TROPICSAFE – Final Conference

After 5 years of research on three diseases associated with the presence of prokaryotes and transmitted by insects, the European project H2020 TROPICSAFE coordinated by prof. Assunta Bertaccini is ending and the results obtained on grapevine yellows, citrus “huanglongbing” and the lethal yellowing of coconut palms were presented in a final conference organized over three days at the CIRAD-INRA center in San Giuliano in Corsica.

The event covered the whole TROPICSAFE research in the geographic areas studied and in particular grapevine yellows in Chile, South Africa and Italy; “huanglongbing” in France (Guadeloupe), Cuba, Mexico and Spain and lethal yellowing of coconut palm in Ghana, Jamaica, Cuba and Mexico. Monitoring and developing specific diagnostic methods allowed the identification of the different bacteria associated with these diseases in the various ecosystems studied. New insect vectors and alternative host plant species of the studied pathogens were also identified. The knowledge acquired in this project will allow their more specific and environmentally friendly disease management reducing insecticide treatments. In particular, a classic biological control program was developed in Spain to reduce the presence of one of the "huanglongbing" insect vectors and delay the prospect of epidemics that could be devastating for European citrus cultivation. Preliminary studies carried out on the bacterial microbiome of the healthy and infected plants studied in the different ecosystems also open the way to innovative and specific control methodologies.