Project number: 26.30.16.05.02_E(P)PIC
E(P)PIC: Exploiting plant-insect interactions to improve crop protection
E(P)PIC addresses the urgent need for sustainable pest management in Swiss agriculture, aligned with the goal to reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides while ensuring food security and insect biodiversity. The project focuses on insect pest control through insights into plant-insect interactions, using approaches from chemical and behavioural ecology, population dynamics, and analytical chemistry. It is structured into three work packages: field crops, vegetable pest management, and biodiversity enhancement. E(P)PIC aims to develop innovative cultural practices, apply semiochemicals to optimize pest and vector control, study their effects on plant pathogens, and promote beneficial arthropod biodiversity. By understanding how herbivores and natural enemies interact with plants, the project seeks to manipulate insect behaviour in natural agroecosystems, offering sustainable, pesticide-free solutions to improve crop productivity and support farmers.
