In this workshop, attendees will learn about what we do at the Phytopathology Lab. The activity also aims to raise awareness among children of the need to look after the environment.

In this workshop, attendees will learn about what we do at the Phytopathology Lab. The activity also aims to raise awareness among children of the need to look after the environment. Plant disease agents will be shown, so that kids and adults can know more about them and about how to manage pests and diseases in a sustainable way. Participants will also discover how beneficial fungi (BCA) can be used to control pests and diseases, and how plants can be easily and sustainably grown at home to produce food, which will save money and generate less waste. The workshop will also highlight the importance of sustainably managing pests and plant diseases. Attendees will be introduced to the new resources offered by the study of algae and their relevance to marine ecosystems. They will see how sustainable natural substances can be used in pest control and how subproducts found in marine environments can be valorised and have new uses. Finally, they will learn about chitosan, obtained from several sources of marine origin.

Programme: Participants will grow beans on wet cotton wool and take them home. We will show examples of grown beans for them to see how theirs will grow. There will be a presentation on biological control agents (insects, fungi), which will later be seen through the microscope. Attendees will also use the microscope to observe preparations of different algae species and products derived from them. This will be followed by a presentation on several crustacean species from which we have obtained chitosan. Chitosan capsules will be prepared.

Coordinated by: Federico López-Moya, Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante

Date and time: 30/09/2022 6-10 p.m.

Place: University of Alicante – San Vicente del Raspeig Campus