Context

Over the last few years, COPAP and the Phytosanitary Consortium of the Province of Piacenza have highlighted the increasingly spread of the late appearance, during conservation, of changes affecting bulbs apparently healthy at harvest. Samples of bulbs were analyzed by the laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Bologna. The bulbs appeared empty, with no obvious signs of external alteration but, after defoliation, all the bulbs showed symptoms of different severity. The bulbs were found to be infected with Fusarium proliferatum, a microorganism that is part of the common telluric mycoflora. This species is capable of producing a wide spectrum of secondary metabolites, which have toxic effects and can be considered dangerous for humans. This heterogeneous group of molecules, which is generally referred to as the term "mycotoxins", has long been the subject of global concern, especially with regard to food safety in the cereal sector and to the risk of consumer exposure. For prevention and defense, COPAP already pays particular attention to crop rotation and it would be appropriate that garlic did not follow other allioideae for at least 3-4 years. Another aspect, to which reference is made, is the use of certified reproduction material. Despite these practices, the spread of the Fusarium is tending to expand, for causes which may call into play both agronomic and climatic elements, in the open field, as well as, the subsequent conditions of drying, storage and processing. The loss of product due to fusariosis varies widely, depending on the lots, and it can reach 50-60%.

Additional comments

This innovative project aims to define guidelines for the garlic chain, therefore involving both the farming process and the post-harvest mangement (drying/storage and processing stages) in order to control/prevent  garlic rot.
The improvement expected from this project should also contribute in increasing the dividend paid to COPAP’s farm partners which will help to defend the profitability of this cultivation.
The result expected is to limit fusarium spread during garlic field cultivations and in storage/processing environments. The main specific objectives follows:
The first aim is to prevent the “White Piacenza Garlic” from disappearing from the local agriculture, avoiding the loss of both agro biodiversity and a typical local crop.
The second goal is to lower fungal inoculum taking into consideration the best agronomical practices, also in view of  ongoing climatic changes, possibly involved in the increase of diseases caused by Fusaria . 
The third objective, related to reducing the fungal incidence in all phases of garlic production/processing. This will lead  to improve the working conditions of the employees involved in garlic storage and processing, and to improve food safety from a consumer point of view.

Additional information

The GO is formed by: COPAP and its 23 associated farmers; a partner with specific technical and scientific knowledge about phitopathology in general and precisely on Fusarium and micotoxins that was identified on DI.PRO.VE.S. of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Piacenza: professor Paola Battilani, professor Amedeo Pietri and doctor Giorgio Chiusa; a partner specialized on the activities of formation and diffusion of the results identified in Irecoop scrl, cooperative inscribed on the regional Catalogo Verde; and a partner with experience in the funcions of cooperation and coordination among the partners activities identified in Agrisilva scrl: doctor Claudio Piva.