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Imprint
Collaborative project: Development of holistic formulation techniques for biological plant protection of berry fruits - subproject E (HOPE)
Project
Project code: 2818807E19
Contract period: 15.04.2021
- 14.04.2024
Budget: 247,486 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: animal pathogens, biological plant protection, crop protection, plant health, berry fruit, horticulture, fruit production
In recent years, insect pests have become a major economic problem in blueberry cultivation, causing millions of euros in damages to growers. Above ground, the so-called "cherry vinegar fly" Drosophila suzukii, which lays its eggs in the ripe fruit, is particularly harmful. Once the insects have invaded the plants, they are well protected from chemical insecticides. Here they establish a breeding ground for future insect generations. Furthermore, the affected plants are rendered commercially worthless. In soil, the larvae of the black vine weevil and the so-called "Engerlinge" lead to the death of whole rows of blueberries by feeding on their roots. These then have to be replaced by young plants at high cost, which only provide a stable yield after 10 years. Due to the elimination of many chemical insecticides and the market's desire for residue-free products, the currently available insect control options are becoming increasingly limited. Effective biological preparations are often unreliable, expensive and time-consuming. Recently, new virus strains which target D. suzukii have been isolated. These viruses appear to be a promising option for control. However, unformulated, the viruses lose their effectiveness after a short time. In addition, an adapted application procedure is required to apply the viruses to the plants and to ensure that they are effective in the insect's intestine. A promising approach to combat the weevil and Engerlinge in soil is a tailor-made attract-and-kill strategy based on novel granular formulations. In the soil larvae are lured by a suitable attractant component and then safely killed by a kill component, an insect-pathogenic fungus. Therefore, the overall objective of the project "HOPE" is to protect blueberries above and below ground by means of an effective spray application based on a novel virus formulation and an innovative soil formulation based on the attract-and-kill principle, with a beneficial fungus as the kill component.
Section overview
Subjects
- Crop Protection
- Arboriculture
Framework programme
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME)
Funding institution
Project management agencies
Associated projects: HOPE
- Collaborative project: Development of holistic formulation techniques for biological plant protection of berry fruits - subproject A
- Collaborative project: Development of holistic formulation techniques for biological plant protection of berry fruits - subproject B
- Collaborative project: Development of holistic formulation techniques for biological plant protection of berry fruits - subproject C
- Collaborative project: Development of holistic formulation techniques for biological plant protection of berry fruits - subproject D
- Collaborative project: Development of holistic formulation techniques for biological plant protection of berry fruits - subproject F
