The control of superpests is currently largely based on the use of synthetic pesticides, which coincides with negative effects on the ecosystem, beneficial organisms and human health. In addition, several pesticides have lost their efficacy as some pests are increasingly developing pesticide resistance. One of the aims of this project is to explore the potential of green alternatives, the so-called "bio-pesticides", and to test them against highly resistant superpests. Among the candidates, which are already available on the market or are still under development, are terpenoid mixtures, plant oils, bacteria and products that interfere with the pest's respiration or detoxification system. In the Superpest project, we will evaluate if these products, alone and in combination, are able to control the resistant pests in a sustainable way. We will also have a look at the defense molecules that tomato plants produce when attacked by pests, and explore the applicability of "RNA-interference" as an alternative and potentially specific control strategy. The final goal is to provide a list of green pesticides that farmers can use when facing one of the hard-to-control superpests. This will reduce the incidence and speed of resistance development, while taking care of the environment and avoiding pesticide residue on crops.

Resistance management is an important component of integrated pest management, which aims to combine a range of approaches to sustainably control agricultural pests. In the context of the SuperPests project resistance management aims to prevent or slow the emergence of resistance to the controls used against some of the most damaging insect and mite crop pests. Among the most widely used control agents against these pests are synthetic or natural pesticides. Thus, the development of resistance to these controls represents a tangible threat to our ability to manage these economically important pests worldwide. In the SuperPests project we are conducting scientific research to monitor for the emergence of resistance to key pesticides in pest populations. When detected we are characterising the underpinning mechanisms of resistance and using these as markers to develop high-throughput diagnostics. These will be used to understand where resistance is a problem and thus directly inform the development of resistance management strategies that aim to preserve the life span of controls and minimise wasteful and ineffective application.

Among arthropod pests, spider mites, whiteflies, aphids and thrips, the so called ‘super pests’, are globally distributed, can be extremely damaging and are particularly difficult to control. This group of pests feed on over 200 different major agricultural crops worldwide, including crops such as tomato, cucumber, potato, peach, grapes, strawberries and eggplants.

Aphids such as Myzus persicae and whiteflies such as Bemisia tabaci cause damage to host plants via direct feeding on plant sap, the transmission of hundreds of plant viruses and the production of honeydew. Thrips, such as Frankliniella occidentalis, damage host plants both by direct feeding and by transmitting viruses. The spider mite Tetranychus urticae, damages over 1100 plant species by direct feeding that significantly reduces the photosynthetic capability of plants.

With increased reproductive potential, combined with their extreme polyphagy and the development of resistance to pesticides, the “super pests” present a major risk to global crop security, ecosystems, health of consumers, and financial sustainability of growers’ networks. The project ‘SuperPests’ addresses the urgent need to control these pests by developing innovative products, tools and concepts and by finding the best way to integrate and combine them with existing approaches.