Research Workshop 
Research Workshop
September 5th to 9th 2010
Sofia, Bulgaria
AgroBioInstitute, Agricultural Academy
The Project:
The overall aim of the project SharCo is to help the EU face the accession of Member States known as endemic of sharka disease by providing the EU with tools such as marker-assisted selection, Plum pox virus (PPV) resistant plant materials, guidelines, warning systems, decision-support system.
On that purpose, the project will, in the field of epidemiology, identify driving factors of PPV spread and diversification and develop novel and high through-put detection systems warning sharka outbreaks.
In the field of genetics, it will provide molecular markers for the implementation of marker assisted selection of PPV resistant fruit varieties.
In the field of biology, it will assess innovative biotechnological approaches to broaden resistance to PPV in different fruit tree species.
Finally, in order to develop a PPV outbreak management, the project will elaborate i) guidelines for end-users and policy makers concerning cultivation and risk management, ii) an early warning system coupled with a decision support system.
All knowledge and tools developed by the project will be widely disseminated all over Europe with special attention made to PPV endemic countries.
SharCo comprises 9 Partners from EU countries (France, Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia) and 2 non EU countries - Serbia and Turkey. Project duration is 4 years; the project started in March 2008 and will end in March 2012.
List of Beneficiary :
|
Number
|
Beneficiary name
|
Beneficiary short name
|
Country
|
|
1
|
Institut national de la recherche agronomique
|
INRA
|
France
|
|
2
|
AgroBioInstitute
|
ABI
|
Bulgaria
|
|
3
|
Universitatea de Stiinte Agronomice si Medicina Veterinara Bucuresti
|
USAMV
|
Romania
|
|
4
|
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
|
CSIC
|
Spain
|
|
5
|
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-Istituto di Virologia Vegetale
|
CNR-IVV
|
Italy
|
|
6
|
Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias
|
IVIA
|
Spain
|
|
7
|
Instytut Sadownictwa i Kwiaciarstwa Skierniewice
|
ISK
|
Poland
|
|
8
|
Mustafa Kemal University
|
MKU
|
Turkey
|
|
9
|
Crop Research Institute
|
CRI
|
CzechRepublic
|
|
10
|
Technische Universität München
|
TUM
|
Germany
|
|
11
|
SavBa, Institute of Virology
|
SavBa
|
Slovakia
|
|
12
|
Fruit Research Institute
|
FRI
|
Serbia
|
|
14
|
Fruit Growing Institute
|
FGI
|
Bulgaria
|
|
15
|
Università degli Studi di Milano
|
UMIL
|
Italy
|
|
16
|
MendelUniversity of Agriculture and Forestry
|
MUAF
|
Czech Republic
|
|
17
|
Statiunea de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Pomicultura Bistrita
|
SCDP
|
Romania
|
Project structure
The project is built on three pillars, each one divided into a number of work packages strongly interacting with each other within and across the pillars.
The Epidemiologic Pillar encompasses three main aspects, understanding the mechanisms of the disease process on the one hand side, developing outbreak detecting and evaluating systems of the other hand side. The objective is to develop new methods and new tools for monitoring and fighting the PPV spread in nursery blocks and orchards. It will also provide data and tools for the evaluation of PPV diversity and factors driving PPV diversification. Methods, tools and knowledge generated in the Epidemiologic Pillar will be used in the Application Pillar for the elaboration of guidelines and early warning system.
- WPE.1: Large scale analysis of PPV worldwide diversity
- WPE.2: Improving knowledge of PPV epidemicity and spread dynamics from orchard to regional scales
- WPE.3: Evaluation of strategies to reduce the incidence of PPV in nurseries blocks
The primary goal of the Genetic Pillar is to provide stone fruit breeders with genetic knowledge and tools aimed at selecting the resistant varieties. Molecular markers will be developed in apricot, peach and plum, and used for the implementation of marker assisted breeding programmes for resistance to PPV Europe-wide. Unknown mechanisms and sources of resistance will be identified among natural resources or through biotechnological approaches. By the end of SharCo, complementary mechanisms of resistance will be combined to enhance PPV resistance in commercial stone fruit varieties. The PPV resistant plant material generated within the SharCo project will be implemented through the cultivation guidelines in the Application Pillar.
- WPG.1: Identification of PPV resistance markers and development of marker assisted selection
- WPG.2: Characterisation of new and complementary genetic resistance mechanisms
The Application Pillar is aimed at putting at the disposal of breeders, nursery gardeners and fruit producers with tools and plant material enabling them preventing sharka outbreak and minimising the impact in case of contamination. It will also support public policy-makers, regulatory bodies, extension services and other stakeholders through the development of an early warning system, the elaboration of risk management guidelines and recommendations for seedlings and grafted material cultivation. To facilitate knowledge and tool access to any stakeholder, a decision support system will be initiated and several training workshops will target dissemination and transfer to European and PPV endemic regions.
- WPA.1: Sustainable sharka containment scheme
- WPA.2: Dissemination and transfer
The Management Work package addressing two principal issues:
- Project monitoring
- Administrative and financial issues
Workshop Goals
The goals of this workshop are to cross-pollinate existing research efforts in the field of biology, epidemiology and genetics investigations of PPV.
The research workshop is also intended to promote the dissemination of projects outcome in the scientific community.
Workshop Proceeding will be published in Acta Horticulture volume which will be distributed to all partners and some major agricultural libraries.
