Plan Protection and Biotechnology
The two general objectives of the Department are
pest and diseases control by means of procedures that reduce,
to the maximum, the negative environmental impact and the genetic
improvement of plants. The attainment of these objectives is being
based significantly upon techniques of biotechnology, particularly
in the projects of genetic improvement. Special stress should
be placed on the close collaboration of the department with the
various teams, in carrying out joint multidisciplinar projects,
allowing solutions to real problems in agriculture and in an integrated
form.
Research Areas
Etiology
- There is an approach to the isolation, identification,
and pathogenic behaviour of causal agents of pests and new diseases
affecting crops, along the production process.
- Epidemiology
- The spatial and temporal distribution of pathogens
and pests, survival forms, transmission and alternative hosts,
as a base to design control strategies.
- Diagnosis, detection and characterization
- Development of strategies based on the integration of biological,
chemical and cultural methods that allow a suitable control of
pests and diseases without negative incidence on the environment.
Development of quarantine methods, and obtention of pathogen free
plants.
- Control Strategies
- Development of strategies based on the integration of biological,
chemical and cultural methods allowing an adequate pest and disease
control, without negatively falling upon the environment. Development
of quarantine methods for production of pathogen free plants.
- Genetic Improvement
- Genetic improvement of plants directed to introduce resistance
to pathogens and to increase quality, by the application of biotechnology
methods.
- Taxonomy, pathogenic behaviour and new control methods for
soilborne fungi.
- Mycologic alterations in forestry plants and on those of urban
areas.
- Rots caused by fungi during postharvest of citrus fruit.
- Etiology of mycosis in horticulture products, citrus and fruit
trees.
- Etiology of bacteriosis in fruit trees and horticultural products.
- Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of pathogenic bacteria.
- New methods of detection of plant pathogenic bacteria, from
quarantine, and present in Spain.
- Epidemiology and control of Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
- Characterization and study of the virus genome of the citrus
tristeza.
- Epidemiology of citrus tristeza and sharka on stone fruit
trees.
- Production of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to improve
methods of diagnosis. Expression of antibody genes in bacteria
and plants.
- Detection, pathogenesis and epidemiology of viroids in horticultural
products and citrus.
- Biology and Molecular Genetics
- Introduction of agronomic interest genes in citrus by means
of genetic transformation.
- Development of new methods for rapid diagnostic of citrus
diseases.
- Obtainment of genotypes tolerant to salinity and resistant
to Citrus tristeza virus.
- Genetic control of agronomically important traits and location
of the responsible genes.
- Obtainment of citrus plants and other pathogen free crops,
and import of citrus varieties through the Quarantine Station.
- Establishment and characterization of a germplasm bank of
pathogen-free citrus.
- Application of techniques of tissue culture 'in vitro' for
genetic improvement of citrus rootstocks and varieties.
- Propagation of threatened species of the Valencian flora.