Development of accurate identification tools for plant pathogens and pests is vital to support European Plant Health Policies. For this project Council Directive 2000/29/EC is important, listing some 275 organisms for which protective measures against introduction into and their spread within the Community needs to be taken. Those threats are now greater than ever because of the increases in the volumes, commodity types and origins of trade, the introduction of new crops, the continued expansion of the EU and the impact of climate change. Currently identifying pathogens (in particular new emerging diseases) requires a staff with specialised skills in all disciplines (mycology, bacteriology, etc.); which is only possible within big centralised laboratory facilities. Taxonomy, phytopathology and other fields which are vital for sustaining sound public policy on phytosanitary issues are threatened with extinction. Modern molecular identification/detection techniques may tackle the decline in skills since they often require much less specialist skills to perform, are more amenable for routine purposes and can be used for a whole range of different target organisms. Recently DNA barcoding has arisen as a robust and standardised approach to species identification. QBOL wants now to make DNA barcoding available for plant health diagnostics and to focus on strengthening the link between traditional and molecular taxonomy as a sustainable diagnostic resource. Within QBOL collections harbouring plantpathogenic Q-organisms will be made available. Informative genes from selected species on the EU Directive and EPPO lists will be DNA barcoded from vouchered specimens. The sequences, together with taxonomic features, will be included in a new internet-based database system. A validation procedure on developed protocols and the database will be undertaken across worldwide partners to ensure robustness of procedures for use in a distributed network of laboratories across Europe.
Start date 21/03/2009
End date 20/03/2012
Duration 36 months
Project Reference 226482
Project cost 4.080.212 EURO (Quota UNIBO: 2.991.433 EURO)
Project Funding 224.160 EURO (Quota UNIBO: 169.960 EURO)
Area FP7-COOPERATION-KBBE
Subprogramme Area Development of new diagnostic methods in support of Plant Health policy
Contract type Small Collaborative Project
Coordinator PLANT RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL B.V. (The Netherlands)
Other participants
- THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (UK)
- Vlaams Gewest (Belgium)
- UNIVERSITEIT GENT (Belgium)
- EIDGENOSSISCHES VOLKSWIRTSCHAFTSDEPARTEMENT (Switzerland)
- INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE AGRONOMIQUE (France)
- AARHUS UNIVERSITET (Denmark)
- ALMA MATER STUDIORUM-UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA
- Dip. di Scienze e Tecnologie Agroambientali - DISTA
- Resp. Scientifico: Prof.ssa Assunta Bertaccini - KONINKLIJKE NEDERLANDSE AKADEMIE VAN WETENSCHAPPEN – KNAW (The Netherlands)
- International Potato Center (Peru)
- PLANTENZIEKTENKUNDIGE DIENST (The Netherlands)
- NACIONALNI INSTITUT ZA BIOLOGIJO (Slovenia)
- Státní rostlinoléka#ská správa (Czech Republic)
- Ministere de l'agriculture et de la peche (France)
- Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine (China)
- LINCOLN UNIVERSITY (New Zealand)
- EMPRESA BRASILEIRA DE PESQUISA AGROPECUARIA (Brazil)
- UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MODENA E REGGIO EMILIA (Italy)
- INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACION Y TECNOLOGIA AGRARIA Y ALIMENTARIA (Spain)
- STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY (South Africa)