Grapevine flavescence dorée (FD) is a serious economic problem for the Piedmont wine industry. In the last three years, there has been a resurgence that in some situations is justified by the high presence of the vector insect, Scaphoideus titanus. This situation requires further studies also in the light of the most recent knowledge about the insect and the disease, both with in-depth scientific studies and field trials to verify the effectiveness of insecticide treatments and the use of biostimulant formulations in order to raise plant’s defences, by stimulating the…
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Natural and BIOtechnological genetic RESistances against Flavescence dorée for vineyard sustainability – BIORES
The main objective of BIORES is to explore natural and biotechnological resources for genetic resistance of grapevine against Flavescence dorée (FD). This important quarantine disease, caused by phytoplasmas strains within the 16SrV ribosomal group, is controlled only by indirect and preventive measures, with important economic and environmental concerns. Genetic resources from the great variety of Vitis vinifera germplasm together with application of new frontiers of bioengineering and genome editing through CRISPR-Cas, will be applied to produce resistant/tolerant plants with obvious improvement of vineyard sustainability. The project will firstly evaluate different…
Read MoreReSet- RNA interference for the control of sap-sucking insect plant pests: Scaphoideus titanus as case study
The ReSet project aims to explore the mechanism of RNAi applied to control phytoplasma insect vectors, endowed with pierce/sucking mouthparts. Research activities will be focused on the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), main vector of the grapevine Flavescence dorée (FD) phytoplasma. The presence of an effective RNAi mechanism in the organisms under study has already been described and applied in the laboratory by the Research Units involved in the Project. The control of this species currently requires mandatory repeated applications of insecticides in the vineyard, with undesired effects on the…
Read MoreRNAi_PJ-RNA interference to control alien pests by exploring microalgae and cyanobacteria as cost-effective dsRNA producing platforms: the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica as case study
In the present project, RNAi will be explored for the control of the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), an alien quarantine species highly polyphagous that cause severe damages to crops. The management of P. japonica in Italy is under the official control of the National Plant Protection Services and mainly based on applications of chemical insecticides. Therefore, innovative and sustainable alternative strategies are urgently needed. The use of microalgae and cyanobacteria for production and delivery of dsRNA offers the advantage of the direct foliar application of the microorganism avoiding…
Read MoreRNA interference for the control of hemipteran pests causing direct and indirect damages to crops: a case study to define best practices for sustainable and environment-friendly application of RNAi (HEMipteran INTerference, HEMINT)
In the HEMINT Project, RNAi will be explored for the control of two hemipteran species that cause severe damages to crops: the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), and the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), main vector of Flavescence dorée (FD) phytoplasmas of grapevine. Both species currently require repeated applications of chemical insecticides for their control, thus disrupting the IPM programs developed in their absence in orchards and vineyards. Therefore, innovative and sustainable alternative strategies are urgently needed. The occurrence of RNAi in the pests under study, already…
Read MorePlant Virus Italy (PlaVIt): the collection of plant viruses in Italy
Microorganisms are ubiquitous in the environment and represent the major form of life on Earth. They play fundamental roles in ecosystems, contributing to their functioning, and cover the surface of other organisms, interacting with their physiology. Viruses, besides our common negative vision of their role as pathogens, are now recognized as essential in order to maintain an ecological balance within our ecosystems. Therefore, viruses are key to environmental and human health, to science as well as to bioeconomy and biotechnology applications. Hence the need to develop and improve collections and…
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