More than 14 million is the amount of the European Biocontrol 4.0 project. The objective of this body of research is to help the agricultural world face current challenges.
“The general objectives of this Biocontrol 4.0 portfolio are to find solutions for the agriculture of tomorrow, to avoid the use of synthetic chemical pesticides which pose health problems for consumers and farmers. We are going to find green solutions,” explains Professor Kevin Tougeron, coordinator of the Trans-Pest project at UMons.
These innovative solutions will also have to take into account another major issue: climate change. Umons will coordinate a research portfolio called Trans-Pest. It brings together 10 partners who will essentially work with different living elements to reduce pests in the fields.
« We are going to play with these little critters by determining their main natural enemies, which are predators like the ladybug, or pathogens, fungi which will infect them and we have parasitoids, small insects which bite the pests and kill them. We will be interested in these pest/natural enemy pairs in the context of global changes » specifies Professor Tougeron.
Ultimately, it will be a matter of providing solutions or possible solutions to farmers so that they can protect their crops.
Another laboratory, still in Mons, that of Multitel. The institution will coordinate the Trans E-Bio project, a 2.3 million euro project subsidized to the tune of 1.4 million by the ERDF.
« The goal is to develop technologies that will detect the factors that can trigger a disease and then use algorithms to determine when, where and how to apply treatments to ensure effective crop protection. » explains Jena-Yves Perfect, coordinator of the Trans E-Bio Project at Multitel.
This project is inspired by research carried out in health. It must now be transposed into agriculture to, for example, detect the presence of mushroom spores in the atmosphere.
« The technology on which we are based was developed in a health context in collaboration with Professor F. Dubois of ULB. The microscopy in question makes it possible to reconstruct the shape of the spores in 3D to better recognize them. The goal is to detect their presence and adapt treatments » underlines JY Perfect.
This technology allows for rapid action and is less expensive than other existing methods.
All projects supported by European funds have a duration of 4 years.
