The research group works on: insect vectors of plant pathogens and related epidemiology; interactions pathogen-vector-plant at molecular, biological and cellular level; identification of endosymbionts for developing symbiotic control strategies against vectors.

Know-how:
morphological and molecular identification of vector species, molecular detection and characterization of viruses, phytoplasmas, other prokaryotes and symbionts in insects, monitoring techniques, immunomarking and spatial distribution of vectors, molecular identification of host plant in polyphagous vectors, phenological and demographical models, study of feeding behavior of vector Cicadellidae by means of electropenetrography, insect rearing and transmission trials under controlled conditions, hemocytes cell cultures.

Available resources:
climatic chambers, greenhouses, insect-proof screen-houses, monitoring tools and facilities, microscopes and stereomicroscopes, laboratories equipped for molecular analyses and cell cultures, electropenetrograph.

Recent results:
phenological and demographical models of Scaphoideus titanus; role of alternative vectors in Flavescence dorée (FD) epidemiology; description of the feeding behavior of S. titanus on grapevine cultivars with different FD susceptibility; new acquisitions on interaction mechanisms in the thrips-tospoviruses, mealybugs-closteroviruses, leaf-/planthoppers/psyllids-phytoplasmas systems; resistance elicitors against phytoplasma diseases; microbial communities of vectors; phenology and host plant associations of Philaenus spumarius; use of symbiont Asaia to alter phytoplasma acquisition; insect-bacteria immune interactions; identification of 'Candidatus Liberibacter' spp. in psyllids and host plants.

• SviluppO di Strategie di controllo sostenibili di Philaenus spumarius ed interferenza con la trasmissione di Xylella fastidiosa (SoS), MASAF (2023-2026)
• HORIZON Europe: Beyond Xylella, integrated strategies for mitigating Xylella fastidiosa impact in Europe (BeXyl) Project n° 101060593 (2022-2025)
• Regione Piemonte: Metodi Innovativi per la DIfesa dalla Flavescenza Dorata della vite (2023-2024)
• Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino - FD_LAMPvett . Early diagnostics for the detection of the grapevine Flavescence Dorée phytoplasma in the insect vectors  (2021-2023)
• Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo. VITE 4.0. Innovazioni nella difesa fitosanitaria per la riduzione dell'impatto ambientale della viticoltura (2019-2023)
• Regione Lombardia. Prevenzione e controllo di nuove emergenze fitosanitarie in Lombardia: Popillia japonica e Xylella fastidiosa, PRECONFITOLOMB (2018-2021)
• Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino. Insetti vettori di Xylella fastidiosa in vigneti piemontesi e gestione degli inerbimenti per la riduzione del rischio, VEXYNER (2017-2020)
• Progetto di Ateneo/Compagnia di San Paolo 2017. Towards grapevine resistance to Flavescence dorée, FLAVOSCREEN (2017-2020)
• Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo. Sviluppo di strategie di controllo in vigneto della flavescenza dorata, VIFLAVI (2017-2020)
• Progetto di Ateneo/Compagnia di San Paolo 2014. In vitro and in vivo disruption of phytoplasma transmission competence in insect vectors by RNAi technology (2015-2017)
• Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo, di Torino, di Asti. Un approccio integrato alla lotta contro la flavescenza dorata della vite, INTEFLAVI (2015-2017)
• Syngenta Crop Protection, Indagini sulle biocenosi delle popolazioni di insetti utili e dannosi nell’ambito dell’applicazione del programma OPERATION POLLINATOR in ambienti viticoli piemontesi, e definizione di un protocollo di gestione integrata (2014-2016)
• Polo di innovazione Agro-alimentare. Regione Piemonte, Risanamento da flavescenza dorata della vite: aspetti epidemiologici e qualitativi per una gestione integrata ed economica della malattia in Piemonte (RiSanoVino) (2013-2014)

• Bodino N., Cavalieri V., Pegoraro M., Altamura G., Canuto F., Zicca S., Fumarola G., Almeida R.P.P., Saponari M., Dongiovanni C., Bosco D. (2021). Temporal dynamics of the transmission of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca by Philaenus spumarius to olive plants. Entomologia Generalis, 41(5): 463-480.
• Chiapello M., Bosco L., Ciuffo M., Ottati S., Salem N., Rosa C., Tavella L., Turina M. (2021). Complexity and local specificity of the virome associated with tospovirus-transmitting thrips species. Journal of Virology 95(21): e00597-21.
• Bocca F.M., Picciau L., Alma A. (2020). New insights on Scaphoideus titanus biology and their implications for integrated pest management. Entomologia Generalis 40: 337–349.
• Corretto E., Trenti M., Štarhová Serbina L., Howie J. M., Dittmer,J., Kerschbamer C., Candian V., Tedeschi R., Janik K., Schuler, H. (2023). Multiple factors driving the acquisition efficiency of apple proliferation phytoplasma in Cacopsylla melanoneura. Journal of Pest Science, doi:10.1007/s10340-023-01699-1
• Picciau L., Orrù B., Mandrioli M., Gonella E., Alma A. (2020). Ability of Euscelidius variegatus to transmit Flavescence dorée phytoplasma with a short latency period. Insects 11: 603.

Dr. Alberto Fereres - Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, CSIC, Madrid (Spain)
Dr. Nathalie Bouvery-Arricau - INRA, Bordeaux (France)
Prof. Daniele Daffonchio - King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, BESE Division, Thuwal (Saudi Arabia)
Prof. Nicola Fiore - Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile (Chile)
Dr. Bjorn A. Hatteland - Bioforsk, Lofthus (Norway)
Dr. Wayne B. Hunter - USDA, ARS, Ft. Pierce, Florida (USA)
Dr. Einat Zchori-Fein - Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Ramat Yishay (Israel)