RESCUMEP

Target audience

Sectors related to plant health in general and vegetable production in particular. All sectors interested in improving the sustainability of plant production systems.

Project objective

Improve the sustainability of agricultural systems by reducing yield losses, conserving and increasing biodiversity to enhance the antagonistic capacity of soils, and reducing the use of chemical pesticides, thereby helping to meet the requirements of the new European regulations.

The project will provide validated information on the effects of:

• crop rotation using tomato and cucurbit rootstocks resistant to Meloidogyne on its epidemiology and on tomato, cucumber and melon yield and quality;
• the ability of fungal endophytes to induce systemic responses against Meloidogyne in tomato, cucumber and melon;
• the effect of resistance induced by fungal endophytes against Meloidogyne spp. on tomato, cucumber and melon, and on quantitative and qualitative yield;
• microbial communities in suppressive and conducive soils, considered in relation to agronomic practices and environmental conditions.

Project description

Spain is Europe's leading vegetable producer, particularly of solanaceous and cucurbit crops, which are damaged by Meloidogyne. Chemical control is currently the main control method. However, the aim of European Directive 2009/128/EC (transposed into Spanish law through Royal Decree 1311/2012) is to reduce pesticide use whenever effective non-chemical alternatives are available.

Plant resistance mediated by R gene(s) is effective and cost-efficient. However, continuous cultivation can select for populations virulent against specific resistance genes. At present, tomato and pepper are the only vegetable crops for which resistant cultivars or rootstocks are available.

Germplasm that could be used as rootstocks in cucurbits has been identified, but information is lacking on the performance of resistant cucurbits and their effects on nematode epidemiology and crop yield under Spain's agro-environmental conditions.

Plant resistance induced by biotic agents, such as fungal endophytes, has been successfully demonstrated against pests and pathogens, including plant-parasitic nematodes. Therefore, rotating plants carrying R gene(s) with plants in which resistance is induced by fungal endophytes could provide acceptable levels of nematode control and preserve the durability of R genes.

Furthermore, under natural conditions, some soil microorganisms can activate plant defence mechanisms, reducing disease severity and thereby conferring suppressiveness. High levels of Meloidogyne suppression have been found in commercial vegetable crops.

Molecular characterisation of the microbial communities in these soils, in relation to agronomic practices and environmental conditions, will provide key information for identifying phylogenetic and functional groups involved in soil suppressiveness.

Project funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness