Award granted by the American Phytopathological Society for a paper published by researchers of the group CIDSAV

The paper titled “Induction of Defense Responses and Protection of Almond Plants Against Xylella fastidiosa by Endotherapy with a Bifunctional Peptide” published in the Phytopathology journal by the researchers Luis Moll and Aina Baro et al. of the Plant Pathology research group of the University of Girona, has been awarded by the American Phytopahtological Society. Specifically, the 3^rd position of the 2022 Best Student Paper Award was granted considering the novelty and quality of the presented research.

In the awarded paper, the ability of the bifunctional peptide BP178 to reduce the severity of Almond Leaf Scorch caused by the European quarantine phytopathogen Xylella fastidiosa in greenhouse conditions was assessed. This work presents an interdisciplinary approach where a great variety of methodologies to determine the effect of the peptide are used such as:  the evaluation of the disease severity, the quantification of the population levels of X. fastidiosa by viability qPCR, the persistence of the peptide within the plant by Western-blot and the transcriptomic response of almond plants to the peptide by RNA sequencing.

More information can be found at: https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/beststudentpapers2022

DOI of the paper: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-12-21-0525-R