Novel pheromone delivery system to reduce codling moth (Cydia pomonella L.) damage in organic pome fruit orchards (BIOFRUITNET Practice Abstract)

New pheromone delivery system can increase the control effectiveness, reduce labour costs and plastic waste from dispensers. Practical recommendation • To achieve a high efficacy, the orchard size should be more than 3 ha. Puffer can be a good solution to re-duce labour costs and the burden due to plastic waste from dispensers, but in sites with not too much wind exposition. • Two kinds of dispensers should be introduced into the orchard before the beginning of CM flight. • Hang the plastic dispensers (Picture 3) on every third tree or apply the “dots” (Picture 4) every 3-4 m on the border rows of orchard trees and at the beginning and end of each row (at two thirds of the tree height) (Picture 2). • Place 2 aerosol dispensers per ha inside the orchard. These “puffer” (Picture 5) units should be hung on poles above trees, at about 3.5-4.0 m height. • Install delta traps, 3 per orchard (Picture 1), for monitoring the presence of adult CMs during the season. They should be placed halfway between consecutive “puffer” units. If the strategy of mating disruption works well, no moths should be found in the monitoring traps during the entire season

Alternaria brassicicola – Brassicaceae pathosystem: insights into the infection process and resistance mechanisms under optimized artificial bio-assay

Heavy losses incited yearly by Alternaria brassicicola on the vegetable Brassicaceae have prompted our search for sources of genetic resistance against the pathogen and the resultant disease, dark leaf spot. We optimized several parameters to test the performance of the plants under artificial inoculations with this pathogen, including leaf age and position, inoculum concentration, and incubation temperature. Using these optimized conditions, we screened a collection of 38 Brassicaceae cultigens with two methods (detached leaf and seedlings). Our results show that either method can be used for the A. brassicicola resistance breeding, and that the plant genotype was crucial in determining its response to the pathogen. The bio-assays for A. brassicicola resistance were run under more stringent lab conditions than the field tests (natural epidemics), resulting in identification of two interspecific hybrids that might be used in breeding programs. Based on the results of the biochemical analyses, reactive oxygen species and red-ox enzymes interplay has been suggested to determine the outcome of the plant-A. brassicicola interplay. Confocal microscopy analyses of the leaf samples provided data on the pathogen mode of infection: Direct epidermal infection or stomatal attack were related to plant resistance level against A. brassicicola among the cultigens tested. Further, the microscopic analyses suggested rapid actin network activation of the host cells around the papillas deposited under the pathogen appressorium

Knowledge Networks in Organic Fruit Production across Europe: A Survey Study

Limited data regarding the resources and methods used by organic fruit growers to learn about production practices are available, even though this information is crucial to improving the efficacy of knowledge transfer. Therefore, a survey to gain information from knowledge networks dealing with organic fruit production about their structural organisation, tasks and methods of communication was carried out in twenty-one countries from Europe and the Mediterranean basin. A total of 56 networks representing about 42,500 professionals were identified as a result of the survey. The vast majority of them were only active at the regional or national level and were composed of farmers, advisors and researchers. About 3/4 of the networks were developing improved strategies for agronomic practices and about half of them were also involved in different knowledge-transfer activities between their members. Personal contact was the most used method to exchange and disseminate information within the networks as well as to elaborate improved strategies. The findings were analysed in view of the methods and practices commonly used to share both explicit (scientific) and implicit (practical) knowledge among practitioners. It was concluded that knowledge networks play an important role in the development of more resilient organic cropping systems, frequently making organic fruit growers the drivers of innovation. Networking for knowledge exchange was considered a process that encourages the active involvement of farmers in experimentation and innovation applying a method of knowledge sharing that is rooted in the very foundation of organic philosophy. Some recommendations and future research were suggested to further foster the development and functioning of networks for knowledge exchange

Genetic divergence is not the same as phenotypic divergence

Far too often, phenotypic divergence has been misinterpreted as genetic divergence, and based on phenotypic divergence, genetic divergence has been indicated. We have attempted to disprove this statement and call for the differentiation of phenotypic and genotypic variation

Monitoring and mass trapping of cherry fruit flies (Rhagoletis cerasi and R. cingulata) in organic orchards (BIOFRUITNET Practice Abstract)

Monitoring with traps helps to detect the proper timing for mass trapping of flies, which can reduce their populations. Practical recommendation • Yellow sticky traps (Picture 1) can be used to monitor the presence of flies by hanging them just before the period of adults’ flight and also determine the best timing for deploying mass traps. • Hang the traps for mass trapping in the orchard when the first individuals are found on sticky traps. • Homemade traps can be prepared by making 3-4 holes in the upper part of plastic bottles and filling them with a 4% solution of ammonium-phosphate fertiliser to ½ - ¾ of the bottle height (the liquid level below the holes). A wire hook can be made through the cap (Picture 2), or a special cap containing a hook for hanging on the tree can be used (Picture 3). • Deploy 80-100 traps per ha of orchard to achieve sufficient control, preferably on a height of 3-4 m. • Commercial traps are available (Picture 4). R. cerasi was caught with these traps with an attractant designed for the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) with good results

