The aim of the INVITE project is to improve both efficiency of variety testing and the information available to stakeholders on variety performance under a range of production conditions and biotic and abiotic stresses. This will be exemplified on ten selected species representing the main features of propagation, food and feed uses, and having an important breeding activity at EU level. The ultimate goal is to help the valorisation and the promotion of varieties that are more adapted to sustainable management practices, and more resilient to climate change. The most critical issues to be addressed for each crop have been selected thanks to an internal survey during the building phase of the project taking into account the wide experience and background of the partners of the INVITE consortium. To reach its overall objective, INVITE will identify bioindicators associated with plant resource use efficiency, sustainability and resilience. It will develop new phenotyping and genotyping tools to measure them. INVITE will implement models and statistical tools allowing to predict variety performance under a range of environments and crop management practices, while considering the economic return for farmers. The tools and methods will be made available for examinations offices (including CPVO) and post registration organisations to improve efficiency and accuracy of DUS and variety performance testing and to integrate sustainability criteria. INVITE will also propose organisational innovations to improve the management of variety testing networks and reference collections. It will propose guidelines to policy makers for including new traits and improving harmonisation of DUS and VCU at EU-level, and for the testing of heterogeneous plant reproductive material. The outputs of the project will be available to all the relevant stakeholders thanks to an active and open dissemination policy; particularly by delivering a Decision Support System for Variety Choice.

XF-ACTORS aims to establish a multidisciplinary research program to answer the urgent need to improve prevention, early detection and control of Xylella fastidiosa (Xf). Recently, Xf was introduced into Italy, where it is causing severe damage to olive crops, and in France, where so far it is limited to ornamental plants and some landscape trees. The overall goal of the research program is to assess Xf potential to spread throughout EU territory, while maximizing its impact through a multifactor approach, based on a seamless integration amongst the 29 partners involved. Proposed actions will be complementary to those carried out under the Project POnTE - 635646, thus ensuring an unbroken continuity with currently ongoing efforts. Specific objectives have been outlined following a step-by-step route, from preventing its introduction into pest-free areas to the establishment of successful eradication strategies in infected zones. Preventive measures against Xf will be strengthened by implementing EU certification programs and developing a plan for establishing a EU Clean Plant Network. EU policy makers will be supported through the development of pest risk assessment tools, focused on current outbreaks and forecasting potentially threatened regions. Surveillance will be properly implemented, supporting the development of early detection tools for field use, remote sensing technology and predictive modelling. Critical information on the pathogen biology, epidemiological traits and hosts under threat, will be gathered with the guidance of the American research groups with long-established research. At the same time, the insect-bacteria interactions will be determined, for developing strategic control measures. The final overall objective is a comprehensive integrated management strategy for diseases associated with Xf, applicable both IPM and organic farming systems, to prevent Xf spread, control its economic, environmental/social impact, when an outbreak would occur.