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Breeding for Integrated Pest Management – Advancing Resilience Through Innovative Varieties

October 15, 2024
Events, Foodscale Hub News, Newsroom, Projects News

This September, we kicked off IPMorama, a 4-year, €5 Million worth Horizon Europe project that brings together 17 partners from 10 European countries with a common goal to improve the state of the art in variety-centric Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for important diseases in the wheat (rust pathogens), potatoes (blight) and the grain legumes soybean (the Diaporthe/Phomopsis complex DPC fungi), pea (broomrape) and white lupin (anthracnose).

Why IPMorama is important?

The IPMorama project is crucial for advancing integrated pest management (IPM) in key crops like wheat, potatoes, and legumes by generating tools to fast-track the breeding of disease and pest resilient varieties, whilst simultaneously developing IPM practice methodologies that maximise their utility by integrating knowledge of host resistance with pathogen virulence. The effect of this innovative approach will be to reduce pesticide reliance, thereby securing agricultural productivity whilst addressing the ambitious sustainability goals demanded by EU citizens. IPMorama aims to create a „community of practice that involves the entire crop production value chain from breeders, through farmers to consumers and wider society. To achieve this, the project will not only develop advanced technologies for breeding and IPM but also pursue social engagement to ensure effective policy-making and stakeholder collaboration, ultimately contributing to healthier soil, water quality and sustainable agriculture.

A word from the coordinator!

“The core idea of the IPMorama project is to develop what we call a whole “practice-ecosystem” for IPM using resistant varieties. The goal is to provide a framework of real-world benefits for stakeholders all along the crop value chain. Breeders will benefit by being able to better target their varieties based on an understanding of potential emerging disease threats, growers will benefit from more secure production, consumers will benefit from more sustainable food, and policymakers will have an evidence-based framework for future policy on sustainable agriculture.”
Coordinator – Dr Dan Milbourne of Teagasc’s Crop Science Department

Kick-off Meeting

With the Kick-off meeting held last week in Dublin, Ireland the IPMorama project started its mission. The meeting was hosted by the coordinating entity Teagasc | Agriculture and Food Development Authority at Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre on 3-4 October. Here the consortium introduced their plan for activities over the lifetime of the project and refined internal procedures for the IPMorama project implementation, focusing on effective dissemination, exploitation, and communication strategies to engage stakeholders and maximise impact. Additionally, we developed a plan for efficient data management and established a solid roadmap for the upcoming year.

What can you expect in the future?

The IPMorama project will develop and refine tools that integrate knowledge of host resistance with the distribution of pests and pathogens. By understanding the genetic resistance in crops and mapping the virulence of pathogens, IMPorama will support breeders in developing resistant varieties. Additionally, the project aims to scale these innovations by engaging stakeholders across the agricultural value chain, offering a comprehensive framework to improve pest management and agricultural sustainability
The IPMorama paradigm for the next generation of IPM practices is based on the following 5 specific components:
  1. Development of IPM-centric varieties: Enhanced crop varieties with integrated pest and pathogen resistance, specifically for wheat (rust pathogens), potatoes (blight), and legumes like soybeans, peas, and white lupin (broomrape and anthracnose).
  2. Genetic insights for breeders: Advanced understanding of the genetic composition of pest and pathogen resistance in key crops, which will assist breeders in targeting and assembling effective resistance traits.
  3. Landscape-level pathogen mapping: Detailed maps of pathogen virulence, enabling precise and location-specific IPM strategies that exploit the resistance traits of different crop varieties.
  4. Innovative IPM tools: Creation of practical tools such as crowdsourcing apps and vulnerability maps that farmers and stakeholders can use to monitor and manage pest risks across different regions and timeframes.
  5. Stakeholder engagement: A robust knowledge infrastructure for actors across the agricultural value chain, promoting the competent use and scale-up of variety-centric IPM solutions.
IPMorama seeks to make significant contributions to Europe’s’ visions and goals as set by the EU Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F). The project aims to achieve a larger societal impact by integrating into the project actors including; research institutions, scientists, breeders, seed companies, plant variety testers, agrichemical producers networks such as EPI-AGRI, National Rural Network (NRN), European Network for Rural Development (ENRD), farmers and many more, ultimately leading to greater acceptance and uptake of the solutions developed.

Foodscale hub Role in the Project:

Foodscale Hub (FSH) is leading Work Package 4 (WP4) to enhance Communication, Stakeholder Engagement, and Impact of project outcomes across European, regional and local levels. We are dedicated to connecting key players across the value chain and ensuring ongoing collaboration. Our commitment further extends to the development of visual identities, the establishment of interactive online platforms, as well as the creation of engaging content to foster community building and information sharing. Using our expertise, we will apply a strategic coaching methodology to effectively expand IPMorama solutions, build strong relationships with stakeholders and drive project success.

The IPMorama project is Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. Associated country partners are Funded by SERI & UKRI.  All information is available on the project’s website, as well as on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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