Webinar from iGEM Thessaly: Green Agriculture Leading to a Sustainable Future

We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming Webinar on “Green Agriculture Leading to a Sustainable Future”!
This event is a unique opportunity to connect with experts and stakeholders in sustainable agriculture, discuss innovative approaches, and share valuable knowledge about our environment.

📅 Date: 5 July 2024
🕚 Time: 11:00 PM

Watch online https://teams.microsoft.com/
Certificates of attendance will be awarded at the end.

Let’s meet iGEM Foundation

The iGEM Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to promoting synthetic biology, education, competition, and cultivating an open, collaborative, and cooperative community. The competition originated as an idea of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The main objective of the students is to present their innovative research work. This year’s competition will be held in Paris. 

What is synthetic biology?

Synthetic biology is a rapidly growing field that applies engineering principles to biological systems. This enables the development of biotechnologies that work in harmony with nature and tackle global challenges. This field encompasses expertise in molecular biology, bioinformatics, computer science, physics, engineering, chemistry, agriculture, and microbiology. Over the last two decades, iGEM has built a dynamic synthetic biology research community and industry.

iGEM Thessaly

iGEM Thessaly, in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, participants participated in the competition and won a gold medal for five consecutive years. In addition, he received awards and nominations for special awards.

This year, iGEM Thessaly 2024 will compete in the Agriculture category for the first time.

The team aims to protect olive trees from Verticillium wilt, the most serious fungal disease of olive trees, caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae. With a deep-rooted connection to rural life, the team understands the profound significance of the olive tree and the severe impact of Verticillium dahliae. They have witnessed firsthand the extensive damage this pathogen inflicts on the livelihoods of team members dependent on olive tree cultivation and their surrounding communities. Through conversations with specialists and farmers, they have gathered valuable insight into how Verticillium dahliae targets more than 300 different crops, such as tomatoes, cotton, and eggplants, with its most significant impact felt in olive cultivation. This fungal disease poses a significant local and global threat, deeply concerning growers, nursery companies, and the olive oil industry worldwide. For the Mediterranean basin especially, this threat is imminent, as the olive species under cultivation are highly susceptible to the fungus, resulting in yield losses and tree mortality. Local olive growers and professors have confirmed the significance of this issue, noting the disease’s persistent presence in orchards, which drastically reduces tree productivity and jeopardizes their survival. Moreover, according to the growers, infected trees have not recovered, resulting in significant economic losses. Despite their efforts, there is currently no permanently effective treatment for the disease. Given that most cultivated olive trees lack resistance to this pathogen and with climate change exacerbating conditions, Verticillium wilt continues to pose a growing challenge in our communities and beyond.

The only measures for managing this dangerous plant pathogen, which continues to trouble the olive oil community, are ineffective and expensive. Recognizing the limitations of current disease management methods, they believe it is imperative to explore alternative approaches. Creating a biological system using synthetic biology principles represents a promising solution to address this seemingly untreatable problem.

Thaelia Project 

Their project aims to develop a bacterial formulation to protect olive trees from Verticillium dahliae. The treatment involves using engineered P. putida to facilitate bacterial-mediated RNA interference (bmRNAi). By silencing essential genes, critical for Verticillium’s survival, they effectively ensure that the pathogen cannot persist. The engineered P. putida strain will be applied into the soil as part of their solution, to colonize the root of olive trees and establish its endosymbiotic capability before infection from Verticillium dahliae occurs, effectively preventing it. They envision their project as a strategic intervention during crucial periods when olive trees are most vulnerable. To ensure the successful implementation of their project, they actively engaged with local olive producers, whose lives and livelihoods are deeply affected by Verticillium wilt. Based on their valuable feedback, they identified the optimal times to apply their irrigation formula:

▪️For saplings intended for transplantation to an olive grove, their solution will be introduced in nurseries. This proactive approach aims to protect young saplings, as a potential Verticillium infection could cause immediate death. 

▪️For established olive groves, they plan to deploy their system during the two most crucial times of the year: spring and autumn. These seasons were chosen based on insights from farmers, who informed us that Verticillium wilt is more prevalent during these periods due to the high temperatures and humidity that favor the pathogen’s growth.

By aligning their strategy with these critical times, they aim to provide robust protection for olive trees, ensuring their health and longevity against the threat of Verticillium wilt.