• 07:51 13-12-2024

IPG PAS - partner in PestSpace InterReg project

As the climate changes in the Baltic Sea region, new pathogens and pests of crops are emerging. It is necessary to collect data and monitor their occurrence, especially during the growth and development of their host plants. The development of possible scenarios for the future occurrence and the rate of occupation of new areas is only possible based on data on the current ranges of their occurrence and developmental biology. Existing and new data require cataloging and rapid analysis in order to develop strategies to limit their occurrence.

The aim of the PestSpace project entitled "Improving resilience to the spread of plant diseases via a regional Pest Common Data Space" is to use existing technologies to create a system identifying pathogens and pests of crops based on environmental DNA and photos sent via a mobile application. Machine learning methods will be used to identify individual diseases and pests. The collected data will be saved in a common database on the PlutoF platform. A decision support system will be created to notify producers about existing threats and indicate ways to combat them. The research will be conducted on winter wheat and faba bean.

The project was obtained in an Interreg-type call for the Baltic countries. The project leader is prof. Urmas Koljalg from the University of Tartu, Estonia. The partners from Poland are:

• Institute of Plant Genetics PAS
  
• University of Warsaw
• Plant Breeding Smolice, IHAR Group

The head of the part implemented in IGR PAN is prof. dr hab. Małgorzata Jędryczka, corresponding member of PAS.

Other partners include:

• Estonian Centre for Agricultural Research and Knowledge, Jõgeva, Estonia
• Institute of Natural Resources, Helsinki, Finland
• University of Helsinki, Finland
• Latvian University of Technology and Life Sciences, Jelgava, Latvia
• Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania

The project has eight supporting partners, including four organisations from Poland:

• Agency for the Promotion of Agriculture and Agribusiness
• Kujawsko-Pomorskie Agricultural Advisory Centre
• Chief Inspectorate of Plant Protection and Seed Inspection, Central Laboratory in Toruń
• Innvigo agrochemical company

These organisations will support the implementation of the project in practice and test the developed technological solutions and promote them among adepts (pupils, students) and agricultural producers.