SafeCEREAL · Safe Copper Engineered for Release and Efficacy on Agricultural Land

The most recent scientific investigations in the field of sustainable nano-agrochemicals show that foliar application of coppernanoparticles (CuNPs) to plant leaves can be new strategy to reduce Cu deficiency in wheat, decrease Cu bulk emissions tothe environment and reduce diseases (e.g. wheat leaf rust, tan spot, and Fusarium head blight) that are heavily affectingwheat production sector in the EU and globally. Therefore, resolving the environmental fate of CuNPs after foliar applicationwill be an important step for their practical use. The goal of this Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellowship and SafeCEREALproject is to allow reliable assessment of environmental risks and benefits of using CuNPs in agriculture. Major researchtargets are to investigate the complex interactions between CuNPs and wheat after foliar application (WP1), gain furtherknowledge of the possible CuNPs’ interaction with soils under more realistic scenarios (WP2), and perform risk assessmentof CuNPs’ release to groundwater by reproducing environmentally relevant release scenarios (WP3). The achievement ofthese goals requires a multidisciplinary approach including environmental nanotechnology and chemistry, plant physiologyand applied geophysics – all of which are part of the research conducted at the University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences,Serbia, who will readily engage all its resources and mobilize its international partnerships. This fellowship will involvecarefully planned public outreach activities and focus on a wide range of transferable and technical skills that will strengthenthe Applicant, the Host, and the scientific community in the European Research Area and globally. Importantly, this projectwill lead to greater professional maturity of the Applicant by providing her the interdisciplinary expertise to design, lead anddeliver future research projects; and identifying her as leading young scientist in the new area of research focused onrealistic scenarios.