ISSUE 03 February 2017 EMPHASIS news Effective Management of Pests and Harmful Alien Species: Integrated Solutions EDITORIAL Page 2 UPCOMING EVENTS Page 3 GLOBAL REVIEW Page 4 WP2 IN FOCUS Page 5 PROJECT TRAININGS AND MEETINGS Page 6‒7 WP NEWSFEED Page 8‒10 This project has been funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 634179. ISSUE 03 February 2017 EDITORIAL PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR SURVEILLANCE AND MONITORING Neil Boonham, Fera Science Limited, WP2 leader In the UK, the public’s perception of biosecurity is probably influenced by age. My grandmother remembers Colorado beetle posters, requesting people to take any suspect beetles to their local police station (or, like the one illustrated here, to send them to the Ministry of Agriculture). Similarly, my parents can remember what an elm tree looked like before Dutch elm disease removed 50 million trees from the UK landscape. More recently, people have become aware of how sudden oak death and ash dieback may also change our landscape, as both have made the headlines in our daily news. It’s disappointing to someone working in the field of plant health to see that it’s only our failures that make the news — although I suppose this is because success often looks like nothing has happened. Furthermore, it seems that the public are far less engaged in plant health now than they were in previous generations, although this may say more about our connections to the great outdoors than plant health itself. If this is the case it’s particularly worrying, since pests and diseases don’t just have an impact on trees and landscapes: our crops are equally at risk from invasive and endemic threats. Forecasts predict that the global population will grow to over 9 billion by 2050. Put simply, this will mean that we need to grow as much food in the next 40 years as we have over the last 10,000 years. This is a daunting challenge, considering it will have to be done in the face of climate change, decreased resource availability, and the alarming build-up of resistance to crop protection products in most of the pests, diseases and weeds we are trying to control. But what does this have to do with the EMPHASIS project? I am working with project colleagues in various European countries to develop better surveillance systems for crop pests and diseases. We hope that, by spotting pests and diseases earlier, we will have a better chance of controlling them. Of course, we are doing this Europe-wide, because pests and diseases don’t respect borders — so don’t get me started on Brexit! The point of detection is to trigger action, so it’s important to integrate detection with effective control measures. These are aspirations that the EMPHASIS project should be well placed to achieve, through efforts across the different work packages. Now that we are halfway through the project, it’s tempting to start wondering where the next project will come from, but it’s also important to think about the legacy of this one. What will the project leave behind as tangible outcomes in the minds of the public, policy makers and other stakeholders? For this reason, it’s nice to see that the agenda for the next project meeting encompasses the building of business plans for technology exploitation, the constant buzz on twitter created by Moverim, and the delivery of further technological learning labs achieving direct engagement between scientists and end users, which should focus on innovation and achieve the faster uptake of project developments. All these activities are critical in enabling us to create a significant and lasting impact — something that I and other colleagues in WP2 are very passionate about. Page 2 ISSUE 03 February 2017 UPCOMING EVENTS 1. Eleventh Meeting of the International Pest Risk Research Group Ottawa, Canada August 29 – September 1, 2017 2. First EMPHASIS summer school Cambridge, UK July 10–14, 2017 The International Pest Risk Research Group (IPRRG) will host the meeting in association with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The event is relevant to the current mid-term research outcome of the EMPHASIS project, and in particular to an integrated approach to pest management for end users. Further details can be found on the IPRRG website: www.pestrisk.org The first EMPHASIS summer school will be hosted by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) in Cambridge, UK. The course will focus on integrated solutions for pest and disease control in arable and horticultural crops. It will use project outputs and information, but also include additional approaches and systems used on farms to mitigate against pests and diseases. There will be sessions on fungicide and pesticide use, diagnostics and disease forecasting, biocontrol, cultural approaches and the deployment of host crop resistance. Exploring the ways in which growers move to alternative or new pest and disease control methods, and