SENTRY

Plant pathogens are persistent threats to yields, postharvest quality and food safety. Climate change extends infection windows and accelerates resistance, while current practices remain reactive and pesticide-dependent. SENTRY delivers a systems-based phytosanitary solution that couples novel interventions with digital infrastructures across the agri-food chain. SENTRY will develop and validate a portfolio of measures—biocontrols, nanobubbles, UV-C sanitation, antimicrobial packaging and cold plasma—embedded in ISPM-14-aligned protocols. These are complemented by autonomous airborne molecular diagnostics, environmental sensing, metagenomics, digital-twin modelling and AI-powered decision support. The result is early detection, risk forecasting and targeted intervention that reduce chemicals and losses while improving resilience and consumer safety. Multi-country pilots in diverse crops (e.g., potato, tomato, pear, citrus, grapevine) will capture agro-climatic and socio-economic variability. Co-creation with farmers, cooperatives, SMEs and policy actors secures usability, compliance and certification readiness. Social sciences and capacity-building drive adoption and skills. Key outcomes include validated protocols, FAIR datasets, a performance evidence matrix, adoption toolkits and harmonised policy guidance. Expected benefits: ≥30% reduction in pesticide applications, 2–3 days longer shelf life, ≥20% lower postharvest losses, and improved biodiversity indicators. Exploitation pathways and IPR are defined for market uptake via SMEs and cooperatives, with open-science commitments enabling reuse. By bridging research, practice and governance, SENTRY strengthens Europe’s leadership in sustainable plant health management, advancing the Green Deal, Farm to Fork and One Health objectives and offering a scalable model for global phytosanitary resilience.