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Organic-PLUS - Pathways to phase-out contentious inputs from organic agriculture in Europe
Organic-PLUS - Pathways to phase-out contentious inputs from organic agriculture in Europe

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Ongoing | 2018 - 2022 United Kingdom
Ongoing | 2018 - 2022 United Kingdom
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Kontext

‘Organic-PLUS’ means minimising, and eventually phasing out contentious inputs from certified organic agriculture. By doing so organic food systems can be more true to the IFOAM organic principle of ‘ecology’. This principle is now shared by the EU Bio-economy agenda, focusing on renewable biological resources from land and sea. Furthermore, this research is also applicable to non-organic farming systems seeking to adopt more agroecological solutions. This combined focus on organic principles and Bio-economy may not only lead to more resilience and quality assurance within organic production, but also reduced environmental impact and fairer, more reliable rules and regulations that organic consumers (current and new) can trust to “buy-into” the growth of the sector.

Objectives

The overall aim of the ‘Organic-PLUS project’ (O+) is to provide high-quality, trans-disciplinary, scientifically informed decision support to help all actors in the organic sector, including national and regional policy makers, to reach the next level of the organic success story in Europe.

Objective 1: To identify and valorise contentious inputs currently used in European organic agriculture

Objective 2: To provide specific technical solutions to minimise or phase-out contentious inputs

Objective 3: To provide sustainability assessments of the implications of the phase-out of contentious inputs

Objective 4: To disseminate and broker knowledge, ideas and results to maximise impact

Objectives

The overall aim of the ‘Organic-PLUS project’ (O+) is to provide high-quality, trans-disciplinary, scientifically informed decision support to help all actors in the organic sector, including national and regional policy makers, to reach the next level of the organic success story in Europe.

Objective 1: To identify and valorise contentious inputs currently used in European organic agriculture

Objective 2: To provide specific technical solutions to minimise or phase-out contentious inputs

Objective 3: To provide sustainability assessments of the implications of the phase-out of contentious inputs

Objective 4: To disseminate and broker knowledge, ideas and results to maximise impact

Activities

O+ project activities: WP PLANT researches alternatives to copper and mineral oils used for plant protection. WP LIVESTOCK considers the use of natural plant sources as alternatives to synthetic products and the use of alternative and novel bedding materials to replace conventional straw. WP SOIL considers alternatives to the use of manure from non-organic farms & other animal-derived inputs, alternatives to peat in growing media and alternatives to fossil fuel-derived plastic. The topical work is supported by WP IMPACT which includes consumer research on contentious inputs. All workpackages feed into WP MODEL where policy scenarios for the phasing out of contentious inputs are researched.

Activities

See description of project activities in English

Additional information

O+ uses a trans-disciplinary research approach. The IMPACT and MODEL WPs are primarily concerned with social and economic assessments of contentious inputs and possible phase-out scenarios, identified in the three ‘topical WPs’. To complete these activities, we use a variety of research methods: laboratory trials, replicated field trials on research stations and on-farm trials in fields, barns, and greenhouses to test alternative products and contentious inputs under real farm conditions. O+ also contributes to known knowledge gaps such as building up LCA inventories for organic inputs and combines established methods such as LCA, and RISE to model pathways for the phase-out of contentions inputs. Participatory research methods are at the core of O+, both in the data collection and in the data assessment phase. Knowledge brokerage methodologies are used to disseminate practical farm experience and to create a space for mutual learning and knowledge sharing. Because the trials will be done on commercial farms as well as on experimental stations, the project aims to design and validate pilot/candidate phase-out scenarios that can be demonstrated ‘in-operation’ to stakeholders. Participatory research includes all stakeholders from citizen-consumers to farmers and the food industry.

Project details
Main funding source
Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Type of Horizon project
Multi-actor project
Ort
Main geographical location
Coventry

EUR 4 121 527.00

Total budget

Total contributions including EU funding.

