STELLA is a new project funded under Horizon Europe Programme, aiming to develop a holistic digital system (STELLA PSS) to aid in the early warning and detection of quarantine and regulated plant pathogens and a response strategy using modern sensing technology and Artificial Intelligence.
The project aspires to advance pest monitoring and surveillance solutions, pioneer novel methodologies, and validate efficacy in real-world agricultural systems to protect plants and the environment. Throughout the project, a Pest Surveillance System (PSS) will be developed that will be consisting of three (3) subsystems:
- An early warning system harnessing novel pest forecasting models and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors.
- A pest detection system leveraging remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS), remote and proximal sensing, citizen science, and traps.
- A pest response system furnishing geolocated hotspots for initiating containment and counteractive measures.
STELLA PSS will be tested over three years at field, farm, and regional levels across 6 Use Case Pilots (UCPs) covering arable, orchard, and vineyard crops as well as large, difficult-to-reach areas (forests). The project will focus on 8 different quarantine and regulated non-quarantine pest (RNQP) diseases, expanding across 4 European countries with different climate and geological characteristics and New Zealand.
STELLA officially kicked off on February 6th and 7th, 2024 in Athens. The kick off meeting was concluded with great success and was attended by representatives from all 14 partners from the 7 countries involved in the project.