The Hercules Laboratory team, Dora Teixeira, Ana Galveias and Marina Costa, responsible for VOCs analysis, went to INIAV, on February 28th, to discuss the WP1 ongoing tasks and visit the facilities directly involved in PurPest works.

Miroslav Berka, Ph.D. student from Mendel University, visited NIBIO in Ås, Norway, from January 29^th to February 10^th, 2024, to exchange experiences and methods for collecting, analyzing and comparing volatile organic compounds (VOC) produced by Phytophthora ramorum and P. plurivora isolates on agar plates. He is working with Dalphy Harteveld and...

Our PurPest partner Stelios Kartakis visited Kiran Horrocks, Jana Collatz and Joerg Romeis at Agroscope, to learn and work on the CLIMEX model about Spodoptera frugiperda (to obtain the climatic suitability of the pest). That was the first step towards the economic impact assessment of Task 5.2. 

The training was held from the 22^nd to the 26^th of January...

The technology that is being developed in PurPest is covered in the December 2023 European Forest Institute (EFI) newsletter, which is directly distributed to 850+ recipients across the Mediterranean network and beyond. The project is also featured on the MedForest website.

PurPest coordinator, Andrea Ficke, kicked-off the second annual project meeting in Padua, Italy, by lighting a candle.

The event took place in a hybrid format, and was an opportunity for all members to come together and discuss the progress that was made in the different work packages, and share the outputs that were produced.

Participants also had the chance to visit the beautiful Orto...

Our PurPest partner Ted Turlings received the 2023 Swiss Science Prize Marcel Benoist, for his contributions to the fields of Chemical Ecology and Plant-Insect interactions, and his work on the biological control of plant pests through volatile compounds.

Read the full story here.

On the 23^rd of November 2023, PurPest workpackage leaders gathered virtually to discuss ongoing project activities at the Executive Board Meeting.

This exchange provided a platform for an in-depth review of the progress made, allowing to address any challenges encountered, and pave the way for coordinated actions in upcoming tasks of the project.