PRESS RELEASE
The BREBCA scientific congress of the International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control (IOBC) has concluded at Fondazione Edmund Mach in San Michele all’Adige, bringing together 80 researchers and experts from several European countries and beyond.
Four days of scientific discussion brought international expertise and experience to Trentino, including the research developed by FEM in recent years, focusing on one of the key challenges in modern plant protection: the use of natural enemies of harmful insects to protect crops while reducing reliance on plant protection products.
The opening session on Monday featured Damiano Gianelle, Head of FEM’s Research and Innovation Centre; Gudrun Strauss, representing IOBC-WPRS; Chiara Pelloso, Deputy Director of the Plant Health Office of the Autonomous Province of Trento; and Giuseppe Stancanelli, Head of EFSA’s Plant Health Risk Assessment team.
Damiano Gianelle highlighted that invasive species represent a challenge that, by its very nature, cannot be addressed within the boundaries of a single territory or country.
“Research and international cooperation are essential not only to manage invasions that are already underway, but increasingly to anticipate future threats and prepare timely response strategies. BREBCA represents precisely this: an opportunity for researchers, plant health services and institutions from different countries to exchange experiences and share data and expertise, and to develop common approaches to problems that necessarily require an international perspective,” he said.
Chiara Pelloso explained that “close cooperation between Fondazione Edmund Mach and the Plant Health Service of the Province of Trento is essential to respond promptly with strategies that combine prevention, monitoring, integrated pest management and biological control.”
The congress was closely linked to FEM’s research activities. For many years, the Foundation has been studying and applying classical biological control against major invasive species affecting agriculture in Trentino, particularly the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) and spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii). These programmes involve the identification, rearing, release and monitoring of their natural enemies.
Award presented to Claudio Ioriatti
During the congress, an award was presented to Claudio Ioriatti, former FEM researcher, in recognition of his outstanding contribution throughout his career, both to the discipline and to the international scientific community.
During his career, Ioriatti was a leading figure in integrated pest management in fruit crops and grapevines, making significant contributions to research on semiochemicals, biological control and the sustainable management of harmful organisms.
His achievements are reflected in an extensive scientific output, numerous international collaborations and leadership roles within the Fondazione Edmund Mach and the IOBC community.
