www.BPI.gr - BENAKI PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL INSTITUTE

CO-FUNDED PROJECTS

E.U.

CypruSaves

Acronym	CypruSaves
Τitle	Tools for water-saving and field management of Cypriot vineyards
Status	Active
Funding Source	Horizon 2020, in the context of the DEMETER project (https://h2020-demeter.eu)
Coordinating Beneficiary	STRATEGIC OMNIA RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LTD, Cyprus
Project manager	Dr Maria Doula (BPI team coordinator)
Start date	01.05.2022
Duration	1 Year
Website	https://cyprusaves.eu
Abstract	"CypruSaves aims to motivate farmers in using modern technology and tools, address current and future water shortages, and manage their cultivation in terms of soil, yield, nutrients, and pesticide use. CypruSaves is one of 5 pilots/proposals, selected to join the H2020 DEMETER, an EU-funded project aiming at facilitating the deployment of inter-operable, data-driven, smart farming solutions. The H2020 DEMETER project is a large-scale deployment of farmer-driven, interoperable smart farming-IoT (Internet of Things) based platforms, delivered through a series of 20 pilots across 18 countries (15 EU countries). Involving 60 partners, DEMETER adopts a multi-actor approach across the value chain (demand and supply), with 25 deployment sites, 6,000 farmers, and over 38,000 devices and sensors being deployed. CypruSaves objectives are: 1. Adaptation to climate change in terms of water saving, soil protection, and pests outbreak. 2. Digitalization and modernization of the Cypriot wine-making sector, as most of the Cypriot farmers, continue to be traditional and use conventional practices. 3. Networking and cooperation between stakeholders of the same or different sectors for sharing knowledge, information, and materials."

BalkanRoad

FP7 BROWSE

FP7 HEROIC

Acronym	FP7 HEROIC
Title	“Health and Environmental Risks: Organization, Integration and Cross-Fertilization of Scientific Knowledge”
Status	Active
Funding Source	89.1% EU
Coordinating Beneficiary	University of Basel & Center of Human Toxicology, Switzerland (SCAHT –CH)
Project Manager	K. Machera & P. Papadaki, Laboratory of Toxicological Control of Pesticides, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy
Start Date	1/10/2011
Duration	3 years
Website	Not yet constructed
Abstract	Currently, risk assessments for human health and that of the environment comprise two separate fields of study. The existing experience and the regulations for the risk assessment do not fulfill the future needs, as: - There remains a lack of understanding between the separate specializations - Data derived from toxicological and ecotoxicological studies are not easily available to risk evaluators coming from different disciplines - While on the one hand the need for risk assessment is increasing (e.g. EU legislation such as REACH, and investigation into mixture toxicity), on the other, laboratories must cope with funding cuts and societal pressure to reduce the number of laboratory animals used in experimental tests. Therefore, the development of economical, predictive and swift methods for high-quality rational risk assessment is necessary. Better and more effective use of current data is also needed to attain such improved levels of risk assessment. - Transparency in risk assessment is necessary to better communicate the nature of risk, so retaining the confidence of consumers and the public, and giving clear directions for the improvement of risk management. - Scientific risk assessment plays an increasingly important role worldwide in international risk governance, but also as a means for supporting sustainable business practices. However, variations in risk policy and in the measures taken often occur, due to different approaches to risk assessment. Therefore, better international cooperation in this field is urgently necessary. In order to address these issues, the HEROIC Project aspires to create and coordinate a network of experts. This network will concentrate on closer communication and expertise exchange in the following fields: • Risk assessment for human health and for the wider environment • Risk assessment and management. This network will also contribute to the more effective cooperation of risk assessment and management bodies at European level, at member-states level, and within industry.

FP7 CO-FREE

Acronym	FP7 CO-FREE
Title	“Innovative strategies for copper-free low input and organic farming systems”
Status	Active
Funding Source	FP7-EU Collaborative Project (small or medium-scale focused research project targeted at SMEs) (75% EU, 25% BPI)
Coordinating Beneficiary	BBA Darmstadt, Germany
Project Manager	Dr E. Markellou, Laboratory of Biological Control of Pesticides, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy
Start Date	1/11/2011
Duration	4 years
Website	Not yet constructed
Abstract	Pesticides with Cu as a major ingredient comprise a group of products widely used in biological and conventional agriculture, including IPM systems. Current EU policy is directed at the production and the promotion of sustainable and high-quality systems of production which present the minimum of environmental risks, especially to the soil. Moreover, the EU is working towards the general prohibition of Cu use in soils by 2016, which creates an urgent requirement to find alternative means and ways of controlling/combating those organisms targeted by copper-chemicals. These alternatives include: a) new microbial pesticides (i.e. of natural origin) with a similar range of activity to their copper-chemical predecessors b) the development of new and modern means of applying such substances, c) the development and promotion of the agro-ecosystem’s endogenous ability to tolerate pathogens, by supporting natural antagonists, using new pathogen-resistant/tolerant varieties, using systems of disease prediction, etc.. The CO-FREE Project will study all the these methods, and in combination with the current European knowledge/experience, will apply them in major European perennial crops such as apples and vines, as well as annual ones such as potato and tomato. Statistically, these crops undergo extensive applications of copper-chemicals. A consequent increase in copper concentrations in the soil has been observed with related ecotoxicological impacts.

