Objective
One of the challenges identified under Horizon 2020 is the building of a sustainable agri-food industry. Agricultural pests such as slugs are major contributors to financial losses in the farming sector and the use of pesticides, which is currently the mainstay of control, is an unsustainable management option due to their toxicity to non-target species and consumers but also because of their cost and variable efficacy. Biocontrol poses a more sustainable approach to pest control, but the only commercially available agent against slugs is the nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita which is ineffective against a number of key pest species, has a short shell life and is not permitted in countries outside of Europe (e.g. USA). CaraSlug aims to assess the potential of native carabid species as biocontrol agents against slug pests in Oregon and Ireland. For the first time, high-throughput sequencing and real-time PCR will be used in combination to analyse the gut contents of carabids collected over one year from vulnerable crops. Carabid species which are found to feed extensively on slugs and are abundant in crops at times when major slug damage occurs will be selected for feeding trials in the laboratory to further understand their feeding behaviour and biocontrol potential. By comparing the abundance of both pest and predator species and by determining the availability of alternative prey in differently managed crops e.g. with and without beetle banks over a year, management systems which provide optimum conditions for malacophagous carabid species will be identified. This project is interdisciplinary, combining ‘classic’ ecology and environmental management approaches with the latest advances in molecular biology and both the experienced researcher and the hosts will benefit greatly from the combined team’s expertise. By directly involving farmers in our research, this project will also form an important link between academia and the community.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology invasive species
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology invertebrate zoology
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-GF - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2016
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
H91 Galway
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.