The Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic, coordinates the new CropPrime project. This 1 million € initiative aims to develop innovative and environmentally friendly tools to protect plants from abiotic and biotic stresses. VIB joins the collaboration between academic research institutes from Europe, Africa, and South America and the biotechnological company BioAtlantis Ltd.
The project aims to develop novel bio-stimulants for plants using natural compounds derived from marine and terrestrial sources such as seaweed. Special emphasis in the research will be placed on characterizing the molecular responses elicited by bioactive molecules isolated from seaweed extracts. The project will also focus on developing RNA-based fungicides to reduce fungal infection in crops, targeting an efficacy equivalent to synthetic fungicides.
The Van Breusegem lab at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology joined the project. They will deliver proprietary Arabidopsis lines crucial for a mode of action discovery, and share their know-how and expertise on chemical biology and stress signaling.
Read more about the CropPrime project here
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