Dr. Dimitrios Karpouzas and Dr. Khalid Amari Baba were invited to present their work in the Conference: Novel Pesticides ‘Towards Sustainability in the Regulatory Framework of the EU’ that was held in Düsseldorf Germany in 19th and 20th of September 2024. Both Professors has the opportunity to talk about RATION progress and activities and ds-RNA pesticides and the work performed by RATION in this area.
Continue ReadingRation Researchers presenting their work in July satellite event, Micrope 2024
On the 19th of July 2024 a workshop with the title “Possible future guidance and risk assessment for novel microbial and microbiome solutions for biocontrol in European agriculture” was organized by AIT as a satellite event of the International Symposium Micrope. Researchers from RATION like the coordinator Dimitrios Karpouzas, Dr Brader Gunder (AIT), Dr Antonis Chatzinotas (UFZ) and Dr Jose Luis Alonso Prados (CSIC-INIA) presented the work done in the area of microbial pesticides risk assessment in the project RATION and talked about novel microbial solutions like phages, protists, consortia and data requirements.
Continue ReadingPresentation of RATION in the 19th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (ISME19) in Cape Town, South Africa
The work presented addresses two aspects that are targeted in RATION, towards the development of a new RA scheme for dsRNAs as low-risk biopesticides: (a) the mode-of-action of small RNAs in the plant, focusing on epigenetic effects on the plant genome, and (b) the movement of sRNAs in the root-to-shoot access.
Continue ReadingCollaboration of new EFSA project on low-concern pesticides and RATION
A new EFSA funded project will aim to develop guidance and recommendation for risk assessment of low concern pesticides including botanicals, semiochemicals, pheromones, ds-RNA pesticides, inorganic compounds. The project is lead by Dr Zisis Vryzas from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and University of Thessaly, Wageningen University Research, Ctgb, CSIC-INIA and HAO-DEMETER are collaborating on this. RATION will work jointly with the EFSA project partners in order to identify common grounds and share concerns, recommendations and initiatives.
RATION and the EU project NOVATERRA join forces
The collaboration between NOVATERRA and RATION is rooted in a shared commitment to reducing the use of synthetic pesticides and rely more on the power of biopesticides.
NOVATERRA, an EU-funded H2020 project, is dedicated to ensuring food security and promoting access to healthy food for the growing population. Focusing on Mediterranean olive groves and vineyards through a series of case studies, the project aims to explore the possibility of maintaining current yields and quality in Europe and other regions while eliminating or significantly reducing the use of contentious plant protection products, commonly known as pesticides.
Collaboration is key to tackling complex challenges and maximising the impact of creating a supportive ecosystem that encourages the adoption of sustainable practices at every level of the agricultural supply chain. By working together, NOVATERRA and RATION not only share a commitment to reduce pesticide impact but also represent a significant advancement in the pursuit of sustainable agriculture and human health.
