Implementation of innovative Med traps at real scale
The action will last two years and its main objective is the implementation of the Integrated Strategy (IS) developed during action B1, its confirmation or adjustment if needed. The IS will be extended by considering many variables to cover the Mediterranean area and thus an Integrated Mediterranean Strategy (IMS) will be developed. The real scale application test will take place in a 10 ha citrus orchard for two successively years (2017 and 218), based on the best performance from the pilot test of action B1. The Biodelear will be used with 900 traps of International Pheromones (IP) McPhail-type for the reduction of the med fly population together with a surfactant of 10% of propylene glycol as a killing device.
In a similar way as in the action B1 the citrus orchard of the 10 ha will be chosen from the approach Of the beneficiaries with the Agricultural Cooperative Citrus Growers of Chios (350 citrus growers) for the implementation of the protection from the med fly insects to comply with the most representative citrus orchard in the region and in the whole Greece. Additionally, 90 Jackson traps will be used with the male specific attractant of Capilure, plus sticky boards at the bottom of to achieved the male annihilation of the med fly in the citrus orchards together with the complementary task to monitor the med fly population.
All the traps in this action will be placed in the same way as in Action B1: Most of the above traps will be placed in perimeter and few in the centre of the tested orchard. All the traps will be hanged in the same pattern more than 10 meter apart and at eye level. All the necessary number of traps will be checked as in the action B1 and all the flies would be counted, sexed, identified and removed.
Similarly as in action B1:
The fallen crops will be collected each year and placed in a closed special place to restrict the escape of the emerging adult insects to the field environment.
The beneficial insects attracted by the traps will be examined, identified and quantitatively measured.
Citrus crops will be collected to assess fruit infestation at the end of the harvest in all the fruiting seasons. The percentage of fruit infestation will be examined so to establish the efficacy of the action of the innovative attractant Biodelear.
Soil quality, soil biological diversity will be monitored periodically by performing soil sampling and analysis as explained in action A2. Biological diversity in soil and in the canopy of the citrus trees a similar way as in B1. It is estimated that soil sampling will take place twice each year and 60 to 70 soil samples will be collected and analysed.
Plant protection products will be also examined as in B1
Finally, a 4th sampling will take place in the real scale experimental citrus orchards on the 10 ha citrus orchard to obtain a confirmatory result on the residues of pesticides, so in every acre (1/10 of an 1ha) will be separated in four plots where each plot will contain about 6 trees. From every tree 2 fruits will be collected, so every plot will correspond to 12 fruits. Eventually for the 4th sampling will be collected totally 400 samples (sample=plot; 400).
The obtained results will be continuously evaluated and an Integrated Mediterranean Strategy (IMS) against med fly will be developed after scientific, technical, and financial study out of the activities carried out and the results obtained. The study will consider all different factors that affect the efficacy of the proposed methodology across the Mediterranean countries, i.e. climatic conditions, law restrictions, social acceptability.
The IMS will include main factors that affect the successive cultivation under Mediterranean conditions, protective media against med fly, the use of the innovative attractant, maintenance and improvement of environment quality as well as improvement of farmers' income, which is, without doubt, a strong motive for farmers to adopt the proposed strategy. The IMS will combine the results and deliverables of the previous actions and will include specific practices for the protection against med fly under Mediterranean climatic conditions.
The scenario will be monitored regarding its effectiveness during the implementation of this action B2 and the Beneficiaries will consider all the obtained results in order to propose extension of the implemented actions from local scale to regional/national/Mediterranean scale. The integration, after financial and technical evaluation, will result in an efficient strategy suitable for Mediterranean countries. Restrictions and conditions will be also considered and recorded. Solutions or alternative scenarios will be proposed, if needed.
The IMS will be widely disseminated in all European Med countries. It is foreseen that, apart from the scientific/ official document describing the IMS, a simplified guide for farmers, which will describe the strategy will be produced, in English, Italian, Spanish, Greek, French, and also in other languages spoken in Mediterranean (e.g. Turkish, Hebrew, a.o.). The reproduction of guide in other than European languages is considered crucial, since the adoption and implementation of the proposed Integrated Mediterranean Strategy (IMS) with use of the friendly to the environment attractant Biodelear from all Med countries, including non-European countries, would result in much higher efficacy.
All three pilot areas will be protected to avoid any health risk for the public however; it can be, under conditions and specific guidelines, accessible to public (see dissemination actions). An informative board with LIFE logo will be placed in each pilot area.
Constraints and assumptions:
The restrictions of this action are same as those presented in action B1.
Beneficiary responsible for implementation: UTH
Responsibilities in case several beneficiaries are implicated: AUTH, SSIA, BPI
Expected results (quantitative information when possible):
1. Fruit infestation in the orchard treated with Biodelear is expected to be less than 1%.
2. Negligible impact on the biological diversity in the pilot orchard, where Biodelear will be used and also expected recovery of the biological diversity in the ecosystem, to the accepted natural levels.
3. The population of the med flies in the pilot orchards is expected to decline annually, due to the use of Biodelear traps.
4. A scientific, technical and financial analysis of the obtained results against anticipated environmental benefits. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) and Cost Benefits Analysis.
5. Development of an Integrated Mediterranean Strategy (IMS) that will enhance sustainable use of protective media against med fly, sustainable management of environmental quality, production of safe and high quality products, increased yield and farmers' income.
6. A simplified guide, which will present and describe the IMS to farmers in English, Italian, Spanish, Greek, French, and also in other languages spoken in Mediterranean (e.g. Turkish, Hebrew, a.o.).
Indicators of progress:
1. Checking and counting on the male/female population of the med flies as well as counting and identifying any non-target insects attracted by the innovative attractant Biodelear (900 (IP) Mc Phail traps) and the Jackson traps with the Capilure attractant (90 Jackson traps) will be sufficient to control and monitor the med fly population in action B2 for the two years tests. (Depending on the population of the med fly from 24 services of the traps to 72 services of the traps - for 6 months of the fruiting season) For the year 2017 during the end of the December of 2017 to January of 2018 and for the year 2018 during the end of the December of 2018 to January of 2019 will be assessed the efficacy of the Biodelear food attractant in the large scale of the 10 ha of citrus orchard implementation from the protection of the med fly insects in comparison with the previous implementations on the 1 ha citrus orchard and to the previous conventional ways of applications (bait cover sprays).
2. Assessment of citrus crops infestation in comparison with the previous with the previous implementations on the 1 ha citrus orchard and the conventional way of protection of the citrus crops (2, one for each year).
3. Collection and analysis of 60 to 70 soil samples - 1600 analyses for the orchard in consideration. The collection of soil samples will take place at the end of the fruit season of the large scale at the end of December of 2018.
4. Assessment of the biological diversity on the soil and in the canopy of the citrus trees in the pilot field. For the whole fruiting seasons for the two years.
5. Confirmatory tests to verify the absence of pesticides in the pilot field (At the end of the fruiting season of 2018 (December of 2018)).
6. Completion of the scientific-technical - financial study of the proposed methodology. Extension to cover other Med countries (2018 December to January of 2019).
7. Completion of the Integrated Mediterranean Strategy. (2018 December to January of 2019).
Action B1.: Implementation of innovative Med traps at pilot scale <- PREV ΝΕΧΤ->Action C1.: Monitoring of project's environmental impact
