PENTA-RESIST

The spread of invasive species is often a consequence of global change and poses major challenges for agriculture. In a new research project, the University of Göttingen, together with the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) and the Association for the Promotion of Plant Innovation (Gemeinschaft zur Förderung von Pflanzeninnovation e.V.), is investigating the biology of the reed borer. The small insect is a carrier of the novel bacterial disease Syndrome Basse Richesse (SBR), which is increasingly threatening sugarbeet cultivation in Germany. Last year alone, the area infested with the disease increased dramatically to 20,000 hectares compared with the previous year. The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is funding the "Penta-Resist" project for three years with a total of around 600,000 euros, with a further 100,000 euros being contributed by the seed breeding companies involved.

The collaborative project focuses on studies of the sugar beet's genetic tolerance to SBR and research into the chemical ecology of the insect. "With the help of behavioral experiments, electrophysiological investigations and chemical-analytical methods, we want to find out which scents the cicada uses to find its host plant," says Prof. Dr. Michael Rostás, head of the Department of Agricultural Entomology at the University of Göttingen, "this could lead to the development of attractant traps in the medium term that detect incoming insects at an early stage." However, measures are also urgently needed to contain the infestation, because direct control of the bacterium is not possible and even the use of insecticides against the cicadas, which temporarily live in the soil, shows little success. A more environmentally friendly solution is the breeding of SBR-tolerant plants, as also enshrined in the BMEL's Arable Crop Strategy 2035. The development of an insect-independent infection method in the Applied Chemical Ecology working group of the JKI, headed by PD Dr. Jürgen Gross, could accelerate the laborious screening of suitable plant material.

Interestingly, the reed glass-winged cicada is not, as is so often the case, an invasive exotic species, but a native insect that has even been classified as "endangered" on the Red List. Why the insects are suddenly appearing en masse as pests of sugar beet remains a mystery. The scientists hope to find answers to this by studying the interactions between insect, bacterium and plant in greater detail.

Collaboration partners: Julius Kühn Institute Dossenheim, Gemeinschaft zur Förderung von Pflanzeninnovation e.V. (GFPi) (overall coordination).

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