HealthyPlants · A systematic survey of cultivated plant viruses and cereal virus reservoirs.
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2024-02-01 → 2026-01-31
- EU contribution
- €199,694
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
HealthyPlants: A systematic survey of cultivated plant viruses and cereal virus reservoirs.
Plant viruses are an under‑recognised but growing threat to European agriculture. Their impact is being amplified by climate change, the evolution of pesticide resistance, and the loss of crop protection chemistries. Europe’s Farm to Fork ambitions increase the need for robust integrated pest management (IPM) strategies and real time decision support systems for farmers. Effective disease management depends on rapid, sensitive and specific diagnostic tools built on a clear understanding of viral diversity and reservoirs in the landscape. This project set out to build the knowledge and tools needed for effective molecular surveillance of plant viruses in Ireland by (1) completing the first survey of viruses associated with major cultivated plants in Ireland and establish an open, national baseline of viral sequences to underpin development of new diagnostic and surveillance tools; (2) determining whether field margins, hedgerows and pastures act as reservoirs for cereal and other crop viruses; and (3) screening newly imported tuber crops with potential phytosanitary risks. The intended impact was to underpin early detection, evidence‑based integrated pest management (IPM) and policy decisions governing crop introductions and plant‑health preparedness.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Plant viruses continue to be one of the main threats to European agriculture, exacerbated by climate change, evolution of pesticide resistance, and loss of crop protection chemistries. Europe has ambitions of creating a more sustainable food system with a goal of reducing pesticide usage by 50% by 2030 as part of the European Farm to Fork Strategy. Achieving these goals requires robust integrated pest-management (IPM) approaches and real-time decision support systems (DSS) for farmers. In disease management there is a strong reliance on rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnostic tools built on a clear understanding of viral diversity. HealthyPlants will use high-throughput sequencing to (i) complete the first systematic survey of viruses of cultivated plants in Ireland and establish a baseline upon which to build improved diagnostic tools, (ii) establish the importance of arable margins and hedgerows as cereal virus reservoirs, and (iii) identify viruses on newly imported crops with potential phytosanitary risks. HealthyPlants will deliver the first database of viral sequences of cultivated plants on the island of Ireland, an open-access platform to support development of robust diagnostics within Europe.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101106728
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e50e3d70c2&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e52649d07b&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union