RED

Who is the project aimed at?

Anyone interested in working on the control of phytophagous pests through low-cost, sustainable and environmentally friendly integrated management.

Project objective

Promote collaboration between groups to increase the impact of research and expand each participant's knowledge and working models to other multitrophic interaction systems.

Exchange working techniques, biological material, results and experimental models between the different groups to broaden the scope of the research. The comparative analysis of plant defence responses at the systemic, local and cellular levels across different plant–phytophage interactions, based on data available from the different laboratories, will provide knowledge with great synergistic potential to achieve a better understanding of a problem common to all through an interdisciplinary approach.

Propose future working hypotheses that can combine the efforts of the different groups to achieve the ultimate goal: controlling phytophagous pests through low-cost, environmentally friendly integrated management strategies, and sustainably optimising phytophagous pest control.

Promote multidisciplinary training for researchers and students belonging to the network's groups through seminars, courses and short research stays..

Project description

The purpose of establishing this network, which includes 11 research groups working on different aspects of the same thematic area and complementing one another's capabilities and resources, is to provide coordinated impetus to research into the multitrophic interactions involved in plant–phytophage relationships. This will be achieved through lines of action that foster collaboration, improve research capacity, help develop new projects and propose new working hypotheses, while also promoting staff training and the transfer of results. The network's objectives are supported by the multidisciplinary expertise of its members, enabling a holistic approach to implementing Integrated Pest and Disease Management strategies that reduce dependence on chemical control and contribute to achieving the objectives of European Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of plant protection products, thereby improving food safety, environmental quality and public health.

The network brings together groups working on different phytophagous pest systems (insects, mites and nematodes) and host plants, including model species (Arabidopsis), herbaceous crops (tomato, aubergine, pepper, courgette, barley, etc.) and woody species (citrus trees and forest trees). The network also includes groups studying multitrophic interactions involving natural enemies and microorganisms that are beneficial or pathogenic to the host plant and the phytophage. This makes a much broader and more realistic approach possible, adding a new dimension to the applications arising from this research. The participation of groups analysing environmental factors (drought) and the role of the soil microbiome in plant–phytophage interactions makes it possible to analyse the molecular, genetic, physiological, metabolic and ecological foundations of these interactions in the current context of climate change. The network also includes groups working with woody species exposed to changing biotic and abiotic environments over long periods, offering valuable complementarity for the study of plant–phytophage interactions. In addition, some network groups develop applied projects in collaboration with companies in the sector, including studies on insecticide resistance and multiple resistance in phytophagous pest control, the assessment of plant residues in the form of biochar combined with pesticides for pest control, and the effect of priming as a multicomponent mechanism in crops and its interaction with phytophagous pests. Therefore, the network also encompasses translational research and will serve as a bridge between the basic research conducted by the 11 groups on a shared problem and applied research in the field of plant–pest interactions.

Project funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.