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Plant Protection Events

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National Workshop on Strengthening the Capacities of Biological Control Stakeholders: Towards Sustainable and Innovative Agriculture

Hammamet, Tunisia, September 17-19, 2025

 

A National Workshop on Strengthening the Capacities of Biological Control Stakeholders: Towards Sustainable and Innovative Agriculture was held from 17 to 19 September 2025 in Hammamet, Tunisia. The event was organized within the framework of the BIOREST project “Support to Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Organic Agriculture” and the TCP/TUN/4001 project on “Emergency assistance for the management of the cactus cochineal in Tunisia”. The workshops brought together more than 40 participants representing startups specialized in bio-agents, agricultural technical centers, research institutes, universities, and national authorities, including the General Directorate of Plant Health and Organic Agriculture.

The opening session highlighted the strategic importance of biological control as a key component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and as a sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides. National authorities and FAO representatives emphasized the need to strengthen coordination among stakeholders, capitalize on research achievements, and address technical and regulatory constraints to scale up biological control solutions in Tunisia.

The main objectives of the workshop were to build a national network for the production and dissemination of bio-agents and biopesticides, strengthen the technical capacities of startups and institutions, and carry out a participatory diagnosis of existing infrastructures, skills, regulatory challenges, and market opportunities. Special focus was placed on the local production of beneficial insects, particularly the predator Hyperaspis trifurcata for the control of the cactus cochineal, in order to reduce dependence on costly imports and promote green job creation.

Over two days, a series of technical presentations were delivered by national experts on integrated pest management strategies, biological control research, insect mass rearing, sterile insect technique, microbial and plant-based biopesticides, and successful national experiences in different crop systems. These were followed by group work sessions focused on five strategic value chains: date palm, olive tree, vegetable crops, cactus, and fruit trees and citrus.

The group discussions identified major phytosanitary constraints affecting each sector, including Tuta absoluta and mildew in vegetables, olive fly and Verticillium in olives, cochineal in cactus, pests of date palm, and Ceratitis capitata and mites in fruit and citrus orchards. While several biological and cultural control solutions already exist, key limitations were highlighted, notably the lack of locally produced auxiliaries, insufficient availability of certified organic inputs, regulatory constraints, high costs, and limited farmer awareness.

Cross-cutting needs were identified in the areas of research and innovation, local production of biological control agents, capacity building, public–private partnerships, infrastructure development, and improvement of the regulatory framework. Priority actions include supporting applied research on local strains of beneficial microorganisms, establishing decentralized production units for auxiliaries, strengthening farmer training through Farmer Field Schools, and promoting green entrepreneurship through startups.

The third day was dedicated to a field visit to the Technical Center of Citrus, where participants observed the rearing facilities and protocols for the mass production of Hyperaspis trifurcata under the TCP/TUN/4001 project. The workshop concluded with strong commitments from national institutions to continue joint efforts for the development and scaling up of biological control in Tunisia.

Key recommendations include the creation of a national multi-actor biological control network, regulatory reforms to facilitate the registration of biopesticides and auxiliaries, establishment of local production units, reinforcement of laboratories, development of farmer training programs, and the creation of national platforms for knowledge exchange and technology transfer.

Overall, the workshop underscored the need for an integrated, collaborative, and innovative approach to make biological control a central pillar of a sustainable, resilient, and competitive agricultural system in Tunisia.

Prof. Naima Mahfoudhi,
DG of DG.SVCIA,
Ministry of Agriculture, Tunisia

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Report

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The 14th Arab Congress of Plant Protection (ACPP)

Algeris, Algeria, November 03-07, 2025

 

 

The 14th Arab Congress of Plant Protection (ACPP 2025) has been held in Algeria, during the period 03-07 November 2025 under the theme “Plant Health for Sustainable Food security”.

The Organizing Committee was happy with the success of this scientific event co-organized by the Arab Society of Plant Protection (ASPP), the National Higher School of Agronomy (Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research) and the Directorate of Plant Protection and Technical Control (Algerian Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries).

