Objective
OBJECTIVES
General:
To co-ordinate, for the benefits of the environment and agriculture in Europe, current and future studies on enhancing the effectiveness of natural enemies of ailseed rape (OSR) pests, and thereby minimizing reliance on pesticides.
Specific:
a) To establish a network amongst European scientists currently working on bio-contral and integrated crop management (ICM) of OSR pests, by providing a forum for information exchange between participants.
b) Through winter workshops and summer meetings, to focus on technological exchange and to co-ordinate future research on natural enemies of OSR pests, thereby minimizing duplication of effort.
c) To reduce environment impact of pesticides on a major EU crop by devising strategies for farmers to exploit natural enemies and thereby minimize and better rationalize pesticide use on OSR.
d) To make recommendations for the direction, harmonization and prioritization of future research efforts in these areas.
CONTENT
Year 1
1. Under the guidance of a small (3-Person) Steering Group, to plan and co-ordinate a
detailed 3-year programme of winter workshops and summer meetings.
2. At an initial winter workshop:
a) to review the status of knowledge on natural enemies, and plan and discuss
future group activities;
b) to discuss requirements for the development and EU-wide harmonization
of monitoring methodologies for OSR pests and their natural enemies;
c) to establish a regular newsletter in order to disseminate group activities to a
wider audience.
3. To hold a summer meeting, concentrating on PARASITGIDS, at which participants would:
a) share technical knowledge, with the aim of standardizing methodologies and identifying
ways of minimizing pesticide use
b) arrange the collection and exchange of bio-control material for reference purposes;
c) identify and help develop relevant taxonomic expertise on the natural enemies of OSR pests
Year 2
1. To develop a centralised database on OSR pests and their natural enemies.
2. To hold a winter workshop, with particular reference to the assessment of the
effectiveness of natural enemies and bio-control potential for minimizin pesticide use.
3. To hold a summer meeting, concentrating an PREDATORS.
Year 3
1. To hold a winter workshop to identify sustainable bio-control strategies which take
account of landscape structure. The relevance to ICM, and the environmental benefits
of such strategies, will also be considered.
2. To hold a summer meeting, concentrating on PATHOGENS.
3. To hold a final review meeting, to collate groupls findings and recommendations.
4. To ensure maximum publicity for the groupls findings and conclusions, to co-ordinate
presentation of results and recommendations, and to prioritize and make recom-
mendations for future collaborative research.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CON - Coordination of research actionsCoordinator
CB2 2DR Cambridge
United Kingdom