: biocontrol agent, insect pathogenic fungi, scarabs, weevils, soil pests, virulence, biotechnology, formulation, ecological fitness, sustainable agriculture, organic farming.
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 agronomy plant protection
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture sustainable agriculture
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture fruit growing
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture grains and oilseeds cereals
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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.
Topic(s)
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.
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.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
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.
Coordinator
6020 INNSBRUCK
Austria
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.