Synergistic biocontrol technologies for disease and pest managementin strawberry

General introduction

What new biological control strategies for several diseases and pests in strawberry cultivation can be developed? And how can these be applied in practice? These are the two central questions in the SynBios project. The researchers start from the biocontrol properties of several benign microorganisms naturally occurring in strawberry plants. The goal is to combine them and thus achieve synergistic effects of their biocontrol action, which should lead to a more favorable cost-effectiveness ratio of biological crop protection. To increase the chances of implementation of the new type of biological control strategies, SynBioS also optimizes the crop protection chain, the business models of the main actors and the transfer of knowledge to the end users.

Research approach

The project consists of two, strongly interconnected parts. In the technical part, innovative biocontrol strategies for strawberry will be developed and validated first in lab conditions.  and in a final stage the most promising strategies will be tested in a pilot-scale greenhouse trial. Microbe-mediated and phage-based biocontrol strategies will be developed and tested individually and combined for the control of strawberry pests. SynBioS will develop strategies for the control of bacterial and fungal diseases too. These will be microbiome-based (called a SynCom) and phage-based which will be studied individually and in combination to test  potential biocontrol synergies. The second, socio-economic, part aims to increase the implementation level of currently used and of the innovative SynbioS-biocontrol strategies by use of a systemic approach. Throughout the project, various stakeholders such as advisors, strawberry growers and PPP producers will be involved to study and improve the socio-economic feasibility of biological PPP-use in the Flemish strawberry production. 

Relevance/Valorisation

SynBioS will contribute to the realisation of the European Farm to Fork strategy by developing innovative crop protection strategies for pests and diseases of strawberry as a proof of concept, and by extent for other crops. In addition, SynBioS will study innovative crop protection chains for strawberry in Flanders and develop a communication strategy to improve the storage and use of biological PPPs.  On the short term, this will contribute to the acceptance and implementation of currently used biological PPPs, on the long term this will boost the market introduction of the SynBioS-strategies. Consequently, the SynBioS project will contribute to a more sustainable and affordable crop protection in strawberry production and in other crops in Flanders and the rest of Europe, on the short and on the long term.

Funding provider(s)
FWO - Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

External partner(s)
UA Universiteit Antwerpen