FP7 PALMPROTECT

Acronym	FP7 PALMPROTECT
Title	“Strategies for the eradication and containment of the invasive pests Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier and Paysandisia archon Burmeister”
Status	Final details still under negotiation
Funding Source	75% EU, 25% BPI
Coordinating Beneficiary	Food Environmental Research Agency, UK (FERA, UK)
Project Manager	Dr F. Karamaouna and Dr D. Kontodimas: Laboratories of Biological Control of Pesticides, Agricultural Entomology, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Entomology and Agricultural Zoology
Start Date	01/01/2012
Duration	3 years
Website	Not yet constructed
Abstract	The PALMPROTECT research Project exists to develop reliable methods for the timely diagnosis, eradication, control and limitation of wood-eating insects of the quarantine pest commonly known as the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Paysandisia archon Burmeister (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). Methods thus developed will be applied by the respective national plant health control authorities of European Union member states, in order to control these harmful insects in their countries of origin, production sites, points of entry, and during contact or with palm trees. The resulting expertise will contribute to the implementation of European Directives 2000/29/EC, 2007/365/EC, 2008/ 776/EC, 2009/7/EC and 2010/467/EC. The Project’s research is summarized in four objectives which will be implemented through specific work packages. These will focus on the study of biology/ bio-ecology, the behavior of insects and the range of their palm-hosts, the development of methods for the timely diagnosis and population monitoring (use of trained dogs, bioacoustics, pheromone traps, thermography, development of a GIS monitoring system), the development of control methods in the context of integrated control (biological, large-scale trapping, chemical, and new insecticidal substances), and socio-economic study on the impacts of the damage caused by these insects within the EU and Mediterranean regions. BPI will contribute to the PALMPROTECT Project by developing the monitoring GIS system for the palm weevil, studying the biology of the Theophrastus palm, Phoenix theophrastii, and in the optimization of pheromone traps for the monitoring of the palm weevil’s population.

FP7 BPI – Plant – Heal 230010

FP7 EUPHRESCO II

Acronym	EUPHRESCO II
Title	European Phytosanitary (Statutory Plant Health) Research Coordination II)
Status	Active
Funding Source	FP7-ERANET-2010-RTD (Coordination and Support Actions), KBBE.2010.1.2-06: Deepened and enlarged cooperation between phytosanitary (statutory plant health) research programs
Coordinator	Dr Alan Inman, Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Food & Environment Research Agency (DEFRA-FERA), UK
BPI Leader	Dr Irene Vloutoglou, Laboratory of Mycology, Department of Phytopathology
BPI Deputy leader	Dr Maria C. Holeva, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Department of Phytopathology
Governing Board Member	Mr Athanassios Lagkouranis, Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food
Starting date	2011
Duration	39 months
Website	http://www.euphresco.org
Summary	The current challenges of the EU Plant Health are (i) the increasing threat from plant pests due to the increasing globalization in trade (volume and diversity; new pathways), EU enlargement and climate change, (ii) the increasing concerns for environmental protection, and (iii) the limited and decreasing research funding. The EUPHRESCO II Network, similarly to EUPHRESCO I, is the scientific consultancy instrument of the EU for its phytosanitary policy and the more efficient funding of plant health research programs. Its overall aims are: to produce a strong, durable and self-sustainable network that fully incorporates existing and new members to reinforce collaboration between the EU Member States with respect to research on plant health to efficiently coordinate national, transnational and EU funding for plant health research to broaden the collaboration of the EU Member States with other countries, which either are the origin of harmful organisms or share the same phytosanitary problems with the EU.

