CASE STUDIES OF BIOMEHEALTH FOR RESEARCH, INNOVATION, TRAINING AND CAPACITATION

Apple/Pear Phytobiome and Erwinia amylovora and Stemphylium vesicarium under climate change scenario

• E. amylovora (recently removed from EU quarantine due to its currently widespread occurrence in most countries) causes sudden and severe disease in Rosaceae, with no efficient treatment available (only sanitary pruning and use of Cu-based compounds). WUR has wide experience in molecular detection tools of this and other Erwinia spp. pathogens (https://shop.wur.nl/), and UNIBO proposed a VOCs-based diagnosis procedure. REQUIMTE/UP disclosed that Portuguese Ea-populations had molecular (CRISPR/MLSA) homogeneity but phenotypic variability (e.g., virulence, antibiotic susceptibility). This discrepancy poses exciting questions on Ea-epidemiology, for example, if we are in the presence of an "evolving-clonal-population" that may potentiate the Ea-plasticity for dissemination/virulence. Also, it was proposed multispectral imaging to detect fire blight. 

• S. vesicarium causes a critical fungal disease in pear, with an incidence of ~15% in Portugal, and symptoms can appear in all vegetative stages. The first symptoms of fruit are observed at the fruit set. Identification of S. vesicarium conidia and Penicillium allii ascospores is normally accomplished through spore trap devices and optical microscope observations. Molecular markers and specific metabolites can also be used for distinguishing S. vesicarium isolates. Identification of risk factors (e.g., levels of inoculum, Tª, wetness, host cultivar) are being used to predict brown spots in pear (an advisory system to reduce fungicide inputs is BSPcast).