the barriers they may face, will be the basis of a further session, reflecting the remit of EMPHASIS to engage the producer community and promote the translation of research outputs into practical methods. The week-long course is aimed at postgraduate students and early-stage industry entrants, and there will be some “hands-on” practical classes as well as talks and a farm visit. Delegates will need to pay their own travel and accommodation costs, but course teaching and materials are free. To register initial interest, please contact [email protected]. A full programme will be available soon. 3. Fourth EMPHASIS project consortium meeting Brno, Czech Republic May 16–19, 2017 The EMPHASIS General Assembly and the Executive Committee's fourth meeting will be held at Mendel University in Brno. EMPHASIS has been proposed as a beneficiary of the Common Exploitation Booster support services offered by the European Commission H2020 Common Support Centre. In addition to the regular General Assembly meeting, a business plan development workshop will therefore be held, led by an external consultant appointed by the European Commission: LC Innoconsult International (Hungary). Page 3 ISSUE 03 February 2017 GLOBAL REVIEW Wheat stem rust threat in the Mediterranean Basin in the 2017 crop season Extensive lab tests of wheat stem rust samples have shown that the 2016 stem rust epidemics in Sicily were caused by a new, highly virulent variant of race TTTTF. The samples were collected from durum wheat and bread wheat in Sicily between April and June 2016. of the largest stem rust outbreaks in Europe in several decades. The epidemics are estimated to have covered several thousands of hectares, resulting in a high inoculum load that could pose a threat to surrounding wheat areas in the forthcoming 2017 crop season, if environmental conditions prove suitable. Growers in vulnerable areas should be aware of the possible risk to both durum and bread wheat; monitor their crops for the early appearance of stem rust; and undertake timely control where necessary. The transition of the spore represents a high risk in the Mediterranean region. Dispersal patterns show a general tendency in spore movement in a northeast to southeast arc. Areas with the highest probability of spore deposition include Sicily and the southern regions of Italy (especially the extreme southwest), but there is also a slight risk in countries on the eastern seaboard of the Adriatic (western Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia), along with northern Libya and northeast Tunisia. Based on the observed stem and yellow rust outbreak, the following recommendations can be made: Unusual, early stem rust infections (at heading stage) were first detected on April 19, 2016, in experimental plots in Ciminna, in the province of Palermo. High and unusual levels of yellow rust were also observed. It is not known whether rust was extensively present in the surrounding areas prior to this first detection. Low levels of stem rust had been observed in Ciminna at the end of the previous season (June 2015), and a mild winter may have contributed to the early infections in 2016. The majority of wheat breeding lines being tested in Ciminna showed high susceptibility to both rust diseases. Field surveys in the provinces of Palermo, Agrigento, Trapani and Caltanissetta showed an estimated area of 20,000 to 30,000 hectares infected with yellow and stem rust. Yellow rust appeared first and was the more severe in many cases. The highest incidence and severity of stem rust was observed in Palermo province (40 to 60 percent average severity, and an incidence of more than 50 percent in inspected fields), followed by Agrigento (30 to 40 percent average severity) and Caltanissetta (20 to 30 percent average severity). Stem rust was recorded with low severity and incidence in Trapani, and also reported in Catania and Enna. The 2016 stem rust outbreak in Sicily was one The extensive area infected by stem rust in 2016 will have produced a huge number of spores, making both dispersal and persistence into the 2017 season likely. Over-winter survival and suitability for early infection are both critical determinants, but are currently unknown factors. However, it is certain that large areas will have been planted with susceptible varieties in 2016/17. Major regional commercial durum wheat varieties are known to be susceptible, but many bread wheat varieties may also be vulnerable. If stem rust race TTTTF persists, and if environmental conditions are conducive to early infection, there could be a real risk of repeated outbreaks in the 2017 crop season. • Farmers and relevant authorities/institutions should be aware of the risk of stem and yellow rust on susceptible varieties in 2017. • Early and regular scouting should be undertaken in areas at risk, and on susceptible cultivars. •Farmers should be aware of recommended control practices for stem rust