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Collaborative project: Risk assessment of invasive viroids for the German hop production - subproject B (HopfenViroid)

Project


Project code: 2818714B19
Contract period: 01.03.2021 - 30.04.2024
Budget: 168,569 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: quarantine pathogens, crop production, crop protection, plant health, hop, crop production, plant diseases (virusus, bacteria, fungi, phytoplasma)

Germany produces a third of the global hop yield. Thereby, Germany delivers not only high quantities of bitter hops for the brewing industry, but also highly demanded fine aroma hops, which makes Germany the most important hop production country. However, the highly aggressive viroid CBCVd has been identified in German hop field, which threatens the future of hop production. The current brisance of the CBCVd-situation suggests acting urgently. The JKI expresses risk assessment supports the classification of CBCVd as pot. quarantine pest, which underlines that combating the CBCVd-epidemic is of great national interest. Viroids do not depend a vector organism to get distributed and they can be easily spread mechanically. Furthermore, viroids are very persistent and remain infectious even outside of their hosts, which leads to fast spreading through infected plant material and agricultural equipment and machinery. As part of this project, viroids with a high potential to damage specialty crops and hop, will be identified (NGS) and evaluated. New multiplex RT-qPCRs will be established, and innovative, fast but highly sensitive, outdoor-suited methods (LAMP, RPA) will be developed in order to massively improve future monitoring activities. Additionally, the following topics will be elaborated: damage potential of mixed infections of different viroids, resistant cultivars, effect of climatic conditions on the symptom severity. Moreover, the mechanisms of introduction and distribution will be investigated with a focus on import pathways and trade channels for plant products and by-products (compost, biogas fermentation residues). All data collected will be centrally stored on national and European databases. These data will serve as a basis for an extensive risk assessment, which is necessary for high-level decision making. The overall aim is to secure the German agriculture and keep its highly productivity, especially hop production.

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