Soil arthropod diversity in organic, integrated and conventional olive orchards in Crete

Soil fauna biodiversity and its functional counterpart were monitored in 24 olive orchards under conventional, organic and integrated management located in eight different locations for a year in Messara valley, in southern Crete. In each location three neighbouring orchards under different management were monitored. Pitfall traps were used as trapping method and fixed data collection points were used in each olive orchard for arthropod fauna monitoring. Counter groups of functional taxa were defined, with respect to services of biological pest control and of nutrient cycling in the olive agroecosystem, Monitoring took place weekly for 5 weeks per season, all year around. Comparison of the different management systems in terms of abundance and diversity of soil arthropods and functional groups was performed. Formicidae, Coleopteran family of Tenebrionidae, Araneae, Colembola and Opiliones were the most abundant taxa found in the olive orchards. A trend of higher total abundance and richness was found in the organic olive orchards, however not statistically significant. Functional arthropod abundance followed a similar trend. Diversity indices did not show a constant pattern in terms of management system comparison; however a trend of higher diversity appeared in the less-intensified organic orchards

Biodiversity and pest management

Maintaining biodiversity and the associated ecosystem services is an objective of the European Union, implemented through agri-environmental programmes. Biodiversity decline is occurring at a worldwide scale and has twofold implications. From a conservation point of view, the number of extinct and endangered species increases, and this impoverishment of natural ecosystems reduces their resilience. From an agronomical point of view, reduction of biodiversity affects processes that hamper crop productivity, such as pollination or pest management, being the consequence of this biodiversity decline a reduction in agroecosystem sustainability. But both, ecosystem resilience and agro ecosystem sustainability are not isolated. In the case of pest control, in many cases it is assumed that it depends on biodiversity. However, a positive relationship between biodiversity of natural enemies and pest suppression is not always the case. In fact, in some cases this relationship does not occur (Fig.1), and the success of biological control depends not on biodiversity, but on the presence of one or only few species of natural enemies. As an example, in the case of olive trees, a single species such as Anthocoris nemoralis or relatively simple predator assemblagesare associated with better biological control than complex assemblages (Paredes et al., 2015). However, it seems that the general rule in different agroecosystems is that biodiversity rather than abundance of natural enemies is linked to pest control, although this has been proven mainly in annual crops and in non-mediterranean environmental conditions (Dainese et al., 2019)

Assessing the Impact of Farm-Management Practices on Ecosystem Services in European Agricultural Systems: A Rapid Evidence Assessment

Many farm-management practices focus on maximizing production, while others better reconcile production with the regulation of ecological processes and sociocultural identity through the provisioning of ecosystem services (ESs). Though many studies have evaluated the performance of management practices against ES supply, these studies often focused on only a few practices simultaneously. Here, we incorporate 23 distinct management practices in a rapid evidence assessment to draw more comprehensive conclusions on their supply potential across 14 ESs in European agriculture. The results are visualized using performance indicators that quantify the ES-supply potential of a given management practice. In total, 172 indicators are calculated, among which cover crops are found to have the strongest positive impact on pollination-supply potential, while extensive livestock management is found to have the strongest negative impact for the supply potential for habitat creation/protection. The indicators also provide insight into the state of the peer-reviewed literature. At both the farm and territorial levels, the literature noticeably fails to evaluate cultural services. Further, disparities between the number of indicators composed at the farm and territorial levels indicate a systematic bias in the literature toward the assessment of smaller spatial levels

Agroecology in Mediterranean Europe: Genesis, State and Perspectives

[EN] The Mediterranean agro-food systems need to be properly managed. A promising pathway is the transition towards more sustainable food systems through agroecology, which represents the ecology of food systems. In this paper, the state-of-the-art of agroecology is described for three representative euro-Mediterranean countries: Italy, Greece, and Spain. The analysis has been partly based on results of a dedicated literature search and partly on grey literature and expert knowledge. After an overview of the history of agroecology, targeted research and education, collective action (political and social), and some agroecological practices in the three countries are presented. These countries share a rather similar use of the term "agroecology", but they differ regarding (i) the existence/extent of strong civil and social movements; (ii) the type of study/educational programmes, and the relative importance of different scientific disciplines and their evolution; (iii) the development of political support and legal frameworks; and (iv) the elaboration of concepts to rediscover traditional practices and apply new ones, often taken from the organic agriculture sector. Agroecology is an emerging concept for the Mediterranean agricultural sector, with huge potential due to the peculiar socio-cultural, bio-physical, and political-economic features of the region. To boost agroecology in Mediterranean Europe, better networking and engagement of different actors within a coherent institutional framework supporting the transition is strongly needed.Migliorini, P.; Gkisakis, V.; Gonzálvez, V.; Raigón Jiménez, MD.; Bàrberi, P. (2018). Agroecology in Mediterranean Europe: Genesis, State and Perspectives. Sustainability. 10(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/su10082724S272410

Land Snail Assemblages of Olive Orchards in Crete, Greece

Land snail biodiversity research in agroecosystems is limited, if non-existent. Here we investigate the land snail assemblages of olive orchards in Messara plain, Crete, Greece. Land snails were collected from 16 olive orchards. In addition, we performed a literature survey and recorded all species reported in the surrounding area. We found 18 species in the olive orchards among the 37 species found in the area and reported in the literature. Xerotricha conspurcata (Draparnaud, 1801) and Caracollina lenticula (Michaud, 1831) are reported for the first time in the study area. Their presence is probably a result of human-mediated dispersal. Olive orchards proved to be an important refuge for land snail diversity as they host 43% of the species found in the surrounding area. We highlight the importance of olive orchards as habitats with increased land snail richness. We suggest that land snails should be included in future biodiversity research in agricultural areas

Building Organic Bridges', at the Organic World Congress

Abstrac

Assessing the Impact of Farm-Management Practices on Ecosystem Services in European Agricultural Systems: A Rapid Evidence Assessment

Many farm-management practices focus on maximizing production, while others better reconcile production with the regulation of ecological processes and sociocultural identity through the provisioning of ecosystem services (ESs). Though many studies have evaluated the performance of management practices against ES supply, these studies often focused on only a few practices simultaneously. Here, we incorporate 23 distinct management practices in a rapid evidence assessment to draw more comprehensive conclusions on their supply potential across 14 ESs in European agriculture. The results are visualized using performance indicators that quantify the ES-supply potential of a given management practice. In total, 172 indicators are calculated, among which cover crops are found to have the strongest positive impact on pollination-supply potential, while extensive livestock management is found to have the strongest negative impact for the supply potential for habitat creation/protection. The indicators also provide insight into the state of the peer-reviewed literature. At both the farm and territorial levels, the literature noticeably fails to evaluate cultural services. Further, disparities between the number of indicators composed at the farm and territorial levels indicate a systematic bias in the literature toward the assessment of smaller spatial levels