and undertake early control using registered fungicides. If stem rust appears at an early growth stage, then timely control is critical if losses are to be avoided. • Any stem rust outbreaks should be reported to relevant authorities. • Screening of varieties for resistance against new races should be undertaken, and varieties most susceptible to rust should be avoided. For more information, please contact Dr. Dave Hodson (CIMMYT) or Professor Mogens Hovm�ller (GRRC, Denmark). Page 4 ISSUE 03 February 2017 WP2 IN FOCUS Neil Boonham, Fera Science Limited (Fera), WP2 leader The aim of WP2 is to explore various methods for the early detection of pests and diseases, with the ultimate goal of deploying them in the field for a range of applications. Technology readiness levels (TRLs) were developed by NASA in the 1970s as a way of tracking the many and varied developments within the space programme, and identifying how far from deployment they were. Modified in the 1990s, the TRL scale now runs from 1 (basic science) to 9 (ready for deployment). We have been adapting the TRL scale for diagnostic science and utilising it to monitor how close technologies are from real-world use — or indeed how much more investment in time and money they may need to achieve this. We specifically included technologies within the EMPHASIS work programme that span the TRL scale, with the aim of ensuring that some would make a real-world impact during the project, while others would make significant progress on the journey towards deployment. The aim is to provide a structured approach to monitoring technology developments, which we believe will speed up the deployment of methods in the real world; give us a better understanding of how much investment may be needed in a technology; and, in some cases, enable us to see when we should pause or even stop working on a technology. The TRL scale also provides a common language to use when discussing technology with funders and policy makers. So what are the technologies, and how are developments progressing? The first technology we have been working on is Loop-mediated amplification (LAMP), a fast and robust DNA amplification technique that is well suited to diagnostics. It can be seen as a faster and simpler version of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach. We have been working with LAMP for some years and it is already being used (i.e. TRL 9) by the UK and Swiss inspection services to identify several notifiable insect pests at airports, enabling consignments to clear customs more quickly. In this project, we aim to develop more LAMP tests for a range of applications where they have not previously been used, such as testing in arable crops (NIAB) and horticultural crops (UNITO) for quarantine (Fera) and non-quarantine organisms. In addition, we are exploring seed testing: Sara Franco-Ortega (UNITO) is currently working in this area in the Fera labs on diseases in rice. Of course, to reach deployment you also need a robust platform on which to run the DNA amplification, which is why Optisense is included as part of the consortium. Michael Andreou’s team is making further developments to the Genie hardware and software to improve the quality of the results and make the system easier and more intuitive for diagnosticians to use. We expect to have a large number of tests in kit format on the market for use by diagnostic labs before the end of the project. In the field of surveillance, we are exploring traditional biological approaches as well as some postgenomic technologies. The work on biological surveillance is being led by Jane Thomas (NIAB), who has successfully set up a network of sentinel plots with other EMPHASIS partners. The technology is established and being used (TRL 9) in EMPHASIS to trap airborne cereal diseases ahead of them becoming established in crops more widely. The next-generation sequencing approach is starting to look extremely promising, with the adoption of the MinIon (Oxford Nanopore Ltd.) sequencing system. One of the significant challenges to using DNA meta-barcoding for species identification is that most next-generation sequencing platforms produce only very short sequences, yet the DNA barcodes developed for the identification of pests and pathogens in projects such as Q-BOL are much longer. This ultimately means that compromises are being made, in our ability either to amplify the conserved gene or to match the sequence to a known species in the database. The MinIon sequencer, however, produces DNA sequences that are far longer, enabling full DNA barcoding genes to be amplified and sequenced. Our initial data show that this approach has significant potential, and we have already reached TRL 4 in a short space of time. Further work is planned to explore the use of this technology for insect pests (Fera) as well as fungal pathogens, working with Sara Franco-Ortega and Davide Spadaro from Prof. Lodovica Gullino’s group (UNITO). Page 5 ISSUE 03 February 2017 PROJECT TRAININGS AND MEETINGS 1. EMPHASIS third consortium meeting and first review meeting Szentendre, Hungary October 11–14, 2016 The consortium meeting brought together project experts to discuss the progress made and results achieved in the first 18 months of the project. Day one of the event saw the first of the project’s socio-technological learning labs (SLLs), in the form of a study visit to the Centre for Agricultural Research in Martonvasar, where discussions focused on plant health issues experienced by local farmers and agricultural researchers. On day two, the project’s work packages had a chance to review their activities since the last project meeting and begin planning follow-up actions for the forthcoming period. October 13 and 14 were then dedicated to a detailed overview of each work package, including the implementation 2. EMPHASIS LAMP training course York, UK November 10 –11, 2016 One of the aims in this project is to generate real-world impact from the science we are doing, and in WP2 we aspire to bring to the market a range of testing kits for plant pathogens and pests. If the kits are to be used, it is important to ensure that diagnostics labs, inspectors and agronomists are familiar with the technology and able to use it when it is available. We have implemented a variety of activities to this end. The first was a webinar hosted by Ed Haynes (Fera), who explained the background of LAMP technology, how it works, and its application in plant health diagnostics. We are also planning to host training courses in different countries, each focusing on a different stakeholder group. The courses cover everything from background theory, practical handson testing, the validation of assays, and technology troubleshooting. The first of the courses took place at Fera in November 2016, involving 13 people of actions (with an assessment of deliverables and reports); compliance with obligations under the agreement; and the continued scientific and technological relevance of project activities, as part of the review meeting attended by the European Commission project officer and by external reviewers. The overall goal of the EMPHASIS project is reflected well in the assessment carried out by the external reviewers in relation to integrated response measures (practical solutions) for the prediction and prevention of native and alien pest threats, and for the protection of European agricultural and forestry sectors and natural ecosystems. Further information is available on the project website: emphasisproject.eu from six countries. We focused on national plant protection organisations, and participants were predominantly from diagnostic laboratories, although some plant health inspectors also took part. Feedback from the course was incredibly positive, and most participants reported that they would use the system in their laboratory if the appropriate kits were available to facilitate this. This is very positive, given the goal of the EMPHASIS project to bring validated kits to the market. Page 6 ISSUE 03 February 2017 PROJECT TRAININGS AND MEETINGS 3. First international scientific workshop for Baltic, Scandinavian and other EU countries: Hogweed (Heracleum spp.) containment with integrated pest management methods Riga, Latvia November 29, 2016 4. Webinar on infield diagnostics: “The genie and the lamp” Cambridge, UK November 30, 2016 The aim of this EMPHASIS scientific workshop was to share practical solutions and transfer knowledge developed by Integrētās Audzēšanas Skola (Latvia) to stakeholders and project partners in Baltic countries, Scandinavia and other EU countries on controlling the invasive alien species hogweed (Heracleum spp.) in non-agricultural areas using new, effective IPM methods. The results of two EMPHASIS project cropping seasons, developed in WP3, were presented, along with practical solutions and on-farm 2015/2016 experiments (WP4) demonstrating the economic and environmental value of integrated (biological, chemical and mechanical) pest management methods to control alien and native pests. The workshop included a presentation on EU possibilities for reaching important results related to new, practical solutions with the multidisciplinary interaction of stakeholders. The workshop’s 76 participants, representing nine countries (five of them not EMPHASIS partners), included scientists, landowners and foresters, as well as representatives of municipalities, service providers, industries and state authorities. The active discussions among stakeholders during the workshop and accompanying poster session illustrated the high level of interest in practical solutions and the value of cooperation. Latvāņu ierobežošana, izmantojot integrētās augu aizsardzības metodes 2015. gada augusts Izmēģinājums iekārtots pēc emphasisproject.eu 2016. gada jūlijs ierosinājuma 12.04.2016 Integrētās Audzēšanas Skola