ARISTO · The European Industry - Academia Network for RevIsing and Advancing the Assessment of the Soil Microbial TOxicity of Pesticides
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-12-01 → 2024-11-30
- EU contribution
- €2,390,825
- Participants
- 16
- Scheme
- MSCA-ITN
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Results in brief
The European Industry - Academia Network for RevIsing and Advancing the Assessment of the Soil Microbial TOxicity of Pesticides
Pesticides are major environmental pollutants whose placement in the market is under stringent regulatory control. Still certain pieces of this regulatory framework like the assessment of the toxicity of pesticides on the soil microbiota have been identified as problematic by EFSA and the scientific community and should be revisited in light of methodological advances, new scientific knowledge and deficiencies of the obsolete methods used (OECD 216 N transformation test). ARISTO addressed these scientific and regulatory gaps through a unique doctoral program, aiming to train the next generation of Microbial Ecotoxicologists, a crew of 9 PhD students that received intersectoral training by 7 academic and 9 industrial beneficiaries. The ARISTO project has revolutionized the way we assess the toxicity of pesticides on soil microbiota. It proposes a tiered risk assessment approach built around two key functional microbial groups, ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOM) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), to determine the potential effect of pesticides on the soil microbiota (Figure 1). The implementation of this tiered approach is supported by relevant tools (e.g. Single Species Tests – Tier I; Protocols for defining indirect pesticide effects; In silico tools for predicting pesticide toxicity on the soil microbiota) developed in the frame of the project. The main research challenge of ARISTO was addressed through 5 objectives structured in corresponding research WPs: 1. to develop and standardize pioneering in vitro tests, to assess pesticides toxicity on phylogenetically and ecophysiologically distinct soil ammonia oxidizing microorganisms (AOM) (fellow 1) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (fellow 2) 2. to develop and implement advanced experimental lab and field tests to assess pesticides toxicity on natural soil assemblages of AOM (fellow 3) and AMF (fellow 4), as a more realistic assessment step 3. to go beyond the "single organism (in vitro)" and "single group assays (natural soil assemblages)" and offer an ecosystem-level assessment of the toxicity of pesticides on soil microbial networks (fellow 5) and on microorganisms from different trophic-levels within the soil food-web (predator - prey) (fellow 6), and the consequences of these on ecosystem functioning 4. to develop novel tools and procedures to determine in a comprehensive way the soil microbial toxicity of pesticide mixtures (fellow 7) and bio-pesticides (fellow 8) which remains unexplored 5. to develop and validate advanced in silico tools for prioritizing transformation products (TPs) of pesticides with potential toxicity to soil microorganisms (fellow 9)
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
In ARISTO (the European Industry - Academia Network for RevIsing and Advancing the Assessment of the Soil Microbial TOxicity of Pesticides), leading universities and industrial partners join forces to perform a cutting edge research and doctorate training programme tackling the global challenge of minimising the environmental off-target effects of pesticides.The multi-sectoral approach of ARISTO, interlinking disciplines from soil microbiology, microbial ecology, environmental chemistry and risk assessment, will generate the new generation of Microbial Ecotoxicologists specialized in pesticides-soil microbes interactions. The research challenge of ARISTO is to produce benchmarking knowledge supporting the development of advanced tools and procedures, based on the response of key microbial indicator groups like ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOM) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), for the comprehensive assessment of the toxicity of pesticides on soil microorganisms. ARISTO offers doctorate fellows a challenging training programme build along 5 research objectives:(1) to develop pioneering in vitro tests, as a first conservative step, to assess the toxicity of pesticides on distinct AOM (ESR1) and AMF (ESR2) strains(2) to develop advanced experimental lab and field tests to assess the toxicity of pesticides on natural soil assemblages of AOM (ESR3) and AMF (ESR4), as a more realistic toxicity assessment step(3) to develop an ecosystem-level toxicity assessment: identify the response of soil microbial networks to pesticides (ESR5) and explore the impact of pesticides on microorganisms from different trophic-levels within the soil food-web (predator - prey) (ESR6)(4) to develop novel tools and procedures to determine the soil microbial toxicity of pesticide mixtures (ESR7) and biopesticides (ESR8)(5) to develop & validate advanced in silico tools for prioritizing transformation products (TPs) of pesticides with potential toxicity to soil microbes (ESR9)
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- PANEPISTIMIO THESSALIAS · VOLOSCoordinatorGreece
- ECOLE CENTRALE DE LYON · EcullyFrance
- ECT OEKOTOXIKOLOGIE GMBH · FLORSHEIMGermany
- EIDGENOESSISCHE ANSTALT FUER WASSERVERSORGUNG ABWASSERREINIGUNG UND GEWAESSERSCHUTZ · DubendorfSwitzerland
- ENVIPATH UG & CO KG · OckenheimGermany
- HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR UMWELTFORSCHUNG GMBH - UFZ · LeipzigGermany
- HYDREKA SAS · LYONFrance
- INOQ GMBH · SCHNEGAGermany
- INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT · ParisFrance
- METABOLIC INSIGHTS LTD · NESS-ZIONAIsrael
- NCIMB LIMITED · ABERDEENUnited Kingdom
- PHYTOTHREPTIKI INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL COMPANY OF FERTILIZERS AGRICULTURAL GOODS SOCIETE ANONYME · ANO LIOSIACity levelGreece
- SATT SAYENS · DIJONFrance
- SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET · UppsalaSweden
- SYNGENTA CROP PROTECTION AG · BaselSwitzerland
- UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN · LOUVAIN LA NEUVEBelgium
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/956496
- http://aristo.bio.uth.gr/
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e50aa86df8&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e510380e17&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5141fe977&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e51b5643e9&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5fcf45251&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union