Implement and develop an harmonized pest alert system to prevent and/or containing alarming invasive/emerging /quarantine insects

The Regional Research Centre on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture at Chott-Mariem (Centre Régional de Recherche en Horticulture et Agriculture Biologique, CRRHAB is a public research institute placed under the authority of the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fishery and IRESA (Institution of Agricultural Research and Higher Education) and the University of Sousse. The CRRHAB is established in 2006 at Chott-Mariem (Sousse) in central-east Tunisia and Located in the Horticulture campus of Chott Mariem along with:
- -The Higher Agronomic Institute of Chott-Mariem http://www.isacm.agrinet.tn/index.php?lang=fr-fr
- The technical centre of Organic Agriculture http://www.ctab.nat.tn/index.php/fr-fr/
- Centre of agriculture extension of Chott-Mariem.
The CRRRHAB specific missions are (1) collection, conservation and improvement of local plant resources forhorticulture, (2) development of conventional and organic horticulture production techniques, (3) development of processing and conservation methods of horticulture products, (4) development of socio-economic studies related to conventional and organic horticulture and (5) Dissemination of research results. The main research activities of the CRRHAB are : (1) the improvement of legumes cultivation through:
- Varietal selection and genetic improvement of onions; tomatoes, pepper, melon and cucumber
- Adaptation of new varieties of legumes to climate change
- Improvement of cultivation techniques and irrigation water use efficiency to enhance production for legumes planted under greenhouse (2) the improvement of fruit tree crops through :
- Prospecting, evaluation and characterization of local fruit genetic resources (apricot, pear, fig, pomegranate …)
- Establishment and wide use of Integrated Pest Management of key fungi and insects attacking stone fruits, pomegranate and Citrus.
- Identification and using semiochemicals attractants as control methods of scolytids in stone fruit trees
(3) the development of Organic Horticulture through :
- Valorization of bio-resources from wild and/ cultivated plants (aromatic, medicinal, algae…) and microorganisms as potential sources of biological control agents that can be used in organic plant protection
- Using authorized bio-pesticides and techniques in organic farming to control pest and diseases
- In vitro seedlings production of Ficus carica virus free

Crops in the Mediterranean area can be seriously compromised by pests with serious consequences when entered, distributed or have just entered the region and are localized in limited areas or countries Fortunately, other serious pests and relative vectors are not present yet in the Mediterranean and they represent serious threats to the Mediterranean crops. This danger may also enhance in response to climate changes (increase of temperatures, decrease of rainfall, thus increasing droughts); it is likely that some infectious agents should spread to regions where they have never from indigenous vegetation to invade cultivated fruit tree most of these threats are difficult or may not even exist. Preventive measures, (the use of healthy plant material combined with an efficient monitoring system and subsequent containment/eradication measures) are the only valid strategy for their control, efficient than eliminating phytosanitary outbreaks from which the infestation/infection can fast spread, even by vectors as for some severe pests. Within this context the main crops (fruit trees, legumes….) in the Mediterranean Basin seems particularly vulnerable due to the lack of efficient quarantine measures and of pest monitoring programs to halt the introduction of new and quarantine pests.
Objective
The project is aimed to implement and develop an harmonized pest alert system in the Mediterranean region and preventing and/or containing the most alarming invasive/emerging /quarantine pests for a beneficial socioeconomic impact industry competitiveness.

Quarantine insects insect monitoring, fruit trees, pest alert