The AFTER Cu project ended the 31st of December 2015, after succesfully getting all the results expected, concerning the demonstration of: – the in vitro and in planta anti-infective activity of the AFTER Cu oligopeptides on Gram negative phytopathogenic bacteria here used as a model, such as Pseudomonas savastanoi, P.syringae pv. actinidiae and P. syringae pv. syringae, on Olive, Kiwifruit and Citrus spp, respectively. Moreover oligopeptide activity wa salso demonstrated on other interaction, such as those Tobacco- P. syringae pv. tabaci and Oleander – P. savastanoi. – the effectiveness of anti-infective activity of the AFTER Cu oligopeptides even in presence of copper pollution and residues, in the soil and on plant surface. – the null toxicity profile of AFTER Cu oligopeptides on soil and epiphytic microflora, on test organisms, and on subcellular targets of any living organism/microrganism such as membrane Ca2+ ATPases. – conversely, the negative effects given by repeated copper treatments on the environment, on plant vigour, on the composition of soil microflora, on the emergence of copper- and antibiotic resistant-bacteria, were also demonstrated. Other biotechnological and analytical instruments were also set up during AFTER Cu projects, useful for the further developments of the AFTER Cu results for the wide application of this technology in a near future, such as antibodies against the AFTER Cu oligopeptides to evaluate their permanence on plants after treatments and several assays for the innovative evaluation of the hormonal plant defense response to bacterial infection when in presence of the AFTER Cu oligopeptides.
