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EU-SOL
The aim of the EU-SOL project is to develop high quality tomato and potato varieties with improved traits important for consumers, processors and producers. The project particularly focuses on mapping, isolating and characterizing genes underlying important traits such as healthiness, nutritional value, taste, flavor, fragrance, shelf-life, starch composition, yield and plant architecture.
>> Coordination: Rene Klein Lankhorst
>> www.eu-sol.net
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Meta-phor (Metabolomics for plants, health and outreach)
The Meta-phor program aims to establish a European-based platform for the analysis of plant metabolites based on developing innovative metabolite profiling and identification technologies. This META-PHOR project brings together key experts with proven track records, in a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach to deliver a phenotyping platform with potential for high throughput analysis.
>> www.meta-phor.eu
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Transcontainer
Developing efficient and stable biological containment systems for genetically modified plants. This is a European Commission-funded Specific Targeted Research or Innovation Project (STREP) in the Sixth Framework Programme Priority 5: Food Quality and Safety.
>> www.transcontainer.wur.nl
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Safe organic vegetables
EU Project QLK1-1999-0986
The objective of this project is to develop strategies for a safe organic food supply by developing detection methods, identifying mycotoxin risks in the production chain, determining the critical control points, and developing preventive measures. The research will be performed using the model system carrot – Alternaria. Carrot is one of the most popular organic vegetables bought by European consumers and is an important component of various organic food products, such as baby food and vegetable juices. The fungus Alternaria occurs on a wide variety of crops and is a known producer of harmful mycotoxins. It can be found throughout the whole carrot production chain, from seed to end-products.
>> Safe organic vegetables
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FISHOV - Oral vaccination of fish with plant derived protein vaccines
EU Project QLK2-CT-2001-01288
Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) and spring viraemia of carp (SVC) are two devastating viral diseases of salmonids and carp, respectively. FISHOV is a collaborative effort of virologists, immunologists, plant-biotechnologists and feed industry to develop a new class of oral vaccines for the prevention of VHS and SVC and delivery in feed. The methodologies developed will allow vaccination with a minimum of stress and handling at mass scale and from the moment young fish are immunocompetent.
>> FISHOV
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Quality Control Measures in the Production and Processing Chain to Reduce Fusarium Mycotoxin Contamination of Food and Feed Grains
Concerted Action EU Project PL98-4094
Fusarium fungi are an important problem in the whole cereal food and feed chain, because they can reduce production and leave mycotoxins in the grain, which cause serious illness and immune-repression in humans and animals. The mycotoxin problem is the result of events at the start of the chain, due to fungal infestation of cereals during the growth, while the negative effects are found at the end of the chain, in food and feed products. Therefore, the long term objective of this Concerted Action is to establish a working relationship at the European level between all the partners of the production chain of cereal based food and feed products. By means of an effective collaboration the mycotoxin contamination due to Fusarium fungi in cereal based food and feed production can be prevented.
Coordination: Olga Scholten
>> Mycotoxins in the Cereal Chain
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Dynamics of Plant Dispersal related traits in fragmented European habitats
EU Project EVK2-CT1999-00246
Ecological, genetic and modelling approaches are combined to improve our understanding of dispersal processes occurring in natural populations in man-made fragmented landscapes. The project focuses on plant species with a metapopulation structure and a clear dispersal mechanism. The project will study the differences in dispersal capacities of plant species in Europe in response to landscape fragmentation. It will estimate the selective pressure on dispersal characteristics under study, and the possible responses of the species involved. A prediction of the persistence of these species in the (near) future will provide valuable information for setting up management plans.
Coordination: Ben Vosman
>> http://www.plant.wageningen-ur.nl/projects/plantdispersal/
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DISCOVAR - Disease Control Varicosaviruses
EU Project QLRT-1999-1471
Development of diagnostic tools and host plant resistance to control the rapid spread of lettuce big-vein and ring necrosis disease in leafy vegetables.
Lettuce big-vein and leaf necrosis disease are the most serious of soil-borne fungus-transmitted viral diseases in leafy vegetables in Europe. They are extremely difficult to control because of the lack of major resistance genes in the current varieties and the persistence of resting spores of the fungal vector Olpidium brassicae. Direct economic losses in production alone run in excess of 50 million Euro per year in Europe. To control the rapid spread, growers heavily depend on soil sterilants (some are to be banned) against the fungal vector. The deliverables of the current project allow a dramatic reduction in pesticide inputs and the development of a sustainable system for the production of lettuce and other leafy vegetables through the integration of several control measures, including identification and exploitation of natural host plant resistance and the development of a management system based on disease avoidance.