LIFE+ Biodelear

LIFE+ Conops

LIFE+ EcoPest

LIFE+ SAGE 10

LIFE+ HYDROSENSE

Acronym	HYDROSENSE
Title	“Innovative precision technologies for optimized irrigation and integrated crop management in a water-limited agrosystem”
Status	Active
Funding source	LIFE08 ENV/GR/000570
Coordinating Beneficiary	BPI – GAIA Center
Project Manager	Dr V. Kati, Laboratory of Weed Biology & Dr D. Chachalis, Laboratory of Chemical Weed Control, Department of Weeds
Start Date	01.01.2010
Duration	3 years
Website	http://www.hydrosense.org
Abstract	This Project aims at the rational use of water, inorganic fertilizers and pesticides in cotton, an economically important crop in Mediterranean countries. The Project’s methods combine the principles of precision-agriculture with advanced remote sensing technology, in order to: • Improve the effectiveness of water and chemical inputs in agricultural areas in a dry Mediterranean climate • Apply varying flow rates of irrigation, and monitor the irrigative needs/requirements of the crop in space and time • Exploit the possibilities of remote sensing, using advanced soil and leaf sensors • Evaluate the results of variable flow rate though environmental indicators, such as the water-use efficiency, nitrogen, pesticides, and energy • Highlight the financial viability of the system, achieved through reducing inputs and increasing yield • Highlight the possibility of extending their application to other agricultural crops and drought-affected geographical regions • Provide appropriate pilot measures for the development of agricultural policy, projecting field data at a basin scale • Create incentives for farmers to adopt this technology on a bigger scale and in other areas

LIFE+ PISA

Acronym	PISA
Title	Innovative eco friendly traps for the control of pine Lepidoptera in urban and recreational places
Status	Active
Funding Organization	50% EU (LIFE 13 ENV/ES/000504) 50% BPI
Coordinating Beneficiary	Asociación de Investigación de Materiales Plásticos y Conexas – AIMPLAS
Project Manager	Dr Dr Dimitrios Ch. Kontodimas, Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, Department of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology
Collaborators	Dr Nickolas Kavallieratos, Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Agricultural University of Athens Mrs Dimitra Markoyannaki, Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, BPI
Start Date	01.7.2014
Duration	27 months
Website	http://www.lifepisa.eu
Abstract	The Pine Processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) and Pine tree lappet (Dendrolimus pini) are moths of the familiesy Thaumetopoeidae and Lasiocampidae, and are abundant species found in pine woods in north, central and southern Europe, and an important economic pest and health human and pet problem (allergic, skin illness, etc). The species are notable for the behaviour of its caterpillar larvae, which overwinter in tent-like nests high in pine trees, and which process through the woods in nose-to-tail columns, protected by their severely irritating hairs. Current methods to control this infestation have some limitations to control medium-large amounts of them and/or they are expensive. The main objective of LIFE PISA project is to demonstrate the viability of the combination of several systems currently used to control processionary and tree lappet pest to be applied in different urban or recreational areas in 4 countries (Spain, Italy, UK and Greece), where the air or massive fumigation is not possible. Moreover, it aims to improve current traps systems to increase significantly their effectiveness, reduce cost and to be adapted to each selected demonstrative urban pine areas.

Pest Practice

Acronym	Pest Practice
Title	Advancing work safety for pest control workers
Status	Active
Funding Organization	75 % European Union (2013-1-GR1-LEO05-13904) 25% ΜΦΙ
Coordinating Beneficiary	Benaki Phytopathological Institute (BPI)
Project Manager	Dr. Antonios Michaelakis, Department of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology
Start Date	01.11.2013
Duration	24 months
Website	http://www.pestpractice.eu
Abstract	The professional pest control users need proper training to identify safe pest management practices, combined with proper education on the risk assessment and the classification and labeling precautions of the products. So far, there is a clear lack of training program and opportunities for workers in the usage and storage of pesticides. Therefore, many in the field of pest control do not understand the risks involved for themselves or their customers in poorly handling or not proper application of pesticides at homes and public buildings. Moreover, business owners in the particular field, often underestimate the dangers for their staff and customers by not providing proper information and training. Therefore, heightened awareness among pest control business owners, their staff and the general public is needed to improve work safety and prevent health risks both to workers and the general public. The Pest Practice aims at minimizing risks from the transfer and adaptation of curriculum as well as studying the curriculum’s adaptation to the needs of Greece, Italy and Cyprus. In addition, the project aims at developing appropriate educational material that will facilitate work safety and better understanding of risk by employees. To achieve these objectives, the Pest Practice proposes to transfer the innovative curriculum LABITAS (created in Germany and concerns work safety). Specifically, the project will transfer the training curriculum in three different systems of vocational education and training (Greece, Italy and Cyprus).