The congress was attended by more than 250 participants from Arab and non-Arab countries. It started on Monday 3rd November, 2025, with an opening ceremony under the patronage of his excellency the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and his excellency the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries. It was, followed by a keynote address by Dr. Thaer Yaseen (Near East and North Africa Regional Office of FAO, Cairo, Egypt), entitled “The role of plant protection in achieving food security in the Arab region”.

The scientific program included four plenary symposia covering the following themes:
1. Use of artificial intelligence and other new innovations in optimizing pest management.
2. Innovations to improve pest management and enhance plant health under climate change conditions.
3. Invasive and newly emerging pests in Arab region and means to reduce their negative effect on food security.
4. Plant health and agricultural quarantine in the Arab region and means of improving monitoring quarantine pests.

The symposia plenary sessions included presentations by eminent invited speakers from well-known Research Centers or Universities or from International Organizations (CIMMYT, CIHEAM, FAO, ICARDA, NEPPO, AOADA, IITA…). These sessions included presentations on important plant protection topics such as:
- Use of decision-making tools to enhance implementation of integrated pest management.
- Advances in use of High Throughput Sequencing (HTS) technology to detect plant pathogens and its adoption in implementing agricultural quarantine regulations.
- Use of satellite remote sensing for crop disease surveillance and forecasting.
- Plant protection as the intersection of biotechnologies and innovative technologies.
- Effects of climate change on plant health: are beneficial microbes and their metabolites a possible solution?
- The role of CropLife Africa Middle East in advancing sustainable agriculture and food security.
- Addressing transboundary diseases is crucial for safeguarding fruit crops in NENA Countries.
- Management of North Africa-Middle East (NAFME) cryptic whitefly haplotypes to mitigate Begomovirus spread for Arab food security.
- Date palm invasive and newly emerging pests and innovative measures to reduce their negative impact on date production.
- The role of CGIAR Germplasm Health Units in enhancing germplasm phytosanitary safety and mitigation of transboundary pest spread.
- The importance of Phytosanitary Measures in mitigating the spread of transboundary plant pests in the NENA region.
- Working together for clean plants: the National Clean Plant Network example for an Arab regional network to support agricultural quarantine and develop plant disease control programs.
- Pest general and specific surveillance based on IPPC recommendations to improve plant health of important crops.

In addition to the symposia, thirty-six oral paper presentation sessions and three poster sessions were organized where more than 300 scientific papers, focusing on specialized topics in all plant protection disciplines were presented and discussed such as:
- Soil-borne pathogens,
- Fungal diseases,
- Bacterial diseases,
- Virus and phytoplasma diseases,
- Weeds,
- Economic entomology,
- Beneficial insects,
- Biological control,
- Plant extracts,
- Food security and plant protection,
- Climate change and plant protection.

During the congress, a new ASPP Executive Committee for the 2026-2028 period was elected and is composed as follows:
- Dr. Ahmad M. Katbeh-Bader (Jordan): President,
- Dr. Safaa Kumari (Syria): Vice President,
- Dr. Zinette Melhem Moussa (Lebanon): Secretary-Treasurer,
- Dr. Emad M. Ghalib Al-Maaroof (Iraq): Member & Chairman of Translation Committee,
- Dr. Houda Boureghda (Algeria): Member & Chairman of Publiction Committee,
- Dr. Hassan Dahi (Egypt): Member & Chairman of Membership Committee,
- Dr. Abdulrahman Saad Aldawood (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): Member & Chairman of Honour and Awards Committee,
- Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jboory (Iraq): Member & Editor-in-Chief of ANEPPB,
- Dr. Khaled Makkouk (Lebanon): Member & Editor-in-Chief of AJPP.

During the closing ceremony, the organizing committee thanked all sponsors for their financial support which contributed to the success of ACPP 2025 and as is customary at ASPP Congresses, the Honour and Awards Committee announces the names of colleagues and PhD students who received the “ASPP Honorary awards”, the “ASPP Fellow Award” and the “Students awards”.

 

Prof. Asma Najjar,
INRAT,
University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia

Website : http://www.tjpp.tn