Projects
Genetic and epigenetic regulation of reproductive polyphenism in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum Ghent University
What determines whether an individual will become a male or a female? This question has always triggered interest among experts and non-experts. It turns out that there is no simple answer to this question, because over the course of evolution, nature has produced many variations on the
theme of sex determination. This becomes particularly interesting for crop insect pests, whose seks determination are influenced by seasonal changes in ...
Towards knowledge-based control of Phylloxera pear aphid and nose rot in Flemish pear production pcfruit npo
The role of GPCRs in metabolism and physiology of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. KU Leuven
Insects comprise 80% of the world’s animal species representing the largest and most diverse life form on the planet. Over evolutionary time, insects occupied and adapted to widely divergent habitats, resulting in a rich variation of body plans with different shapes, sizes, and specialized feeding mechanisms. They thus represent a unique opportunity to gain insight in the mechanisms that control feeding and metabolism and how they change ...
Characterization of microbial communities in floral nectar and assessing their impact on nectar chemistry and performance of biological control agents of pest insects. KU Leuven
Biological control exploiting natural enemies such as predatory insects (i.e. insects feeding upon other insects) and parasitoids (i.e. insects that lay eggs on or in other insects, eventually killing them) has become increasingly important in insect pest management. However, success of biological control involving predators and parasitoids largely depends on carbohydrate food availability, because most of these biocontrol agents depend in ...
Integrated control of aphids (Brevicoryne brassicae, Myzus persicae) and cabbage whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella) in cabbage crops HOGENT
Development of novel dsRNA delivery systems to optimize RNAi in insect pest control Ghent University
The post-transcriptional gene silencing technique RNA interference (RNAi) is showing great
potential for the development of a new strategy for a safe and specific control of important pest insects; however, the efficacy of RNAi in insects is highly variable.
In this proposal, the applicant will develop novel delivery systems that could enhance the RNAi efficiency in insects by attempting to improve the persistency of the ...
EU-China joint action to increase development and adoption of IPM tools Ghent University
The continuous stream of invasive agricultural pests and chronic re-emergence of key ones prompt for implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools, but often main management methods rely largely on chemical pesticides. However, their widespread use is highlighted as a key threat to human health and wildlife. Much progress made in the conception of IPM tools in the past decade however, despite EU and Chinese policies prompting use ...
Studying the long-term effects of the nuclear Chernobyl accident on a radiosensitive plant, Pinus sylvestris, using a multi-level-omics approach. University of Antwerp
Combining root-associated microorganisms and bacteriophages for enhanced biological control of pest insects. KU Leuven
Primary crop production is facing serious challenges with respect to climate change, sustainability, food security and socio-economic profitability. With an average yield loss of 23%, plant diseases and pests are an important threat to global food security. Chemical plant protection products (PPPs) are widely used to control diseases and pests. However, due to their environmental impact and the resistance development of pathogens and pests ...