Regulated or non-regulated pests (bacteria, virus, fungi, nematodes, arthropods or weeds) are responsible of major crops’ losses. Accurate and reliable detection and identification of pests are essential to avoid or reduce economical costs and trade disruptions and to support surveillance activities. In recent years, numerous tests based on new technologies have been developed to meet the different needs. However, most of them are validated on an intra-laboratory basis, through limited test performance studies (TPS) or ring trials, and there is a need to further harmonize practices. The project aims at producing validation data and will include two rounds of TPS. The first one will include combinations of pest/test/matrix, prioritized based on the expertise of the project's consortium. The second round will include other combinations based on the needs expressed by various stakeholders. Priorities for validation will then be better aligned to their needs and to the market. To maximize the impact of the project, calls of interest will be organized to include in the validation programme, kits of suppliers outside the consortium and allow participation to the TPS of voluntary proficient laboratories. Current harmonized procedures in Plant Health for validation and organization of TPS will be improved by including appropriate statistical approaches and by adapting the process for new promising technologies, such as Next Generation Sequencing. Liaison with regional and international standardization bodies will allow large dissemination of validation data obtained in this project especially by their inclusion in harmonized diagnostic protocols. The outcomes of the project will stimulate, optimize and strengthen the interactions between stakeholders in Plant Health for better diagnostics and lay the foundations for structuring the quality and the commercial offers for plant health diagnostics tools thanks to a dedicated association and a quality charter.

This proposal SFS-03a-2014-aligned focuses to minimize the risk of introduction/impact of emerging pests threatening EU agriculture and forestry. The targets are: 1) Xylella fastidiosa and its vectors in olive, grapevine, citrus, stone fruit, ornamentals and landscape trees of high socio-economic importance; 2) ‘Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum’ and its vectors affecting a number of strategic crops such as potato, tomato and carrot; and 3) Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus (anomorph. Chalara fraxinea) and Phytophtora spp. seriously affecting broadleaf and conifer species in forest ecosystems. Targeted pests, their vectors and the host response will be explored using innovative approaches (NGS, transcriptomic). Diseases surveillance and epidemiology given by current methods will integrate improved survey protocols and remote sensing. Innovative IPM will include studies of microbiome to develop sustainable solutions in line with the EU plant health legislation. New knowledge gained with POnTE will result in an outcome-based pest prevention and management work plan to: a) implement area-wide pest risk assessments; b) prevent the entry and develop surveillance and early detection tools (diagnostic kits, lab-on-chip, new biomarkers); c) mitigate the spread and reduce the socio-economic impact; d) IPM based on disease resistance, disease-free seeds, cultural practices and physical environmentally-friendly treatments; e) support knowledge-based decision-making policies at EU level. The proposal fosters and promotes a multi-actor approach and transnational research collaborations among 25 Partners at the forefront of research in plant protection, agro-engineering and economics. It involves key industries/SMEs that develop diagnostic kits and services, agrochemical and seed companies, stakeholder groups. End-users will participate in the development of the project and immediately implement the practical solutions derived from the outcomes to solve these serious emerging diseases.