Designing Sustainable Strategies to Combat Cabbage Root Fly Infestation in Oil Seed Rape (Brassica napus) (T01*)

• Subject Area: Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems ; Plant Breeding and Plant Pathology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 239748522

Winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus; OSR) is suffering from severe damage by root-feeding larvae of the cabbage root fly, Delia radicum. We annotated the genome of D. radicum and identified genes participating in isothiocyanate (ITC) detoxification, the typical Brassica defences. The larval gut bacteriome contains SaxA genes involved in ITC detoxification. Here, we join forces with OSR-breeder NPZi to design novel approaches for environmental-friendly D. radicum control. We aim to identify genes for compounds involved in fly attraction and resistance to larvae by screening an OSR mutant population. In parallel, genomic information of D. radicum and its gut microbiome will be used to design RNA interference biopesticides.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres (Transfer Project)
• Subproject of: SFB 1127: Chemical Mediators in Complex Biosystems (ChemBioSys)
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
• Business and Industry: NPZ Innovation GmbH
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Nicole M. van Dam