An integrated set of novel approaches to counter the emergence and proliferation of invasive and virulent soil-borne nematodes

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Soil-borne plant-parasitic nematodes are a biosecurity risk for global food production with an estimated annual loss of €110 billionworldwide. Root-knot nematodes (RKN) and potato cyst nematodes (PCN) rank 1 and 2 in the Top 10 of high-impact plant-parasiticnematodes with RKN alone accounting for ~5% of global crop losses. RKN and PCN are A2 quarantine pests or emerging specieslisted on the EPPO Alert List. The two PCN species are also included in EU Commission implementing regulation 2021/2285. Recentreports document the emergence of new RKN and PCN problems in tomato and potato cropping across Europe and beyond due to twoindependent drivers: global warming and genetic selection. For decades, non-specific, environmentally harmful agrochemicals have beenapplied to manage RKN and PCN. The increasing awareness about their negative impact prompted the phasing out of most nematicides.Consequently, there is an urgent need for novel, durable control strategies that enable adequate responses by stakeholders to prevent croplosses in the EU and beyond. NEM-EMERGE will provide a spectrum of sustainable, science-based solutions for both the conventionaland organic farming sector based on the principles of IPM, including (1) optimized crop rotations schemes including cover crops, (2)tailored host plant resistances, and (3) optimal use of the native antagonistic potential of soils. Moreover, monitoring and risk assessmenttools will be generated to support Plant Health Authorities in decision and policy making. To ensure the adoption and implementation ofNEM-EMERGE toolsin the sector, a bottom-up co-creation process and multi-actor approach will be used based on stakeholder demandsfrom both the conventional and organic sector. This makes NEM-EMERGE a key driver for the transition to sustainable farming in linewith the Farm to Fork Strategy thereby contributing to the challenging targets set by the Green Deal.