Op donderdag 15 oktober 2020 vond het online symposium 'Belgian scientific plant health symposium - PROTECTING PLANTS, PROTECTING LIFE' plaats.
De organisatie van dit symposium in het kader van het Internationaal Jaar van de Plantengezondheid was een samenwerking van de FOD Volksgezondheid, Veiligheid van de Voedselketen en Leefmilieu, het Federaal Agentschap voor de Veiligheid van de Voedselketen en de gewesten. We telden meer dan 370 inschrijvingen. Ongeveer 300 deelnemers namen deel aan dit online symposium.
Het Internationaal Jaar van de Plantengezondheid (International Year of Plant Health - IYPH) heeft onder meer als doel alle actoren van onze samenleving te mobiliseren om beter samen te werken in het beschermen van de planten tegen de verspreiding van verwoestende plaagorganismen. Ook wil het IYPH de aandacht bevorderen voorverantwoorde praktijken om de verspreiding van deze organismen te beperken. Wetenschappelijk onderzoek, innovatie en politieke wil, spelen een hoofdrol in het concreet behalen van deze doelstellingen.
De organisatie van dit event binnen de ad-hocwerkgroep IYPH2020 van de Interministeriële Conferentie voor het Landbouwbeleid gaf ons een sterke vertegenwoordiging en betrokkenheid van de bevoegde ministers en plaatste de plantengezondheid op de politieke agenda.
Het Belgian scientific plant health symposium - PROTECTING PLANTS, PROTECTING LIFE zette de spotlights op verschillende onderzoeksprojecten in België die zich richten op de gezondheid van planten en zo bijdragen tot het verwezenlijken van de duurzame ontwikkelingsdoelstellingen van de Verenigde Naties (Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs) en bracht de belangrijkste spelers in dit proces samen.
Daarnaast werden de diversiteit van het onderzoek, zowel op federaal als regionaal niveau, en de verwevenheid van het Belgisch onderzoek met internationale onderzoeksprojecten in beeld gebracht.
Het symposium heeft de noodzaak aangetoond, indien dat nog nodig was, van onderzoek inzake plantengezondheid en nog maar eens het belang van internationale samenwerking benadrukt.
We nodigen u uit om de opname van dit wetenschappelijk symposium te (her)bekijken en de presentaties te consulteren door op de titels van de verschillende interventies hieronder te klikken. Hieronder vindt u ook de antwoorden op de vragen die tijdens het symposium werden gesteld en niet meer tijdens het symposium konden worden behandeld door het tijdsschema.
| Welkomstwoord Dhr. Tom Auwers, Voorzitter van de FOD Volksgezondheid, Voedselveiligheid en Leefmilieu (FOD VVVL) |
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| Drie onderzoekslijnen om de uitdagingen aan te gaan Dhr. Frank Vandenbroucke, Vice-eersteminister en minister van Sociale Zaken en Volksgezondheid, vertegenwoordigd door dhr. Tom Auwers. Waarom nu maximaal op plantengezondheid moet worden ingezet Mevr. Hilde Crevits, Viceminister-president van de Vlaamse regering en Vlaams minister van Economie, Innovatie, Werk, Sociale economie en Landbouw Plantengezondheid, een essentiële voorwaarde voor een kwaliteitslandbouw Dhr. Willy Borsus, Viceminister-president van Wallonië, Minister van Economie, Buitenlandse Handel, Onderzoek en Innovatie, Digitaal, Landbouw, Stedelijke en Regionale Planning, IFAPME en Competentiecentra |
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| Internationaal Jaar van de Plantengezondheid – doelstellingen en activiteiten in België Dhr. Lieven Van Herzele, Hoofd van de Nationale Organisatie voor de Bescherming van Planten, FOD VVVL |
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Cartografie van het plantengezondheidsonderzoek in België |
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| Plantengezondheidsonderzoek in het kader van de voedselzekerheid en de armoedebestrijding. SDG 1 “Geen armoede” SDG 2 “Geen honger” Dr. Kris De Jonghe (ILVO) en Prof. Sébastien Massart (ULiège) |
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| Plantengezondheidsonderzoek in het kader van een veilige en efficiënte handel SDG 8 “Waardig werk en economische groei” SDG 17 "Partnerschap om doelstellingen te bereiken"
Dr. Jan Van Autreve, Federaal Agentschap voor de Veiligheid van de voedselketen (FAVV) |
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| Plantengezondheidsonderzoek in het kader van de bioveiligheid en de milieubescherming SDG 13 "Klimaatactie” SDG 15 "Leven op het land"
Prof. Pieter Spanoghe (UGent) |
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| Slotwoord Dhr. Philippe Mortier, Directeur-generaal van het DG Dier, Plant en Voeding, FOD VVVL |
Vragen en antwoorden (ENGELS)
- What has been the experience with Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus ?
- As a diagnostic and research lab we prepared well for this emergent threat. Our NPPO included this pathogen in its control plan and has been surveying in Belgium for some time now. Many of those samples were analysed in our lab. We are currently also preparing to start an extensive survey in a project, funded by the FPS Health. (Prof. Kris De Jonghe)
- Vaccine which mechanism in plants?
