The Netherlands and Brazil: 20 showcases of collaboration in science, technology and innovation

Description

The Netherlands and Brazil have been conducting joint research and innovation activities in many areas of societal relevance and in 2021 we celebrate its 10 anniversary.

Starting with the Memorandum of Understanding in 2011, Brazilian and Dutch governments have invested in this collaboration. Inspiring projects and collaborations came to fruition.

Read more about 20 of these showcases in our booklet (download available here). These stories are an inspiration and important building blocks in the scientific collaboration between the Netherlands and Brazil.

One showcase concerns: 'Joining forces against citrus canker', which is collaborative work of Prof.dr. D.-J. Scheffers (RUG, GBB) with Dr. Ferreira, UNESP, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil. (pp. 9 and 10 of the report: The Netherlands and Brazil - 20 Showcases of Collaboration in Science, Technology and Innovation, published by the Netherlands Innovation Attache Network Brazil (45 pp.):

Brazilian biologist Henrique Ferreira and his Dutch colleague Dirk-Jan Scheffers are working toward an environmentally safe way to combat citrus canker. This highly contagious, endemic disease is a great threat to Brazil’s multibillion dollar orange juice industry.

The culture of citrus fruits is one of the most important agricultural economic activities in Brazil, which is responsible for the production of eighty percent of the orange juice consumed worldwide. However, citrus culture is threatened by several diseases, one of the worst being citrus canker. This disease is caused by a bacterial pathogen named Xanthomonas citri. The bacterium attacks stems, leaves and fruits, leading to lesions and eventually death of the entire tree.

Copper-based bactericides are the most commonly used pesticides to combat this disease. Though effective, these pesticides are not very environmentally friendly. Since copper is not biodegradable, it accumulates in the soil where it affects soil organisms and decreases soil quality. In a series of collaborative projects Henrique Ferreira and Dirk-Jan Scheffers are developing nature-based pest control alternatives which are better for the environment and for human health.

Ferreira and Scheffers go way back, they explain in a joint interview during which they effortless finish each other’s sentences. Scheffers: ‘We met in 2002 at the University of Oxford, where I was doing a postdoc’, ‘and I was working on my PhD research,’ Ferreira adds. After Ferreira went back to Brazil where he works at the Universidade Estadual Paulista in São Paulo, and Scheffers returned to the Netherlands, where he holds a position at the University of Groningen, they stayed in touch. ‘When FAPESP and NWO announced a collaborative call on Biobased Economy back in 2012, we jumped on the occasion to apply for a jointly funded project,’ Scheffers says. In the second Biobased Economy call from FAPESP/NWO , they also succeeded in obtaining funds for a follow-up project, which runs until later this year.

SEAMLESS COLLABORATION

‘Henrique was working on the biology of the bacterium that causes citrus canker. He had reported some fascinating results on its cell division processes. Together we wanted to study how we can perturb these cellular processes by targeting specific traits with nature-based compounds,’ Scheffers explains. Though far apart, both groups collaborate rather seamlessly. Ferreira: ‘My lab works on understanding the biology of the bacteria to find targets for pesticides. Dirk-Jan focuses more on the biochemical analysis of potentially useful compounds. In practice, this translates into me producing different mutants of the bacteria and sending them to Dirk-Jan, who then analyzes how different compounds affect for example the cell division processes or cell walls.’

"We now know what does and does not work, and which of the effective compounds are easy to synthesize and scale up" (Dirk-Jan Scheffers, University of Groningen)

Besides the groups of Ferreira and Scheffers, also other groups in Brazil and the Netherlands are involved in the research. Ferreira: ‘For example, we recently involved an agronomist, Dr Behlau, who has access to field experiments through Fundecitrus.’ Fundecitrus is an organization funded by orange producers/growers, that monitors citrus diseases and performs applied research on their mitigation. ‘They have their own fields we might use for experiments,’ Scheffers says. ‘That is very valuable, since the bacterium is a restricted organism, and outside of their test fields, we are not allowed to infect trees on purpose.’

FROM INDIVIDUAL LEAVES TO TREES

So far, both joint projects have been very successful, Ferreira and Scheffers say. Scheffers: ‘We have tested many different compounds. We now know what does and does not work, and which of the effective compounds are easy to synthesize and scale up. In the lab, the level of protection from our compounds is similar to that of copper-based pesticides. And the toxicity studies are promising as well; we’ve shown that our compounds are not harmful to mammalian cells. The next step is to scale up. So far, we have only tested the compounds on small scales, using seedlings in controlled greenhouse experiments in Henrique’s lab. We need field experiments to answer questions like: How long is the protective effect when we spray our compounds on the trees? What happens if it rains? What happens to the soil, are our compounds indeed

degrading over time? And is it possible to synthesize these compounds from agricultural waste, such as bagasse produced by Brazil’s giant sugar cane industry?’

Unfortunately, it is not so easy to find funds for these types of experiments, the scientists experienced. Ferreira: ‘Our work is perceived as developing yet another type of pesticide, whilst many of the funding programs are aimed at finding new biological forms of pest control. And we have shifted from purely fundamental research toward more applied questions, leaving us in somewhat of a vacuum when it comes to traditional research funds. It would be great if we would for example be able to capture the attention of a company that can help us work toward actual implementation.’

"It would be great if we would for example be able to capture the attention of a company that can help us work towards actual implementation" (Henrique Ferreira, Sao Paulo State University)

Summary and list of publications from the first project:
Research Grants 13/50367-8 - Agronomical Sciences, Agronomy - BV FAPESP https://bv.fapesp.br/en/auxilios/84124/new-environmental-f riendly-compounds-to-combat-citrus-canker/

Information on the current joint project:
Research Grants 17/50216-0 - Agronomical Sciences, Agronomy - BV FAPESP https://bv.fapesp.br/en/auxilios/100824/using-agricultural-waste-to-combat-plant-pathogens-environmental-f riendly-wa ys-to-combat-xanthomonas/