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The Southeast European Era-Net SEE-ERA.NET is a networking project aimed at integrating EU member states and Southeast European countries in the European Research Area by linking research activities within existing national, bilateral and regional RTD programmes.
Phytoplasma epidemio project
SUMMARY The network ‘Global epidemiology of phytoplasma diseases of economic importance in Southeast Europe’ will coordinate the efforts of plant pathologists, microbiologists and entomologists of Southeast European countries to better monitor phytoplasma strains propagation through nurseries and insect vectors, at the European scale. This will be investigated both in plants and insects using up to date molecular typing tools and real-time PCR detection technology. In addition, the network will initiate the development of mitochondrial gene markers for the description of hemipteran vectors at species and ecotype level, to promote phylogeographic studies and describe co-evolution between phytoplasma strains and insect vector ecotypes. Two meetings and a workshop dedicated to molecular typing in addition to bilateral visits will constitute the networking activity. The first meeting will take place during the first meeting of the International Phytoplasma Working Group (IPWG, Bologna, november 2007). SEE-eranet phytoplasma working groups will concentrate on three different phytoplasmas of high economical impact. The quarantine grapevine phytoplasma inducing Flavescence dorée (FD, group 16SrV) and transmitted by a leafhopper of North American origin, has been recently reported in Balkans and the recent genetic characterization of the related alder phytoplasmas indicate they could constitute a wild reservoir of FD. The stolbur phytoplasma (group 16SrXII-A) is a phytoplasma endemic to Europe and Near East and originate from the wild compartment (bindweed, nettle, ...) from which it is transmitted to grapevine, maize, solanaceous crop (tomato, pepper, potato, eggplant), strawberry, lavender and sugarbeet by polyphagous planthoppers of the Cixiidae family. Some stolbur phytoplasma strains were recently found to be associated with specific insect vector ecotypes, which could indicate some strains specialization. Finally European stone fruit, pear decline and apple proliferation phytoplasmas (group 16SrX) are affecting South European orchards and are transmitted by psyllids, some of which are doing part of their ecological cycle on wild hosts. Expected results will help to improve the control of phytoplasma diseases by describing the genetic identity of phytoplasma strains, their way to propagate either through nurseries or insects, as well as the ecological niche of phytoplasma strains of high incidence in South East European agriculture. |
