UK fruit growers are facing a major challenge, exacerbated by the diminishing availability of plant protection products (PPP's): controlling crop disease. The phasing out of traditional PPP's, driven by environmental concerns, has added complexity to this issue. Despite utilisation of PPP's, UK apple growers experience an annual crop loss of approximately 10-12% due to apple scab, a fungal disease. Without PPP's, this figure would skyrocket to 70-80%. However, there is a promising solution on the horizon: biostimulants. These are natural substances or micro-organisms that can enhance the natural defences and overall health of the plants when applied to them. However, one significant challenge of biostimulants is assessing their effectiveness as they operate distinctively from conventional PPP's. Biostimulants serve as preventative measures rather than curative, necessitating timely application before visible disease symptoms emerge. Accurately timing their use is difficult, as the critical phase of scab infection remains invisible to the naked eye. Our project aims to address the challenge of evaluating the effectiveness of biostimulants by utilising advanced technologies such as hyperspectral cameras and drones. Hyperspectral sensors can capture and analyse a wide range of spectral bands, providing detailed and precise characterisation of objects or materials based on their unique spectral signatures. By identifying specific spectral signatures for crop diseases, like apple scab, and determining which spectral bands indicate the efficacy of biostimulants, we can develop an affordable camera tailored to the needs of growers. This camera will serve as an early warning system, helping prevent disease spread, enhancing crop yield and operational efficiency, and reducing reliance on traditional PPP's. Upon project success, our system has the potential for broader applications. It can be adapted to test various biostimulants, crops, and diseases, extending its usefulness beyond the initial scope. This adaptability will enable us to gather valuable insights and drive advancements in biostimulant research, crop management, and disease control practices in other UK crops. We can also extend our technology to growers globally, addressing shared challenges related to universal disease, crops, and biostimulants. Our system will contribute to the UK's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 by facilitating the widespread adoption of environmentally conscious crop management practices and biostimulant use. Moreover, international implementation will promote environmental awareness, reduce carbon emissions, and mitigating the effects of climate change globally.

Raspberry is a popular and high-value soft fruit in the UK. However, current production is hampered by aphid infestation, mainly attributed to the large raspberry aphid (_Amphorophora idaei_). Controlling this aphid was historically done by breeding aphid-resistant raspberry cultivars and spraying pesticides. However, these methods are no longer adequate for several reasons. First, aphid biotypes able to withstand genes bred into raspberry began to emerge. Additionally, breeding for aphids for resistance is no longer a priority due to fewer concerns about the viruses that aphids spread. Secondly, the withdrawal of approvals for pesticides has limited the options for control. Control of aphids is now anchored on integrated pest management strategies that depend on the use of effective commercially produced biocontrol products such as parasitoids and generalist predators. However, research has not been done to align the effectiveness of different biocontrol components into a cohesive integrated biocontrol program to protect raspberry crops from aphids. Consequently, there are losses to production, wastage of unmarketable fruit and inefficient resource use in raspberry. Commercial losses of even 10% to this £147M/year industry would translate to over £14M losses, an unacceptably high sum given that the UK imports more than 69% of raspberries consumed locally. This project will leverage the expertise of grower organisations, NIAB scientists and a leading biocontrol producer to develop and test an integrated biocontrol program for aphid control in raspberry. The overall aim is to incorporate different biocontrol components into a season-long program that is responsive to the seasonal changes in the plant and aphids. Additionally, the research consortium will conduct a cost-benefit analysis to ensure that adequate control maintains the market competitiveness of locally produced raspberries. Furthermore, this research will provide valuable information and data for future research to create biocontrol programs for other soft fruit in the UK.

UK berry production contributed £629M to the economy in 2021, increasing income by a third within 10 years. Berry production is also essential for human health as high-value and high-quality fruits provide a range of antioxidants, vitamins and fibre. However, berry production faces challenges in production related to a range of emerging and increasing pests and diseases. The global soft fruit industry suffers significant crop losses from an invasive fruit fly, spotted wing drosophila (SWD). SWD lays eggs in fruit before it is harvested, causing up to 80% crop loss. The potential market in the UK, Europe and USA for SWD control is £11bn. High value crops like strawberry, cherries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, are reliant on chemical insecticides to protect them from SWD. In previous work, we have already identified a candidate repellent for SWD and a trapping system to remove SWD from fruit crops. In this project we will test a combination of these two approaches in a 'push-pull' strategy; 'pushing' SWD out of the crop and 'pulling' it away from the crop to reduce direct damage to fruits before they are harvested. Our approach is a more targeted and less environmentally damaging method to SWD control. We will first test our push-pull system with two major English fruit growers in commercial strawberry crops and we will begin to test on crops even more attractive to SWD, like raspberry. Reduction in fruit damage by SWD will be quantified and effects on beneficial insects minimised. In parallel work, novel biodegradable formulations of the repellent will be developed, lures in the traps further improved and deployment patterns for both repellent and traps optimised. This push-pull strategy will be a first for this global pest and enable fruit growers to improve productivity cost-effectively and sustainably by reducing insecticide applications and residues in saleable fruit, reducing labour inputs, and contributing to the progression to net zero. The project will be led by Russell IPM, the UK's largest producer of biorational approaches to control of pests and diseases who will exploit this potentially game-changing solution to SWD. Two major English growers, Rumwood Green Farms Ltd. and WB Chambers and Son, will provide facilities and labour for carrying out field trials. Academic partners are NIAB who are world leaders in applied SWD research, and NRI, University of Greenwich, will work with Russell to develop new attractants and repellent formulations.