- Vaccination in plants exists, also in practice. A good example of this in Belgium is the cross-protection which is common practice in the management of Pepino mosaic virus in our tomato greenhouses. Actually, the principle is that a host, in this case tomato, is infected by a closely related strain of the virulent virus. Mostly this is a mild strain inducing only very little of even no symptoms on the host and by its presence it prevents an infection of a more severe strain of the virus that would result in serious economic losses. In case of Pepino mosaic virus, the formulation containing the mild strain can be simply sprayed over the crop. (Prof. Kris De Jonghe)
- We often use phenology etc. to determine invasiveness/impact. Could we use the genomic profiles of viruses to highlight possible areas that could contribute to a more invasive/virulent virus ahead of looking for symptoms? I.e. predicting if a newly found virus could be detrimental before seeing if it impacts plants?
- The genome of the viruses could predict the transmission mode and the potential host range which are two key information for risk analysis. The symptom prediction (and their severity) is particularly difficult to model with the existing knowledge today. Indeed, the symptom severity is also related to the plant genotype, not only the virus isolate. Ex post, it is possible to use the genome to predict the symptom severity caused by a virus based on previous observation (bioassay or field observation). Sometimes, a single mutation confers the aggressiveness to a virus. Ex ante, the observation of symptoms on the plant from which the virus has been discovered is one important information to take into account as well as its association with symptomatic plants at the initial location (and the evaluation of symptom severity): if the virus is always present with symptomatic plants and absent in healthy plants, it raised the risk for this virus (and such biological information can be combined with genome modeling to fine tune the risk prediction). (Prof. Kris De Jonghe)
- Is there a link between viruses in plant health and food safety?
- Not to my knowledge, we are eating numerous plant virus particles when consuming plants but there is no evidence of an impact on our health or on the food safety so far. So, for plant viruses, there is no risk at all.
There is one remark, plants can play a role in the transmission of animal or human viruses. However, the transmission of zoonotic pathogens via food is common for many bacterial pathogens, eg. Salmonella or Campylobacter spp., yet is quite uncommon for viruses, with a few exceptions (eg. infectous Hepatitis). (Prof. Kris De Jonghe)
- What would be a good way to monitor a stink bug inside of a greenhouse?
- Promising results for monitoring are reported with the aggregation pheromone of Halymorpha halys (Acebes-Dorian et al., 2018. Insects 9:82), which can be applied on a glued surface or trap. A lot of research is focusing on the optimal trap design but no clear differentiation of monitoring results right now. Other options are less selective but since a greenhouse is a closed environment, probably worth trying: 1/ a light trap and 2/ beans as a sentinel plant. (Prof. Dany Bylemans)
- How can research be done on Q-status organism? Is there an EU- document how to take action when Q-organism is found equal for all EU-members ?
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Several approaches for research on Q-organisms can be envisaged, in specialized laboratories or, if needed, in confined research accommodation:
Development and validation of diagnostics Development and validation of survey strategies, trapping techniques, sampling protocols or modelling Research on the epidemiology under local conditions Determining the status (absence / presence) of an organism in the country, by performing an extensive survey. This is one of the main elements for an organism to qualify as an Q pest after pest risk analysis (criteria article 3 of the EU Plant Health regulation). An important side aspect of actively looking for pests is to educate and to raise also awareness by researchers, growers, ... If the pest is shown to be absent from the territory, transnational cooperation with regions where a pest is already present is an option. Examples of research activities in this field can be find in the project portfolio of the Contractual Research unit.
The new EU Plant Health regulation (EU) 2016/2031 sets the framework for the steps to be taken when a Q organism is detected. There is compulsory notification (art 11-15-16) at different levels and the member state has to take all phytosanitary measures to eradicate the organism (art 18) conform the principles mentioned in annex II of 2016/2031. Demarcated areas have to be established and a yearly report on these areas and measures taken has to been send yearly to the COM and Member states. For certain Q organisms, these measures are harmonized in specific legislation (cf. art 28 of regulation 2016/2031). For the EU priority organisms, contingency plans have to be prepared.
For information, eligibility criteria for contractual research :
General Eligible Not eligible Plant Health Research into organisms that are harmful to cultivated and / or wild plants, including quarantine organisms, organisms that are new, unknown or whose dissemination is limited and for which more information is required in the context of future regulation or policy - determination of the occurrence, distribution (pest status) and settlement potential
- study of biology
- epidemiological research
- exploring the impact of possible control measures
- developing new risk assessment aspects or methods
- development of new methods for sampling and / or diagnosis, identification or quantification
- risk assessments
- providing scientific elements for Pest Risk Assessments (PRA)
- research into quality organisms
- research into invasive species under Regulation 1143/2014
- plant breeding research, except when the breeding concerns greater (phytosanitary) disease resistance
- research into sustainable agriculture, except when it is in the field of phytosanitary policy
- environmental research, except when it is in the field of phytosanitary policy
- biodiversity research, except when it is in the field of phytosanitary policy
- routine checks on compliance with existing standards