EcoOrchard – collecting existing knowledge and generating new knowledge on functional biodiversity of organic orchards

Organic fruit growers often suffer economic losses due to insect damages. The available natural pest control products are not always effective; and most important: many organic fruit growers would prefer not to use any pesticide at all. EcoOrchard, a CORE Organic Plus project (2015-18) aims to collect existing knowledge and generate new knowledge in order to use Functional AgroBiodiversity (FAB) successfully in orchards. This includes experimental trials in seven countries on the potential of inter-row flower strips for control of key pests and natural enemy augmentation, the establishment of the EBIO-Network as a European-wide network of stakeholders for collecting, sharing and improving scientific and practical knowledge and experience in FAB management, the development and testing of simple FAB assessment tools for use on-farm by growers and advisors, and finally, using a participatory approach to learn about potential constraints that may hamper the adoption of innovative tools and how to solve these constraints by iterative reevaluation

EcoOrchard - Innovative design and management to boost functional biodiversity of organic orchards. Power point presentation at public stakeholder seminar 2015.04.21 organized by EPOK centre for organic production and consumption, Swedish University of Argicultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden.

A presentation of the EcoOrchard Core Organic project 2015-17. Power point presentation at public stakeholder seminar 2015.04.21 organized by EPOK centre for organic production and consumption, Swedish University of Argicultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden

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

Innovative design and management to boost functional biodiversity of organic orchards

Organic fruit growers often suffer economic losses due to insect damages. The available natural pest control products are not always effective; and most important: many organic fruit growers would prefer not to use any pesticide at all. Growing flowers in order to gain more natural enemies, and hence less pests is a technique called Functional Agro-Biodiversity (FAB). Ongoing research in this CORE Organic Plus project aims to collect existing knowledge and generate new knowledge in order to use FAB successfully in orchards

Functional agrobiodiversity (FAB) in apple pest management in Latvia: what do we know?

A short view on functional agrobiodiversity, what do we know about it in Latvia. What do Latvian apple orchard owners think about it, what are demands in national laws and regulations. What has been done in project ECOORCHARD in this context

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

Funkcionālā agrobioloģiskā daudzveidība un tās paaugstināšanas pasākumu novērtēšanas metodes: 2015.gada rezultāti

Stenda ziņojums par Funkcionālo agrobioloģisko daudzveidību un tās paaugstināšanas pasākumu novērtēšanas metodēm, rezultātiem 2015.gadā

Guidelines for the labelling of leucocytes with 99mTc-HMPAO

We describe here a protocol for labelling autologous white blood cells with 99mTc-HMPAO based on previously published consensus papers and guidelines. This protocol includes quality control and safety procedures and is in accordance with current European Union regulations and International Atomic Energy Agency recommendations

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