VIRTIGATION goes to India – Visit to University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore
On 10 June 2023, the VIRTIGATION project visited the facilities of its Indian international partner, the University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore (UASB), to check first-hand the progress made in the development of novel, innovative methods for the integrated management of the devastating disease caused by ToLCNDV and its whitefly vector.
UASB – a premier institution of agricultural education, research & innovation
UASB – one of the most prestigious universities in India for agricultural sciences – began as a small agricultural research farm in 1899 on 30 acres of land. Since then, this world-class university has significantly expanded to house 5 campuses for more than 10000 students. Moreover, UASB has released over 200 varieties in diverse crops for the benefit of farmers. Production technologies developed by the university have helped to ensure farm productivity even in rain-sparse years. For all its achievements, UASB was recognised in 2001 and 2012 as India’s best State Agricultural University by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
UASB’s focus not only lies in striving for academic excellence, but also in providing a comprehensive agricultural extension service program to support local farmers in the Indian state of Karnataka, where UASB is based. Thanks to its decade-long work, UASB has played a key role in transforming agriculture in the state of Karnataka. Furthermore, UASB often leads pan-India research initiatives for different crops, underlining its strong position within the Indian agricultural science ecosystem.
UASB in VIRTIGATION
Against this backdrop, UASB has joined the VIRTIGATION project as an international partner to bring in its renowned expertise in tackling the devastating emerging plant virus Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus (ToLCNDV). In VIRTIGATION, UASB aims to develop new, cutting-edge methods, tested both in lab and field conditions, for the integrated disease management (IDM) of the viral disease caused by ToLCNDV. For this, the UASB team uses a combination of natural and other environmentally friendly molecules, as well as genetic resistance, to target the plant virus (ToLCNDV), the viral disease it causes (Tomato leaf curl disease) and its whitefly vector (the Bemisia tabaci whitefly).
The UASB team in VIRTIGATION is led by Principal Investigator Prof. N. Nagaraju, Professor of Plant Pathology. He is supported by its Co-Principal Investigators Prof. N. Nataraja Karaba, Professor of Crop Physiology, and Prof. S. Ramesh, Professor of Genetics and Plant Breeding, as well as a broad group of associated scientists, lab engineers and PhD students.
Snapshot of UASB’s current research activities in VIRTIGATION
During the site visit on 10 June 2023, the UASB team provided the VIRTIGATION project with an insight into its ongoing research activities, both in the lab and the field. The main focus of UASB’s current work in VIRTIGATION lies in harvesting the potential of endophytes to make tomato plants resistant to the ToLCNDV whitefly vector and the viral disease caused by ToLCNDV. An endophyte is an endosymbiont, often a bacterium or fungus, that lives within a plant for at least part of its life cycle without causing any harm to the plant. In addition to the endophyte workstream, the genetics and breeding team at UASB is currently seeking to transform varieties of tomato resistant to tomato leaf curl virus (ToLCV) into potentially ToLCNDV-resistant ones.
First, the UASB team isolated endophytes from leaf, stem, and roots of tomato plants. Then, these endophytes were screened for anti-vector and anti-viral activity, which was followed by the characterisation of effective endophytes. The UASB researchers found 3 endophytes to be effective under lab conditions, both to ToLCNDV and its whitefly vector. In the end, a fungal endophyte was chosen for field trials among these 3 candidates, as it displayed maximum plant height and the lowest disease severity values.
Field trials at local tomato growers and UASB premises
The fungal endophyte candidate is now being tested by the UASB team, both in a field on its own premises and in fields belonging to tomato growers in the state of Karnataka. VIRTIGATION had the opportunity to visit the field trial on UASB premises, which is conducted in the same manner in the fields of the participating tomato growers. The field trial includes 9 different modules, which compile key elements of integrated ToLCNDV disease management (IDM): a border crop (to restrict the entry of the whitefly vector into the field), bio- and chemical pesticides, silver mulch (to reorient the direction of the whitefly vector due to reflection), and the fungal endophyte candidate.
Over several months, the field trials are conducted by the UASB VIRTIGATION team to assess the effectiveness of the fungal endophyte candidates vis-à-vis the other IDM components. First results in this regard are expected during autumn 2023.
Meeting with UASB Vice-Chancellor to discuss the next steps ahead
VIRTIGATION’s day-long visit to UASB concluded with a high-level meeting with the UASB Vice-Chancellor, Prof. S.V. Suresh, where current research progress in the project was assessed and the next steps ahead discussed for UASB’s involvement in the project. UASB Vice-Chancellor Prof. S.V. Suresh welcomed the opportunity for UASB to be part of the VIRTIGATION project and the valuable contribution of the university to the project, despite, as an international partner, receiving no financial assistance from the EU. He stressed that fellowships for students to work on VIRTIGATION research activities would be highly rewarding, as well as any financial assistance for the UASB research activities carried out. In order to also accelerate the process of providing crop technology to local farmers, the UASB Vice-Chancellor further suggested taking up “On-Farm Trials” simultaneously in farmer’s fields and other fields operated by UASB.
The meeting concluded with a decision to prepare a brochure on the progress and activities made by UASB for further distribution to UASB’s network of stakeholders, as well as to provide them with the VIRTIGATION flyer translated into Kannada (i.e. local language in the state of Karnataka), for enabling them to better grasp the purpose of the VIRTIGATION project and how it can benefit their work (especially for farmers).
The purpose of the VIRTIGATION project
The world needs to increase its food production by at least half by 2050 to feed its growing population. This requires the mitigation of the devastating impact of plant diseases such as ToLCNDV. VIRTIGATION will use the data it generates to identify factors driving the emergence of new viral diseases and virus outbreaks. Understanding plant-virus-vector interactions is a vital part of this work.
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