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Scientists internship in Turin, Italy

Scientists internship in Turin, Italy

July 2–6, senior researcher Dr. Alma Valiuškaitė, researcher Dr. Neringa Rasiukevičiūtė and PhD student Lina Šernaitė from Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Institute of Horticulture, Laboratory of Plant Protection, attended an internship “EMPHASIS Summer School 2018. Emerging pests and diseases in horticultural crops: innovative solution” in Centre of Competence for Innovation in the Agro-environmental field AGROINNOVA, Turin, Italy. Were participated scientists and PhD students from Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Lithuania, Greece and Croatia.

EMPHASIS (Effective Management of Pests and Harmful Alien Species) is a 4-year project which goal is to develop and promote the take-up of practical, effective solutions to prevent and protect European crops from native and alien pest threats, improving productivity and resilience of European agriculture, in the context of climate change.

The course was made up of four sections:

  • emerging diseases in horticultural crops;
  • emerging pests in horticultural crops;
  • innovative strategies for diagnosis and management in horticultural crops;
  • use of LAMP (Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification) technology. LAMP is a new molecular plant pests diagnostic method, which has advantages of fast DNA isolation and ability to use this tool in-field.

Internship covered 5 credits, the information was presented by 10 lecturers. The internship practical diagnostic sessions were in AGROINNOVA Centre of Competence new greenhouses and laboratories. During field visit in farms participants were introduced to pests of lettuce, eggplants, tomato, cucumber, peppermint, basil, coriander, parsley, paprika and other spicy plants, grown in Italy. At the end of the course it was taken a test for knowledge examination and certificates of the internship were given.

LAAMC SDI scientists and PhD student not only had a possibility to assimilate new diagnostic methods but also were introduced to Italian horticultural farms and created networks with scientist from other countries.

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