Copper fungicides, which are still widely used due to a lack of efficient alternatives, need to be replaced urgently due to their unfavourable profile. There is a consensus that several new sustainable alternatives need to be developed and brought to market to achieve the goal of copper-free organic agriculture.
In this project, we aim to identify new bacterial and fungal strains with protective activity against major foliar diseases currently dependent on copper (grapevine downy mildew caused by Plasmopara viticola and apple scab caused by Venturia inaequalis). We aim to develop two to five selected strains to Technology Readiness Level 4 (= technology validated in the laboratory) by the end of this project, with the ultimate aim of registration as a crop protection product in collaboration with an interested industrial partner (beyond this project). We will focus on strains that produce antimicrobial metabolites or induce resistance in plants, and will consider the use of both live strains and isolated metabolites. To identify suitable strains, we will explore the microbiome of compost extracts, which are known to contain a wealth of largely unexplored microorganisms. We will use an innovative approach combining classical plant-pathogen bioassays and microbiology with modern molecular methods (metabarcoding/biostatistics) and state-of-the-art analytical chemistry.
Project manager