Coordination: Daniella Kasteel
>> http://www.plant.wageningen-ur.nl/projects/discovar/
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ANGEL - Analysis of gene flow from crop to wild forms in lettuce and chicory and its population-ecological consequences in the context of GM-crop biosafety
EU project QLK3-2001-01657
The anticipated risk of escape of transgenes from genetically modified crops to wild allies has revealed a serious lack in knowledge about gene flow from cultivated to wild forms of crop plants and its possible consequences for the environment, such as increased weediness. Therefore, this project aims at developing molecular tools dedicated to assessing gene flow in two model crops, one basically outcrossing, chicory, and one basically selfing, lettuce. Consequences of gene flow for fitness will be studied by demographic monitoring of natural and experimental hybrid populations. Wild lettuce, L. serriola, also will serve as a model species for invasive behaviour, and its recent expansion into Northwestern Europe will be studied biogeographically with the aid of molecular markers. The results will be integrated into a model from which recommendations will come for assessing GM-crop biosafety.
Coordination: Clemens van de Wiel
>> http://www.plant.wageningen-ur.nl/projects/angel/
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DREAM - Durable resistance management of the soil-borne quarantine nematode pests Meloidogyne chitwoodi and M. fallax
EU Project QLRT-1999-1462
No adequate durable and environmentally safe alternative exists to control the quarantine nematode pests Meloidogyne chitwoodi and M. fallax for the major European crops. The DREAM project (Durable resistance against Meloidogyne) aims at developing a strategy for durable resistance management for these soil-borne pests.
>> DREAM
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CLOSYS - Research on minimization of nutrient emissions from greenhouse horticulture
EU Project QLRT-1999-31301
In (greenhouse) horticulture nutrients are usually supplied together with water. To prevent any shortage growers use excess amounts of nutrients and water. Even in the case a recirculation system is used, growers have to drain nutrients and water to the environment from time to time to prevent imbalances of the nutrient solution in the root zone. Instead of supplying nutrients and water in excess, we advocate the use of a regulated water and nutrient supply. This may help to control and to plan crop growth and product quality.
Coordination: Leo Marcelis
>> CLOSYS
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Garlic and Health
EU Project QLK1-CT-1999-0498
Consumption of garlic may contribute to the prevention of cancer and cardio-vascular diseases. These diseases are by far the leading causes of death and morbidity in the EU. Increasing garlic consumption and improving the content of the active compounds, may therefore lower the annual costs of these diseases, which are estimated to be many millions of Euros. The European growers of garlic may also benefit from increased garlic consumption, especially through growing improved garlic varieties with increased health promoting capacities.
Coordination: Chris Kik
>> http://www.plant.wageningen-ur.nl/projects/GarlicandHealth/
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GENE-MINE - Mining genebank collections for valuable genes
EU Project QLK5-CT-1999-30722
GENE-MINE is an EU-funded project, running from 2001 to 2004. It will develop methodology and a generic information system for studying relationships between large-scale molecular marker data, phenotypic traits and passport and environmental data in genebank collections.
Coordination: Rob van Treuren
>> http://www.gene-mine.org/
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Epidemiological studies for control Clavibacter michiganensis subspecies sepedonicus, the causative agent of bacterial ring rot in potato (ring rot)
FAIR project PL98-4366
Bacterial ring rot, caused by the quarantine pathogen Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus (Cms), forms together with brown rot the greatest threat for potato growers in the EU. Epidemiological data necessary for controlling bacterial ring rot once established are lacking. This joint project lays the scientific basis for the development and improvement of measures for control and eradication of Cms.
Coordination: Jan van der Wolf
>> http://www.plant.wageningen-ur.nl/projects/ringrot/
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ISCIMAS - Improved Striga Control in Maize and Sorghum
EU INCO-project ICA4-CT-1999-30012
The parasitic weed Striga is a tremendous problem in large parts of Africa, especially on poor and acidic soils. Striga strongly decreases yields of many of the important food crops such as sorghum, maize, millet and rice but also several legumes such as soybean and cowpea. Yields may even be completely lost and the FAO estimates the damage due to one species alone, S. hermonthica, at annually 7-13 billion US dollar. It is estimated that Striga negatively affects the live over 100 million Africans. Because of the size of the problem, an integrated approach is required combining disciplines varying from molecular biology to systems analysis.
Coordination: Harro Bouwmeester
>> http://www.plant.wageningen-ur.nl/projects/striga/
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PotatoControl
Impact of Three Selected Biotechnological Strategies for Potato Pathogen Control on the Indigenous Soil Microbiota. In this project, we investigate possibilities to control plant diseases caused by bacteria according to three different approaches, i.e. genetic modification of plants (two approaches) and application of avirulent competitive bacterial strains. For that purpose we selected Ralstonia solanacearum and Erwinia carotovora as model organisms for controlling diseases, caused by both agents, in genetically modified potato lines and constructed avirulent mutants of R. solanacearum for suppression of brownrot in unmodified potato lines.
>> http://www.plant.wageningen-ur.nl/projects/potatocontrol/
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