Towards a new pesticide-free approach for increasing crop disease resilience
Dr. D. (Dmitry) Lapin (Utrecht University)
Diseases pose significant risks to crop production, food security and the supply of raw materials. The planned reduction in pesticide usage, coupled with ramping disease pressures, necessitates novel approaches to ensure an ample and safe production of healthy crops. However, existing solutions such as strengthening the crop’s immune system will likely be insufficient. This project seeks to establish the theoretical foundation for an innovative technology allowing crops to grow better despite pathogen attacks. Such technology combined with methods of making crop immune systems stronger would help to reduce crop losses even if disease pressure increases.