Objective
1. To promote natural biological, physical and low-chemical control strategies for fungal pathogens. Alternatives to methyl bromide and the reduction of fungicide use in European strawberry cropping systems by developing natural biological, physical and low-chemical control strategies for fungal pathogens.
2. To select naturally occurring strains of Trichoderma active against the principal fungal pathogens c'ollelotrichum, Phytophthora and Botrytis, and to explore their use singly and in combination in laboratory and field conditions.
3. To assess the efficacy and survival of selected Trichoderma strains in conjunction with solarization techniques, and to investigate the effects of their application on beneficial soil organisms.
4. To develop novel biocides from Trlchoderma proteins to protect strawberry fruit from pre- and post-harvest dlseases.
5. To explore the synergistic effects of the various control measures developed, and to recommend integrated strategies for strawberry production with minimal chemical input.
PROPOSAL CONTENT Strawberry production is one of the EU agroindustries most dependent on methyl bromide fumigation for pest and pathogen control. Production is concentrated in the less developed southern European regions, so phasing out of mebr will have a disproportionate effect on these emerging economies, and will increase dependence on chemical control measures. Strawberry crops in California are predicted to decline by 25% without mebr treatments, and similar reductions may be expected in Mediterranean countries where strawberries are farmed intensively on US-style models. Our research will allow replacement of unsustainable cultivation practices with environmentally friendly Integrated Pest/Pathogen Management (IPM)-based systems, centred on biocontrol of pathogens using Trichoderma agents. These are already widely used in high-value crop production, but are currently not sufficiently developed for use on strawberry pathogens. Trichoderma strains have beneficial effects in agricultural systems other than pathogen control, principally through increasing soil fertility by the active breakdown of organic matter. This process is currently seriously hindered by the non-specific action of mebr and similar chemical fumigants, which destroy natural microbiologically mediated disease suppression in soil, and encourage rapid recolonization by pathogens. There are three major novel strands to our proposal, involving synergies between different control measures. Firstly, combinations of selected (but not genetically modified) Trichoderma strains will be explored as soil and foliar additives, in order to increase the effectiveness and range of pathogen control. Secondly, biocontrol strains will be integrated with solarization techniques for partial soil sterilization. We believe that Trichoderma strains will be compatible with solarization preferentially, allowing the maintenance of permanent pathogenantagonistic soil systems. Thirdly, we shall combine traditional Trichoderma biocontrol systems with novel antifungal agents derived from Trichoderma enzymes, which may be used as environmentally friendly foliar sprays or post-harvest treatments. We shall also investigate synergies of biocontrol organisms and products with minimal doses of chemical control agents, to develop protocols which maximise control but minimize inputs. We will identify and promote optimal control systems using components from our IPM spectrum, which should result in effective control of strawberry diseases on a long-term sustainable basis. The experimental processes will act as a model for developing environmentally friendly control measures for pests and pathogens of other mebr-dependent crops.
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.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering control systems
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture fruit growing
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- social sciences sociology demography fertility
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture agronomy
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Coordinator
37007 SALAMANCA
Spain
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