Over the last four years, an international consortium of 23 entities, led byInstitute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA) and under the name NOVATERRA , studied how to combine different strategies to reduce the use of plant protection products on plantations. of olive groves and vineyards.
The results, presented this week, demonstrate that, integrating the use of natural products with precision technologies and better soil management, the use of synthetic pesticides can be significantly reduced without losing yield or quality, as reported by IRTA.
NOVATERRA included trials on farms in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Greece. "In the first place - explained Luis Asín, head of the IRTA fruit growing program – we tested the different strategies separately. Then, in the last year, we chose some farms in which to integrate these strategies. And it has been shown that it is possible to reduce the use of plant protection products”
Microorganisms, nanoparticles, pheromones and mass capture
The strategies studied by NOVATERRA can be divided into three areas. The first is the use of products that are not synthetic pesticides. This is the case of so-called biocontrol agents, organisms that compete with those that cause parasites or diseases. Formulations based on copper or sulfur nanoparticles were also evaluated, as specified by Irta, "a fairly recent and very effective fungicidal technology thanks to its microscopic dimensions".
Another example are i pheromones without microplastics and degradable substances, which are used to sexually confuse pest-causing insects and thus prevent males from finding females to breed. Finally, the massive capture through the use of traps that attract parasites.
Precision agriculture and better soil management
The second area of action of NOVATERRA was theprecision farming. Machines that apply the have been tested plant protection product only where there is a crop, avoiding pouring it into empty spaces and adapting to the volume of the plant.
Similarly, researchers have evaluated an intelligent vision system which, through sensors installed on tractors or other machinery, detects the presence of the first symptoms caused by parasites or diseases. “These and other precision technologies aim to significantly reduce the use of plant protection products”, the agency added.
Applying natural products and using precision technologies is easier if the ground is well prepared. This is the third strategy examined by NOVATERRA . The use of was therefore studied ecological infrastructure: areas near or within the plantation row where plants are grown that provide refuge for the natural enemies of parasitic organisms. The use of a robot that contributes to weed control to improve diversity and water saving was also explored.
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