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Stabilization of yield stability and profitability in organic strawberry cultivation through a more effective weed control management and also through the regulation and control of the strawberry blossom weevil and the Verticillium wilt complex
Project
Project code: 2806OE148
Contract period: 01.04.2008
- 31.12.2011
Budget: 204,651 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Right now it is not quite tempting for strawberry growers to make a change to an organic cultivation system because of the highly unstable situation in getting profitable yield amounts.
Hence the aim of this practical research project is, to study three highly important criteria in organic strawberry production over the next three years except for Botrytis cinerea (gray mold) in which a lot of research already has been done.
One of these criteria is the soil born pathogen complex of Verticillium albo-atrum and Verticillium dahliae, which is also known as Verticillium wilt. The target of this research project is to develop preventive strategies where the brown mustard variety ISCI99 is used as a biofumigation variation. ISCI99 will be sowed as a preceding crop and is chosen for this trial because of its high content of glucosinolates. Furthermore different kinds of antagonist agents will be tested, partly just the agents and partly in combination with the biofumigation variation.
Another quite important criterion is represented by the strawberry blossom weevil (Anthonomus rubi). The aim of this project is to develop strategies on an organic basis to repel and control the beetles and also to study mechanical-physical control techniques to prevent the invasion of the beetles.
The weed control management is one of the criteria which concerns growers the most because it is one of the highest cost factors in organic strawberry production. In regard to the efficiency and the cost intensity different strategies will be studied in two main cultivation techniques (flat-bed/bulk). These strategies imply the use of two different plastic types which will be used for covering the soil in combination with different types of new developed mechanical hoe types.
These three projects will be performed on different organic strawberry farms in closely cooperation with the beery farmers which gives the project the possibility to act as much as possible under practical conditions.
Section overview
Subjects
- Horticulture
- Organic Farming
Framework programme
Federal Organic Farming Scheme and other forms of sustainable agriculture (BÖLN)
