Workshop: Enhancement of functional biodiversity

Participants of this workshop were invited to comment on and discuss information on techniques for functional agrobiodiversity which had been collected from an European questionnaire among growers and advisors in apple orchard production in the framework of the Core Organic Plus Project "EcoOrchard". In additon to the workshop, participants were invited to answer to a questionnaire on their expertise and experience on functional agrobiodiversity in apple growing

V-Mango: A functional-structural model of mango tree growth, development and fruit production

Background and Aims: Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is the fifth most widely produced fruit in the world. Its cultivation, mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions, raises a number of issues such as the irregular fruit production across years, phenological asynchronisms that lead to long periods of pest and disease susceptibility, and the heterogeneity of fruit quality and maturity at harvest. To address these issues, we developed an integrative functional–structural plant model that synthesizes knowledge about the vegetative and reproductive development of the mango tree and opens up the possible simulation of cultivation practices. Methods: We designed a model of architectural development in order to precisely characterize the intricate developmental processes of the mango tree. The appearance of botanical entities was decomposed into elementary stochastic events describing occurrence, intensity and timing of development. These events were determined by structural (position and fate of botanical entities) and temporal (appearance dates) factors. Daily growth and development of growth units and inflorescences were modelled using empirical distributions and thermal time. Fruit growth was determined using an ecophysiological model that simulated carbon- and water-related processes at the fruiting branch scale. Key Results: The model simulates the dynamics of the population of growth units, inflorescences and fruits at the tree scale during a growing cycle. Modelling the effects of structural and temporal factors makes it possible to simulate satisfactorily the complex interplays between vegetative and reproductive development. The model allowed the characterization of the susceptibility of mango tree to pests and the investigatation of the influence of tree architecture on fruit growth. Conclusions: This integrative functional–structural model simulates mango tree vegetative and reproductive development over successive growing cycles, allowing a precise characterization of tree phenology and fruit growth and production. The next step is to integrate the effects of cultivation practices, such as pruning, into the model

Organic farmers’ reality to manage functional agrobiodiversity in European organic apple orchards

According to its principles and standards, organic farming particularly rely on natural processes and functional agro-biodiversity (FAB) to benefit from essential ecosystem services. However, these processes are mostly complex, hardly visible and site-specific, thereby making it difficult to assess and manage on-farm. A European survey has been carried out among organic farmers and emphasizes the variability among countries with a diversity of techniques targeting different functional groups according to farming contexts and farmers’ expectations. The different criteria used by farmers to evaluate FABtechniques efficiency and implementation potential clearly illustrate the difficulty to assess the agroecosystem as a whole

EBIO-Network: a web-based platform for knowledge sharing on functional agrobiodiversity in organic apple production.

The web-based platform "EBIO-Network" (European Biodiversity Orchards Network), created within the framework of the CoreOrganic plus project EcoOrchard, will provide an interactive communication tool between stakeholders in European organic fruit production at different levels (practice, science, advisory etc.). The website will offer the opportunity to share, extract and use stakeholder knowledge in Europe in a participatory approach. As an outcome of this ongoing exchange, the aim is to provide technical information how to create, keep and assess functional agrobiodiversity (FAB) in apple production

EBIO-Network: a web-based platform for knowledge sharing on functional agrobiodiversity in organic apple production.

The web-based platform "EBIO-Network" (European Biodiversity Orchards Network),created within the framework of the CoreOrganic plus project EcoOrchard, will provide an interactive communication tool between stakeholders in European organic fruit production at different levels (practice, science, advisory etc.). The website will offer the opportunity to share, extract and use stakeholder knowledge in Europe in a participatory approach. As an outcome of this ongoing exchange, the aim is to provide technical information how to create, keep and assess functional agrobiodiversity (FAB) in apple production

Organic farmers’ reality to manage functional agrobiodiversity in European organic apple orchards.

