Scientists advance control of the red spider through plant "vaccinations" and radiation



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## Scientists advance control of the red spider through plant "vaccinations" and radiation

14/11/2017 |
SCP

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* [![Red spider aranya-roja Araa-roja](/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/10/aranya-roja/Araa-roja.jpg)](#)

The advances in these two methods, which are already in the trial phase, have been presented in the ninth seminar on the genome of the red spider, held in Logroño with the assistance of researchers from the twelve countries participating in this consortium.

Serbian biologist Miodrag Grbic, a professor at Western Ontario University (Canada) and the University of La Rioja and director of this project, has detailed these advances in statements to journalists, along with Ivo Gut, one of the heads of the National Center for Genomic Analysis; and the researcher of the Universitat Jaume I and the Higher Council of Scientific Research Víctor Flors.

This scientific consortium sequenced the red spider genome in 2011 and, since then, has been working on attacking the weak points of its genes to achieve its control without the use of pesticides, since this is one of the species that has shown the best adaptation to resist those products.

The red spider is a mite that attacks the leaves of different crops, such as tomato, vine and tea, which is better adapted to hot climates and which causes damage in the world valued at around one billion euros per year, according to different studies.

The University of La Rioja promoted several years ago research in search of methods to control this pest that could prevent the use of pesticides, both for the impact they have on the environment and because this mite adapts to it in periods of two or three years.

Thanks to knowing the genome of the red spider, months ago, the researchers detected the gene that allows the red spider to endure low temperatures and hibernate, although to reproduce and attack crops it needs heat; and we are working on the method to deactivate that gene and get the red spider to die at low temperatures.

This is one of the works that have been presented at the congress held in Logroño, where other methods of pest control have been announced, which are a more advanced stage.

One of them is the one developed by a team led by Víctor Flors at the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón and the Higher Council for Scientific Research, which is based on exploring the mechanism of immunity developed by plants, which "have a memory to defend themselves against that has attacked them", he assured.

He explained that "a kind of vaccine" can be created as a strategy to "protect a wide variety of crops" in two ways: "with specific products that attack the plant, but in a small dose, so that it learns to fight"; and through "causing stress to the plant so that its memory helps against the plague".

Flors has detailed that these systems are already under trial in some crops and hopes, soon, to present their findings and create "products that may not completely replace the pesticides, but reduce their use".

Another strategy against this plague is ultraviolet light radiation, given that Japanese researchers have proven that it has genes that make the red spider very sensitive to direct light rays and, in fact, many specimens die from it.

"We have been working with this genome for eight years", said Ivo Gut, in whose center of genomic analysis, in Barcelona, ​​150 researchers work "in fields ranging from cancer to rare diseases or agriculture, as in this case".

Genomics, Grbic said, is the basis for controlling this and other pests because you can know the points to attack, "it's like having a user manual of the red spider" and, "well, we've seen what genes make up their immune system and if we weaken them, we can control the plague".

He stressed that the goal of this project "is not to eradicate the red spider" because "it is a living being that has its place in the ecosystem and its disappearance would open the door to other pests", but "we seek control to an acceptable level".

In addition, he concluded, "there are other aspects of this work", since "we have found that the red spider is able to produce a kind of nanoparticles that can be used in the development of medicines and tissues and, in fact, there are already companies who work in that field".

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