Crop pests can lead to a loss of up to 40% of crop yields (FAO, 2009). In recent years, the effort to grow sustainable agriculture has led to
the development of new strategies around biological control and induction of plant resistance. However, there is still a strong reliance on
pesticides, that have led to the emergence of pesticide-resistant pests, as well as a negative impact on human health and the environment.
The result is the current pesticide ban scenario, where by 2030, only half of them will be allowed in the European Union. Therefore, we
urgently need to advance our knowledge of new sustainable strategies for pest control that can sustain food security. This project aims to
characterise the molecular and metabolic mechanisms of extracellular DNA-induced resistance against the devastating pest Frankliniella
occidentalis in tomato plants and transfer that information to agriculture. To achieve this, we propose a multidisciplinary approach
encompassing transcriptomic techniques, generation of transient and stable mutant lines in tomato, chromatographic methods and
resistance bioassays against different pests and diseases. Our specific objectives are:
1) To identify new components that mediate extracellular DNA-induced resistance in tomato plants against F. occidentalis;
2) To determine the role of the DNA damage response system;
3) To evaluate the agronomic relevance of DNA use in agriculture.
This project will have a scientific-technical impact by establishing a new framework of the plant immune system, with deliverables such as
new mutant lines in tomato that can be applied to future research. More importantly, this project will have a socio-economic impact by
advancing our knowledge of sustainable plant resistance, which can be later utilised as DNA to induce resistance and to develop new
resistant cultivars
the development of new strategies around biological control and induction of plant resistance. However, there is still a strong reliance on
pesticides, that have led to the emergence of pesticide-resistant pests, as well as a negative impact on human health and the environment.
The result is the current pesticide ban scenario, where by 2030, only half of them will be allowed in the European Union. Therefore, we
urgently need to advance our knowledge of new sustainable strategies for pest control that can sustain food security. This project aims to
characterise the molecular and metabolic mechanisms of extracellular DNA-induced resistance against the devastating pest Frankliniella
occidentalis in tomato plants and transfer that information to agriculture. To achieve this, we propose a multidisciplinary approach
encompassing transcriptomic techniques, generation of transient and stable mutant lines in tomato, chromatographic methods and
resistance bioassays against different pests and diseases. Our specific objectives are:
1) To identify new components that mediate extracellular DNA-induced resistance in tomato plants against F. occidentalis;
2) To determine the role of the DNA damage response system;
3) To evaluate the agronomic relevance of DNA use in agriculture.
This project will have a scientific-technical impact by establishing a new framework of the plant immune system, with deliverables such as
new mutant lines in tomato that can be applied to future research. More importantly, this project will have a socio-economic impact by
advancing our knowledge of sustainable plant resistance, which can be later utilised as DNA to induce resistance and to develop new
resistant cultivars