According to its principles and standards, organic farming particularly rely on natural processes and functional agro-biodiversity (FAB) to benefit from essential ecosystem services. However, these processes are mostly complex, hardly visible and site-specific, thereby making it difficult to assess and manage on-farm. A European survey has been carried out among organic farmers and emphasizes the variability among countries with a diversity of techniques targeting different functional groups according to farming contexts and farmers’ expectations. The different criteria used by farmers to evaluate FAB techniques efficiency and implementation potential clearly illustrate the difficulty to assess the agroecosystem as a whole

Identification et évaluation d’innovations techniques et systémiques favorables à la biodiversité fonctionnelle en vergers de pommiers

Favoriser les auxiliaires des cultures et les mécanismes de régulation naturelle est une voie respectueuse de l’environnement et prometteuse dans le cadre de la réduction des produits phytosanitaires cultures pérennes comme les vergers de pommiers. Dans le cadre du projet européen de recherche participative EcoOrchard, des enquêtes semi-directives ont été menées en France auprès de 11 conseillers et 19 arboriculteurs afin d’appréhender leur perception et connaissance de la biodiversité fonctionnelle (BF) et des techniques pour la favoriser. Elle intègre pour eux autant les auxiliaires arthropodes (insectes et acariens) que vertébrés (oiseaux et mammifères) et autant la biodiversité cultivée et domestique que sauvage. Les techniques citées et mises en oeuvre relèvent aussi bien du « top-down » que du « bottom-up » et de la lutte biologique par augmentation et par conservation. Elles peuvent concerner directement des opérations de l’itinéraire technique ou des aménagements à la marge du verger et sont évaluées selon des critères essentiellement qualitatifs et propres à l’exploitant. Quatre approches ont ainsi pu être distinguées : une approche « passive » avec peu ou pas de techniques mises en oeuvre, une approche cherchant à favoriser la « biodiversité » en général dans un objectif d’équilibre naturel du verger et une approche « fonctionnelle » orientée dans un objectif unique (ex : régulation des ravageurs) qui peut se décliner en une approche « multifonctionnelle » lorsque plusieurs objectifs sont recherchés. Les effets des techniques étant difficilement visibles, trois méthodes de suivi simplifiées ont été proposées aux producteurs et testées parallèlement sur 16 parcelles par une équipe de recherche. Les résultats obtenus sont présentés et discutés, tant sur les critères de choix des méthodes que sur la pertinence de la démarche pour favoriser l’adoption des techniques favorables à la biodiversité fonctionnelle.To favour beneficials and natural control processes is an environmental-friendly and promising approach to reduce pesticide use in perennial cultures such as apple orchards. As part of the european participatory research project EcoOrchard, we carried out semi-directive interviews in France on 11 advisors and 19 fruit growers in order to appreciate theirperception and skills about functionnal agro-biodiversity and the techniques to favour it. They consider arthropod beneficials (insects and mites) and vertebrates (birds and mammals) and include wild biodiversity as well as domestic and cultivated one. Different techniques related to « top-down » and « bottom-up » pest management were quoted and implemented. They can be technical operations or ecological infrastructures and farmers assess them mainly according to qualitative criterias. We maked out four approaches : a « passive » one (none or few techniques implemented), a « biodiversity » one (enhancement of general biodiversity in order to maintain natural balance in the orchard) and a «functionnal » one (techniques are implemented in a specific objective such as pest regulation), called « multifunctionnal » when several objectives are targeted. Techniques effects are hardly visible, therefore 3 simple monitoring methods were offered to productors and tested by our team on 16 different plots. Results are here presented and criterias used to choose the monitoring methods and their interest for farmers are discussed

Favoriser la biodiversité fonctionnelle dans les vergers de pommiers : résultats d'une enquête européenne auprès de conseillers et d'arboriculteurs

National audienc

Favoriser la biodiversité fonctionnelle dans les vergers de pommiers : résultats d'une enquête européenne auprès de conseillers et d'arboriculteurs

National audienc