This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 634179 The event provided an introduction to LAMP technology and its use in the early detection of plant disease. Loop-mediated amplification is a DNA amplification technology that enables rapid and sensitive detection and, when run on the Genie III platform, enables the detection of pests and diseases outside of the laboratory at any point in the agrifood chain where decisions are being made. Page 7 ISSUE 03 February 2017 WP NEWSFEED WORK PACKAGE 1 WORK PACKAGE 2 The EMPHASIS project is developing diverse technologies for the detection and control of pests. An analytical framework tool has been designed to coordinate information on the attributes of these new measures. EMPHASIS partners Imperial College and Fera have begun elicitations with developers to record the function, performance and state of readiness of each of the 60+ novel technologies in the project. The elicitation uses performance indicator scores in four different categories: Cost and Management Efficiency; Coherence and Relevance; Efficacy for Control or Detection; Environment and Sustainability. Each score is given an uncertainty rating to reflect the extent of knowledge or natural variability that could affect the score. The uncertainty rating is used to convert the score into a visualised distribution, so the elicitee can decide if this matches their perceptions of a measure’s performance for each indicator. The assessments create an accessible database of control and detection measures that will be updated as development brings them closer to market. Field validation data will be compared with design expectations, and relevant use indicators will be identified for each technology. The first technology that WP2 has been working on is Loop-mediated amplification (LAMP), a fast and robust DNA amplification technique that is well suited to diagnostics. It can be seen as a faster and simpler version of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach. In terms of surveillance, WP2 is exploring traditional biological approaches, as well as Fig 1. Example output of scored distributions for a notional measure for 10 indicators in the Efficiency category. some post-genomic technologies. The work on biological surveillance is being led by Jane Thomas (NIAB), who has successfully set up a network of sentinel plots with other EMPHASIS partners. The technology is established and being used in EMPHASIS (TRL 9) to trap airborne cereal diseases ahead of them becoming established in crops more widely. Page 8 ISSUE 03 February 2017 WP NEWSFEED WORK PACKAGE 3 Ash dieback, caused by the invasive fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (anamorph Chalara fraxinea), is causing serious problems in terms of the use of European ash trees in forestry, as well as in the urban environment. Ash dieback is widely spread throughout Europe, and there are no effective control methods and measures available. Infection trials were carried out to test the resistance of selected species and varieties of eight European and nonEuropean (American and Asian) ash trees. For the inoculation trials, eight different strains of H. fraxineus were applied. A significant difference was observed in the susceptibility of individual species of ash in the infection trials. The susceptibility of Asian and American species to infection was also proved by the infection trials. The new IPM technology for hogweed eradication involves enriching the biodiversity of native plants in the infested area (biological method) in combination ash in the infection trials. The susceptibility of Asian and American by the ithe nfection trials. with use of selective herbicides once early in the season (active ingredients Hogweeds (Heracleum spp.) are invasive plants listed in the EPPO A in EU and other are mainly mechanical cutting registered incountries the EU, but never used to and th success. The objective is to develop new and effective IPM method control hogweeds). After one treatment three years. in early spring, the local flora is able to The new IPM technology for hogweed eradication involves enrichin take over the hogweed area after three the infested area (biological method) in combination with the use months, as shown in the table, with very the season (active ingredients registered in the EU, but never use high efficacy compared to mechanical treatment in early spring, the local flora is able to take over the ho shown in the table, with very high efficacy compared to mechanical control. FIGU 80 to H. s mont in L mech perce Hogweeds (Heracleum spp.) are invasive plants listed in the EPPO A1/A2 lists. Current control methods in EU and other countries are mainly mechanical cutting and the use of glyphosates with minimal success. The objective is to develop new and effective IPM methods to control hogweeds within two to three years. Fig 2. A high efficacy rate of 80 to 98 percent for the containment of H. sosnowskyi