Plant & Environmental
Biotechnology Laboratory

Risk assessment of biopesticides

Biopesticides constitute the next big challenge of modern agriculture to support the growing global food demand in a sustainable and environmental safe way. The current regulatory framework, build around synthetic chemical pesticides, is deterrent for innovative biopesticides like microbials, botanicals, semiochemicals, peptides, and ds-RNA decelerating their introduction in the EU market. Our group is coordinating the EU project RATION (https://www.ration-lrp.eu/) that aims to develop innovative risk assessment schemes and supporting tools and methodologies for potential low-risk pesticides like biopesticides. We focus on microbials, botanicals and ds-RNA based products. In addition our group participated in a project funded by EFSA aiming to develop risk assessment tools for low-concern pesticides like botanicals, ds-RNA, semiochemicals, inorganics, peptides etc.

Personnel

Dimitrios Karpouzas
, Professor in Enviromental Microbiology & Biotechnology
Kalliope Papadopoulou
, Professor in Plant Biotechnology

Publications

Kolovou, M., Bachtsevani, E., Bekris, F., Pedrinho, A., Omirou, M., Nicol, G. W., Hazard, C., Papadopoulou, E. S., & Karpouzas, D. G. (2026). Using species sensitivity distributions to assess the toxicity of pesticides on nitrifiers and broader microbial groups: From single-species tests to soil amplicon sequencing. Environmental Pollution, 406, 128640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128640

Koidou, V., Tamvakologou, E., Kim, M., Karpouzas, D. G., Papadopoulou, K. Κ., & Dalakouras, A. (2026). RT-qPCR detection of dsRNA pesticides: Optimization, limitations, and formulation effects. iScience, 29(7), 116428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.116428

Tsaloumi S., Swaine M., Tsaboula A., Vryzas Z., Karpouzas D.G., (2025) Environmental fate and ecotoxicological thresholds distinguish low-risk pesticides from candidates for substitution and conventional chemicals. Environmental Sciences Europe https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-025-01247-x

Papadopoulou, K. Κ., Chatzinotas, A., Diaz-Otero, B. G., Brader, G., Karpouzas, D. G., Garces Ruiz, M., Alonso Prados, J. L., Declerck, S., Kellari, L. M., & Sessitsch, A. (2025). Benefits and challenges of upcoming microbial plant protection applications sustaining planetary health. iScience, 28(10), 113557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113557

Pedrinho A., Karas P.A., Kanellopoulos A., Ferray E., Korman I., Wittenberg G., Ramot O., Karpouzas D.G., (2024). The effect of biopesticides on the soil microbiota: OECD – 216 nitrogen transformation test fails to identify effects that were detected via q-PCR microbial abundance measurement Pest Management Science https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.7961 

Dalakouras, A., Koidou, V., & Papadopoulou, K. (2024). DsRNA-based pesticides: Considerations for efficiency and risk assessment. Chemosphere, 352, 141530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141530

Funding


HORIZON-CL6-2022-FARM2FORK-01-0, Risk AssessmenT InnOvatioN for low-risk pesticides


, Fit-for-purpose and innovative risk assessment for low-concern pesticide active substances and uses

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