Sharka Cantainment, SharCo

6. Çerçeve Programı Projesi, 2008 - 2011

Sharka disease significantly impacts the economics and productivity of stone fruit producing

countries in EU and worldwide, affecting a wide range of stakeholders from breeders, plant

material gardeners, to fruit producers. The FP7 Small Collaborative SharCo (“Sharka

Containment”) project focused on helping the stakeholders ameliorate the different types of

risks associated with Sharka disease by providing them with tools such as Plum pox virus

(PPV) resistant plant materials, accurate and reliable methods of PPV detection, guidelines,

warning systems, and a decision-support system. In this regard, in the field of epidemiology,

the project surveyed the viral diversity, identified driving factors of PPV spread and

diversification and developed novel and highthrough-put detection systems early warning of

Sharka outbreaks. In the field of genetics, it provided molecular markers for the

implementation of marker-assisted selection of PPV resistant fruit tree varieties. In the field of

biology, we assessed innovative biotechnological approaches to broaden resistance to PPV in

different fruit tree species. We identified new mechanisms and sources of resistance to PPV

that could be combined with the resistant donors currently used in the breeding programs.

Finally, to develop a PPV outbreak management scheme, we elaborated: i) guidelines for

endusers and policy makers concerning cultivation and risk management, ii) an early warning

system coupled with a decision support system. All knowledge and tools developed by the

project were widely disseminated in Europe with special attention to PPV-endemic countries.