New research aims to stop European crop diseases reaching Britain

Scientists are stepping up efforts to protect UK potatoes, sugar beet, carrots and grapevines from bacterial diseases spreading across Europe before they become established in Britain.

The new research will investigate two species of planthopper capable of transmitting five bacterial diseases between crops and wild plants.

The insects are already present in the UK, but the diseases they can carry are not currently believed to be established here, giving researchers a window to improve surveillance and preparedness.

Led by Keele University, the publicly funded project will examine how the diseases spread, what risks they pose to growers and how future outbreaks could be detected and managed.

The diseases are already affecting crops in parts of continental Europe, where they have been linked to reductions in yield and quality.

Researchers hope the work will help farmers and growers prepare before similar problems emerge in Britain.

Professor James Bell, project lead and professor of entomology at Keele University, said: “Novel combined bacterial plant infections are rapidly spreading across Europe. These complex plant diseases are compromising grapevine, sugar beet, potato and carrot crops on the continent but are currently thought to be absent from the UK.”

He added: “We have an opportunity to prepare for this potential epidemic threat by developing tools and methodologies to better understand both the insect vector - a planthopper - and the disease complex it carries.”

The project will bring together specialists in agriculture, biology, ecology, economics, mathematics, statistics and social science.

Alongside Keele, the consortium includes the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Fera Science, Rothamsted Research and the universities of Exeter, Gloucestershire, Warwick and York.

Researchers will investigate how the pathogens move between crops and wild plants, as well as the behaviour and ecology of the insects that transmit them.

The work will also develop new approaches to monitoring, modelling and risk assessment, with the aim of improving early detection and response.

Bell said: “Together, we will address critical knowledge gaps and develop the evidence needed to help mitigate these bacterial infectious diseases, strengthening the UK’s food security.”

The project will also work with Defra to support plant health policy and future risk assessment.

Dr Trisna Tungadi, co-project lead and lecturer in plant health at Keele University, said bacterial diseases spread by insects remain less well understood than equivalent viral threats.

“The significance of this project is that insect-vectored bacterial plant diseases are much less well understood than insect-vectored viral diseases.”

She added: “Planthoppers, which can transmit these bacterial pathogens, are already present in the UK, so this project gives us an important opportunity to better understand the potential risks and ensure we are prepared for these emerging disease threats.”

The research is expected to produce practical tools and new evidence for farmers, growers, industry bodies and policymakers.

That could improve the UK’s ability to identify emerging threats early and respond before diseases begin affecting crop yields, quality or wider food production.

The project is one of 18 research and innovation programmes sharing more than £54 million in public investment.

Funding is being coordinated through UK Research and Innovation, with support from Defra, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Health and Social Care.

For growers, the focus will be on strengthening surveillance and preparedness while there is still an opportunity to act before the diseases become established in UK crops.