PEPEIRA

COST Action 873

Acronym	COST Action 873
Title	Bacterial diseases of stone fruits and nuts
Status	Completed
Funding Source	EU
Coordinating Beneficiary	Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil Bacteriology, Switzerland
Project Manager BPI	M. Choleva, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Department of Phytopathology
Start Date	9.10.2006
Duration	5 years
Website	http://www.cost873.ch
Abstract	The Project aims to develop a strategy to prevent the establishment and spread of plant pathogenic bacteria in stone fruit and nut crops, which will form the basis of an Integrated Management Plan for orchards. The Project strengthens the development of a European researchers’ network across multiple scientific disciplines of biological sciences, all of which are studying methods of pathogen control. Among the COST Project’s objectives are: a) the optimization of existing methods and the development of new methods for the diagnosis of bacteriological plant diseases, the development of predictive models for bacteriological plant diseases, b) the selection of plant genetic material for the detection of resistance to the studied diseases, c) the evaluation of the effectiveness of biological control methods and of various anti-bacterial substances, d) the establishment of an integrated scheme of orchard-management, e) the provision of support to both national and European Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO) initiatives, in form of research data and summarized practical guidelines for the diseases studied, f) the collection of bacteria strains for use in rapid diagnosis methods, g) the organization of ring tests, h) the dissemination of pertinent knowledge to farmers and agricultural enterprises, and finally i) the training of new researchers in the issues covered by this Project.

COST Action FA0806

Acronym	COST Action FA0806
Title	Plant virus control employing RNA-based vaccines: a novel non-transgenic strategy
Status	Active
Funding source	EU
Coordinating Beneficiary	Agricultural University of Athens
Project Manager BPI	M. Choleva, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Department of Phytopathology
Start Date	23.1.2009
Duration	4 years
Website	http://www.aua.gr/COSTFA0806
Abstract	The project ‘COST Action FA0806’ aims at developing an efficient and practically applicable strategy for management of plant virus diseases contributing towards a sustainable agriculture. Through the multiple activities of the Action, a scientific network has been built of European research teams working in the field of inducing plant resistance against viruses by exogenous application of RNA molecules (‘plant vaccination’). The approach constitutes an innovative non-transgenic method that is taking advantage of the endogenous gene silencing molecular mechanism of plants. The tasks included in the project involve: the screening for the most efficient plant resistance inducer molecules, the technological improvement of machinery for applying these molecules, the evaluation of the efficiency of the method, the collection of plant viral strains for molecular studies and diagnostic assays, the dissemination of results to the stakeholders that are active in the field of plant protection (growers, agronomists, agricultural co-operations, etc), as well as the training of early stage researchers in molecular biology techniques to be used for developing the molecular tools needed in plant biotechnological applications.

PRIMA PHACIE

Acronym	PRIMA PHACIE
Title	“Pest Risk Assessment for the European Community Plant Health: a comparative approach with case studies”
Status	Active
Funding Source	CFO/EFSA/PLH/2009/01
Coordinator	Dr Alan MacLeod, Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), UK
BPI Leader Coordinator of the Fungi Working Group	Dr Irene Vloutoglou, Laboratory of Mycology, Department of Phytopathology
BPI Participants	Dr Maria C. Holeva, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Department of Phytopathology
Starting date	18.12.2009
Duration	30 months
Website	-
Summary	The main aims of the PRIMA PHACIE research project are (i) the development and comparative evaluation of scientific methods for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of risks posed by the introduction into and spread within the EU of harmful organisms, as well as of the direct and indirect impacts (e.g. impacts on crop production, environmental impacts, etc) resulting from the establishment of those organisms to a new area, (ii) the comparative evaluation of measures for the reduction of risk posed by the entry, establishment and spread of harmful organisms in a new area, and (iii) the application of the newly developed methods for conducting pest risk analyses (PRAs) on 10 pre-selected by the European Commission harmful organisms (i.e. Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli, Guignardia citricarpa, Mycosphaerella dearnessii, Meloidogyne chitwoodi, M. fallax, Candidatus Phytoplasma mali, Candidatus Phytoplasma pyri και Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum). All the above PRAs will serve as the basis for the revision by the European Commission of the current EU phytosanitary legislation (Council Directive 2000/29/EC) with respect to those harmful organisms.

Collection and assessment of data relevant for non-dietary cumulative exposure to pesticides and proposal for conceptual approaches for assessing non-dietary cumulative exposure

Last update: 17/9/2025