Descrizione del progetto
Gestione dei parassiti senza pesticidi
Gli agroecosistemi odierni richiedono nuovi metodi senza pesticidi per i processi di controllo dei parassiti. Finora, i principali parassiti delle colture (piante infestanti, insetti erbivori e agenti patogeni) sono stati studiati separatamente. Il progetto WIDE-Synergies, finanziato dall’UE, considererà questi tre elementi insieme. L’ipotesi è che esistano sinergie nella gestione sincronizzata dei parassiti e dei loro nemici naturali. Il progetto condurrà due esperimenti sul campo per valutare gli effetti di un’agricoltura senza pesticidi, identificare le sinergie e stimare gli effetti sulla resa delle colture. Entrambi gli esperimenti metteranno a confronto le pratiche agricole di controllo delle erbe infestanti senza erbicidi che notoriamente colpiscono anche insetti e agenti patogeni. I risultati saranno di grande interesse per gli agricoltori, che saranno invitati a seguire il progetto di ricerca e a discuterne i risultati.
Obiettivo
Farming without pesticides is a major challenge for agriculture today. A promising approach is to design agroecosystems that favour pest regulating processes. Weeds, insect herbivores and pathogens are the main pests in cropping systems, and, so far, they have been mostly studied separately. The WIDE-Synergies project will consider them together by hypothesising that there are synergies in simultaneous management of Weeds, Insect herbivores, Diseases, and their natural Enemies (i.e. WIDE) in agroecosystems. The WIDE-Synergies project aims to (i) quantify the effect of pesticide-free farming practices on these pests and their enemies, (ii) identify the synergies and/or trade-offs in their simultaneous management and (iii) assess the effects on crop yield. Two field experiments with cereals will be conducted in parallel at the Wiesengut experimental farm of the University of Bonn, Germany. Both experiments will compare farming practices aimed at controlling weeds without herbicides, and known to also affect insects and diseases: mechanical weeding, intercropping and under-sowing with a living mulch, in addition to two control treatments (i.e. five treatments repeated four times in a randomised block design). One experiment will contain wildflower strips at plot margins as a semi-natural habitat for biodiversity and the other will have bare soil between plots. The abundance and regulation of weeds, insect herbivores and diseases, as well as of their natural enemies, will be monitored in the fields over two consecutive years. Crop yield will be measured at harvest. Treatments will be compared within and between field experiments. The results are expected to be scientifically highly innovative, and of high interest to farmers and their advisers who will be invited to follow the research project and discuss its output. Communication channels will also be developed to inform non-specialists of the research that aims to develop safe and healthy agriculture in Europe.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
53113 Bonn
Germania