Context

NextGenBioPest is a Horizon Europe project that meets the challenge of increasing crop yields, while reducing the use of chemical pesticides by delivering novel and improved products, methods, and practices for the rational control of the most difficult-to-manage arthropod pests and pathogens, with substantially reduced pesticide use. The project will provide a new toolkit for plant protection in key vegetable and fruit crops including diagnostics for pest and pathogen identification and incrimination, novel Biological Control Agents and methods to augment their performance in the field, RNA-based pesticides, Low Risk/Green chemicals, plant resistance inducers and innovative agronomic and ecological practices. These innovations will be integrated with existing approaches, to achieve effective, environment friendly and sustainable crop protection.

Objectives

Plant pests and pathogens damage agricultural production and endanger food security. Their control relies heavily on the use of synthetic insecticides, leading to a negative environmental impact. Developing new methods for pest and pathogen control is therefore essential to safeguard human health and meet the challenge of increasing crop yields, while reducing the use of chemical pesticides. The overarching objective of the NextGenBioPest project is to meet this need by delivering novel and improved products, methods, and practices for the rational control of the most difficult-to-manage arthropod pests and pathogens, with substantially reduced pesticide use.

Activities

WP1 - Project Management and Synergies with relevant projects

WP2 - Automated molecular platforms & IT/AI diagnostics for pests and pathogens

WP3 - Enhancing the potential of biological control in IPM

WP4 - RNA–based Pesticides

WP5 - Low Risk Pesticides / Green Chemicals

WP6 - Agronomic and ecological practices for improving pest management

WP7 - Rational IPM demonstration fields for capacity building and training

WP8 - Socio-Economic and Environmental AssessmentRegulatory issues

WP9 - Communication, dissemination, and exploitation