was observed three months after treatment in four locations in Latvia. In Amatas Novads, the mechanical method achieved only 5 percent efficacy. Two weeks after Thr app July application: May 5, 2015, Dekšāres Fig 3. Two weeks after application: May 5, 2015, Dekšāres Fig 4. Three months after application: July 27, 2015, Dekšāres Page 9 ISSUE 03 February 2017 WP NEWSFEED WORK PACKAGE 4 WORK PACKAGE 5 Several field trials were set up by WP4 to fine tune practical solutions at farm level. Agrobio, for example, continued a semi-field greenhouse experiment in Spain with the predatory bug Dicyphus tamaninii to control white flies (Bemisia tabaci). White flies are difficult to control because of resistance to many insecticides, and the flies are vectors for plant viruses. The predatory bugs that are currently used can damage the plants and fruit, and they also have problems establishing themselves in the crop. The predatory bug Dicyphus might be a good alternative. In the experiment, Dicyphus is compared with the currently used predator. Up to now, both predators are very efficient in controlling the white flies. The next stage will be to see if the predators can handle increased pest pressure. Current WP5 activities for the dissemination of project achievements and training opportunities are contributing to policymaking processes. new research opportunities. In particular, the exchange programme between partners provides a good basis for the replication of pilot activities at national and international level. The work package uses multiple communication channels, including social media, to disseminate the project’s research findings and to stimulate current and new networks. A good example of WP activities is the dissemination of a survey among farmers to stimulate discussion on current needs in terms of sustainable integrated pest management. Last month, the mating disruption product of Semios was approved to control codling moths in fruits and nuts in the Netherlands, which means that growers can now start using the method. This represents a big step forward in terms of implementing practical solutions. Within the EMPHASIS project, some growers have already started experiments with the technique together with Wageningen University and Research (WUR). Other tasks of WP5 include the regular management and updating of the database, the dissemination and publications table, stakeholder mapping, and the training plan. Key outcomes foreseen for this period are the third project newsletter and the HabiThreats software outline in February 2017. Training activities are an important forum for communication and the identification of WORK PACKAGE 6 The first project report was submitted by WP6 to the European Commission Research Executive Agency (covering March 2015 to August 2016), and the first review meeting with external experts was held in Szentendre, Hungary, in October 2016. The project is proceeding as planned, although three amendments to the grant agreement have been necessary to date, to cover administrative, financial and ethical issues. A web-based collaborative platform, hosted in the reserved area of the project website, is used to exchange information and documents within the consortium. Links with other relevant projects and initiatives have been created — in particular with the EUCLID project, involving several partners. The European Commission also promoted a clustering session on June 29, 2016, with the coordinators of projects funded in the context of the 2015 call for proposals for SC2 (SOILCARE, GoodBerry, nEUROSTRESSPEP, PONTE, and Landmark). Regular monitoring of WP progress is carried out. The focus of WP6 is now to ensure the expected results during the second project period and their exploitation, while maintaining the protection of intellectual property rights. Page 10 ISSUE 03 February 2017 We hope you have found this newsletter interesting and informative. We welcome your views on any of the issues covered: please email [email protected] You are invited to distribute the newsletter to any other interested parties. Disclaimer The information expressed in this newsletter reflects the views of the contributors. The European Commission is not liable for any of the information contained therein. The EMPHASIS consortium cannot accept any liability for the accuracy of the content. Unsubscribe information If you do not wish to receive the EMPHASIS newsletter, please unsubscribe by sending an email to [email protected], with “Unsubscribe newsletter” in the subject line. Integrētās Audzēšanas Skola semios PROJECT COORDINATOR AGROINNOVA, Centre of Competence for Innovation in the Agro-environmental Field, University of Turin, Italy Largo Paolo Braccini, 2 (former Via Leonardo da Vinci, 44) 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy Phone: +39 011 6708539 Fax: +39 011 6709307 E-mail: [email protected] Page 11
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