Practices to improve soil fertility and nutrient availability in organic fruit orchards (Biofruitnet Practice Abstract)

Leguminous plants grown as living mulch or cover crops (in mixture with grasses) increase soil fertility and microbial biodiversity or activity, with a positive effect for the overall soil biological fertility through the seasons. Practical recommendation To improve soil fertility and nutrients availability, we recommend to: • Use legumes (e.g., pea) as short-term living mulches in the tree row • Use mixtures of a leguminous and grass (e.g., micro-clover and sheep grass) in the inter-row. The cut can then be used as row mulch • Apply clover grass silage to orchards as a farm internal nutrient source • Sowing winter peas or early sowing of spring peas allows Nitrogen (N) release after incorporation reaching a sufficient N supply during flowering. Notice that N availability from mineralization of the pea biomass depends on the time of sowing and the biomass incorporation into the soil • Leguminous cuts from the inter row can serve as a N source later in the season, as mineralization proceeds slowly • Clover grass silage has higher storability than the inter row grass cuttings. Hence, application of clover grass silage allows to plan earlier applications (e.g., in autumn of the previous year). If availability of land and specific machinery for silage is an obstacle, we recommend setting up collaboration with arable farms

Integration of different agronomical practices for inter-row soil management in organic orchards (BIOFRUITNET Practice Abstract)

Mixtures of leguminous plants and grasses grown as cover crops can protect the soil against compaction and erosion while increasing soil fertility, microbial biodiversity and activity. Practical recommendations Alternatives to manage the inter-row can include: • Use of white clover (Trifolium repens) or micro-clover or dwarf alfa-alfa. The micro/dwarf ecotypes produce less biomass than normal types but compete less for water and nutrients. They form a “carpet-like” cover in the inter-row. • Use of mixtures of a leguminous and a grass (e.g., white clover and sheep fescue) or mixture of more species. The grass develops first, followed by the legume, as it normally occurs in meadows, reducing weed competition during the establishment phase. • For both cases, a seed quantity of 2 g/m² provides a good density and establishment. However, particularly in the case of micro-clover, water availability (or some irrigation) and full light during the germination phase are needed to ensure good development. The initial development after sowing can be slow in case only legumes are used, but they are resistant to soil compaction by machines. • Cuts from the inter-row in May-June used as row mulch, can provide up to 50-60 kg N, 10 kg P and 70-80 kg K per ha

Organic apple orchard fertilisation: row and inter-row management with legume intercrops (BIOFRUITNET Practice Abstract)

Soil fertility and orchard biodiversity (including soil biodiversity) increase, and nutrients are better balanced. Practical recommendation The efficiency of the intercrops is strongly dependent on the appropriate selection and management of the leguminous species. • The best results were obtained with perennial legumes, such as white clover (Trifolium repens, better the micro- or nano-ecotypes, Picture 1) in combination with sheep fescue (Festuca ovina - Picture 2), or mixtures of leguminous species (e.g., micro white clover + Medicago lupulina + Lotus corniculatus + T. incar-natum). • Key factors for good establishment of the intercrop are: a) correct sowing time b) minimising soil disturbance until the intercrop is fully established c) sufficient water availability during germination and establishment d) use of high seed density (up to 2 g/m2) to avoid initial competition by weeds • The legumes (including peas) can also be sown on the tree row to produce green manure for early-season incorporation into the soil. • When enough biomass is produced, the legume(s) must be incorporated into the soil, at the latest in July (depending on the specific site), to match nitrogen mineralisation with the trees’ demands

Organic fertilizers in fruit orchards (Biofruitnet Practice Abstract)

Alternating and integrating different fertilizers, depending on the nutrient budget and the soil status of plant available nutrients, can lead to a more balanced nutrient input. Practical recommendation When planning to use organic fertilizers consider: Alternative recommended fertilizers: • Clover-grass pellets or silage, from on-farm sources (preferred) or external sources • Waste materials (e.g., biogas digestate, residues from yeast production, household wastes) • External fertilizers locally available (e.g., composts or extracts) New fertilization strategies must be developed: • The mineralization rate of the products: liquid fertilizers, stillage, biogas digestate - mineralize rapidly and thus when applied in spring N supply matches well with fruit tree N demand, while compost materials have a very low N availability (< 10%) in the year of application • Site specific features (e.g., cropping system, management practices, soil type, climate) When searching for alternative fertilizers: • Compatibility with existing farm machinery • Production costs, including labor and machinery costs (e.g., for clover-grass silage produced by the farmer) • Acceptance by certification bodies or additional quality schemes (e.g., from retailers) and potential contaminations (in case of waste derived fertilizers

Drivers of and Barriers to the Implementation of Integrated Pest Management in Horticultural Crops

Integrated pest management (IPM) aims to protect plants using methods that limit the use of pesticides, as well as other interventions, to levels that are economically and ecologically justified, thus reducing the negative impact of crop protection on humans and the environment [...