PurPest was recently presented at the VIII International Symposium on Postharvest Plant Pathology: Plant to Plate – Integrated and Innovative Approaches for Managing Postharvest Disease Across the Supply Chain, held in Lofthus, Ullensvang, Norway, from 18–22 May 2026.

The symposium brought together approximately 100 researchers, industry representatives, and plant health specialists from...

Following the conclusion of the IUFRO conference "Will it wilt? From bark to xylem an invasion away", held in Athens, Greece, from 18–22 May 2026, a Korean delegation travelled to Lisbon to participate in the 1^st Portugal–Korea Joint Forum on Pine Wilt Disease on May 22, hosted by INIAV.

The forum aimed to strengthen scientific collaboration and reinforce bilateral cooperation between Portugal...

As Europe faces increasing threats from invasive plant pests and pathogens, the PurPest consortium is developing innovative sensor technologies to detect outbreaks before they spread. From May 18–19, the consortium convened at the Julius Kühn-Institut in Dossenheim, Germany, to finalize technical priorities and validation strategies for the project's remaining 13 months.

To maximize impact...

European agriculture, horticulture, and forestry face mounting pressure from invasive pests and pathogens, including Phytophthora ramorum, the pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus), and insect threats such as the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), and brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). These organisms threaten crop...

The  INIAV team of PurPest is proud to have been awarded Best Poster at the EPPO Conference on Diagnostics of Plant Pests, for the work “Smart diagnostic for plant health: from e-noses to on-site molecular detection”, developed within the framework of this Project - congratulations to Maria L. Inacio, Jorge Faria, and Maria João Camacho for this achievement!

Stelios Kartakis and...

A truly global success! 🌍

The webinar “Healthy Nursery Plants”  engaged 823 registered participants, from 63 countries worldwide, connecting experts from research, plant health authorities, nurseries, nursery associations, a wide range of companies, and the forestry sector.

This strong international participation reflects the growing commitment to healthy, sustainable and resilient plant...

On April 17, Jorge Faria delivered the seminar "Novel plant pest detection techniques based on volatile organic compounds (VOCs): The PurPest project" at the University of Salamanca.

The presentation introduced innovative VOC-based approaches being developed within the PurPest for the early detection of plant pests and pathogens. The seminar was hosted by the Institute for Agribiotechnology...

- key to healthy horticulture, forestry and nature restorations - 

20 April 2026 

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Maria João Camacho, who has been part of the Nematology Laboratory for more than ten years and a valued contributor to the PurPest project. Her dedication, professionalism, and generous spirit have truly made a difference. She brought not only expertise, but also a bit of Nematology’s heart to our team. It has been a privilege to work with her, and...