This research line of the PhD in Crop Science provides an integrated view of several major challenges in modern plant protection, focusing on invasive insects, plant pathogens, and pollinator conservation. The studies span forest ecosystems, agricultural crops, and multifunctional landscapes, highlighting how biological, ecological, and environmental factors interact to shape pest dynamics and ecosystem services.

Agricultural Entomology

The Agricultural Entomology Group conducts research on native and non-native economic pests of agricultural crops and their management, pursuing sustainable control methods. Main research topics are:  

  • Biology and ecology of native and non-native pests affecting crop production, particularly on fruit crops, grapevine, and greenhouse crops
  • Development of innovative pest management tools and approaches (e.g., biopesticides, remote sensing, pest behavioral manipulation, symbiotic control) to minimize the use of synthetic insecticides
  • Promotion of biological control: from habitat management to natural enemy release
  • Effect of biotic and abiotic factors on economically important pests and their natural enemies. 

These topics are addressed at multiple scales from laboratory to field experiments, mainly using a rigorous manipulative approach.  

Forest entomology and biodiversity

The Forest Entomology and Biodiversity Research Group conducts research across both forest and agricultural ecosystems, focusing on native and non-native species. Its activities encompass:

  • The population dynamics of native and non-native insect pests in relation to biotic and abiotic factors
  • The development and application of technological tools for monitoring native and non-native species
  • The effects of land-use change and landscape features on biodiversity and ecosystem services
  • Global change and its influence on species distribution shifts.

These topics are addressed through a combination of field experiments, observational studies, and macro-ecological analyses.

Agricultural plant pathology

The Plant Pathology laboratories conduct research on plant/pathogen interactions using biochemical, molecular, and microscopic methods. The laboratories host undergraduate students of the School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, grant holders and PhD students of the Doctoral School of Crop Sciences for experimental work (internships, theses).
The main research areas include:

  • Study of plant diseases of agronomically relevant crops associated with fungi, viruses, bacteria, and phytoplasmas, and identification of the causal agents through morphological, biochemical and molecular characterization
  • Characterization of virulence factors of pathogenic/mycotoxigenic fungi and phytoplasmas and plant defense mechanisms
  • Purification of plant-derived proteins, carbohydrates, and phenolic compounds, as well as proteins of fungal, bacterial, and viral origin, and study of their role in plant/pathogen interactions
  • Study of the activities of fungal enzymes involved in plant cell wall degradation and of the role and modifications of the plant cell wall in pathogen resistance
  • Identification and testing of peptides, molecules and natural extracts with antimicrobial and/or antifungal activity or inducing disease resistance in agricultural crops
  • Disease control using non-pathogenic biological control agents (BCAs)
  • Use of RNA interference (RNAi) to counteract viruses of agricultural interest.

Taken together, this research emphasizes that innovative plant protection must integrate ecological understanding, biological control, advanced molecular techniques, and landscape-level management. It highlights the value of combining field experimentation, molecular tools, and ecological theory to develop resilient and sustainable pest management strategies in a rapidly changing climate.