Project keyword

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6 Practice Abstracts

Conventional bedding pellets for poultry usually consist of a mixture of wood shavings/chips and chopped straw, which is not certified organic and can contain considerable amounts of herbicides and pesticides. This is seen to be contentious by most organic consumers. For cattle, chopped and baled straw is used which has longer and rougher fibres. An additional worry is that cattle may eat conventional straw leading to pesticides entering the organic food chain. Therefore, there is an urgent need for alternatives. Organic straw is not produced in high enough quantities and is difficult to source. In addition, transportation costs of organic straw can be high when shipped from locations far away.
To find alternatives a variety of plant sources are being tested for their suitability as a straw replacement in bedding at ATB, Potsdam, Germany. Using existing technology, properties of bedding pellets can be improved if processed from woody (lignocellulosic) material with an extruder and pelleting machine at exact settings. An additional line of inquiry is whether the plant materials have beneficial properties for animal health.
Preliminary results show that there is potential for other advantages for the animals besides the primary function of bedding, but more work is now required to determine the most suitable sources. Different settings of the extruder or hammer mill combined with properties of the raw material have an influence on the fibre and pellets that are produced. This means there is a large number of tests required to adjust the pilot plant extruder, hammer mill and ring-die-press to specific settings.
Christian Dittrich, CDittrich@atb-potsdam.de and Dr Ralf Pecenka RPecenka@atb-potsdam.de
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Herkömmliche Einstreupellets für Geflügelhaltung bestehen normalerweise aus einer Mischung von Holzspänen / Hackschnitzeln und gehacktem Stroh, welches mit Pflanzenschutzmitteln kontaminiert sein kann. Dies wird von den meisten Bio-Verbrauchern als umstritten angesehen. Als Einstreu für Rinder wird gehacktes und gepresstes Stroh verwendet, das länger und rauer sein kann. Eine weitere Sorge der Verbraucher ist, dass Rinder herkömmliches Stroh fressen und die Pflanzenschutzmittel dadurch in die Bio-Lebensmittelkette gelangen können. Daher besteht ein dringender Bedarf an alternativen Einstreumaterialien. Bio-Stroh wird nicht in großen Mengen produziert und ist somit schwer zu beschaffen. Darüber hinaus können die Transportkosten für Bio-Stroh hoch sein. Um Alternativen zu finden, werden am Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie e.V. (ATB) in Potsdam verschiedene pflanzliche Materialien auf ihre Eignung als Strohersatz für Einstreupellets getestet. Mit vorhandener Technologie können die Eigenschaften von Einstreupellets verbessert werden, wenn sie aus lignocellulosem Material hergestellt, und an Extruder und Pelletieranlage geeignete Einstellungen vorgenommen werden. Eine weitere Fragestellung ist, ob ausgewählte Pflanzen aufgrund ihrer Inhaltsstoffe vorteilhafte Eigenschaften für die Tiergesundheit haben können (z.B. Sanddorn). Vorläufige Ergebnisse zeigen, dass neben der primären Funktion der Einstreu noch weitere Vorteile für die Tiere möglich sind. Die Ermittlung der am besten geeigneten lignocellulosen Pflanzen erfordert jedoch noch weitere detaillierte Untersuchungen. Christian Dittrich, CDittrich@atb-potsdam.de und Ralf Pecenka RPecenka@atb-potsdam.de
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In the last few years, due to the growing incidence of anthelmintic resistance, plants have increasingly been considered an alternative for the prevention and treatment of parasitic infestations, as well as an alternative to antimicrobics. The Organic-PLUS project is interested in alternatives to contentious inputs like antibiotics, widely used in conventional livestock systems but also in organic livestock (to a very limited degree).
We conducted a trial of potential antiparasitic molecules with the aim of identifying the anthelmintic activity of three different plant extracts (Malva sylvestris, Chamomilla recutita and Althaea officinalis). Based on the parasitic count through Larval development test (LDT) and Egg hatch test (EHT) specifically for Haemonchus contortus, we found no differences in effect between the plant extracts at dilutions from 0.019 mg/ml to 10 mg/ml. The mean number of eggs and larvae forms appeared to be considerably lower than the control when using plant extracts in the concentration of 10 mg/ml and higher. It was interesting to see higher numbers of parasite forms in the Chamomilla recutita treatment in comparison to Malva sylvestris and Althaea officinalis starting from the concentration of 1.25 mg/ml, that became significant at the concentration of 20 mg/ml. Similar studies are being carried out where other plant products are tested against different pathogenic bacteria. These tests are fundamental to forming in-field recommendations on the use of herbal products. Giulio Grandi giulio.grandi@slu.se and Federico Righi federico.righi@unipr.it
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Negli ultimi anni, a causa dell’incrementata resistenza agli antielmintici, i prodotti di origine vegetale hanno acquisito una sempre maggiore importanza come alternative agli antimicrobici di sintesi. Il progetto Organic-PLUS è interessato all'alternativa agli input controversi come gli antibiotici, ampiamente utilizzati negli animali convenzionali ma anche negli animali biologici (in misura molto limitata).
Abbiamo condotto uno studio su potenziali molecole antiparassitarie allo scopo di identificare l'attività di tre diversi estratti di piante (Malva Sylvestris, Chamomilla recutita e Althaea officinalis). Sulla base del conteggio parassitario attraverso il test di sviluppo larvale (LDT) e il test di schiusa delle uova (EHT) specifico per Haemonchus contortus non abbiamo riscontrato differenze tra gli estratti vegetali da 0,019 mg / ml a 10 mg / ml di diluizione. Il numero di uova e di forme larvali è risultato sensibilmente più basso rispetto al controllo a 10mg/ml con una tendenza interessante verso numeri più alti di parassiti con il trattamento a base di Chamomilla recutita in confronto con Malva sylvestris a partire dalla concentrazione di 1,25 mg/ml, che è diventato significativo alla concentrazione di 20 mg/ml. Studi simili sono in corso con altri prodotti vegetali testati contro diversi batteri patogeni. Questi test sono fondamentali per creare raccomandazioni in merito all’utilizzo di prodotti erbali. Giulio Grandi giulio.grandi@slu.se e Federico Righi federico.righi@unipr.it
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The use of copper for the control of fungal or bacterial diseases in organic farming has been, and still is, prevalent for greenhouse and olive crops in the Mediterranean European countries. The mentioned diseases are difficult to prevent and it is necessary to apply copper therapeutic treatments once the conditions for the disease arise. However, the repeated use of cupric formulations results in their accumulation in soils, with undesirable effects on crops and soil organisms (biota). After identifying authorised alternatives to copper, without containing microorganisms: phytosanitary products and basic substances (Table 1), two representative pathogens (Botrytis cinerea and Colletotrichum sp. Fig. 1, 2) were, in the laboratory, used to compare the fungistatic/fungicide effect of the alternatives with copper oxychloride (50%) (COX).
Potassium hydrogen carbonate and lime sulphur, two products with a moderate price for the grower, showed a good response against both fungi, better than COX. Also, some plant extracts were tested, and two different Cinnamon extract products were better than COX, too. The cost of applying these extracts is also moderate, however these extracts are not authorised as phytosanitaries. In summary, three accessible alternative products to copper can be used by growers, thus allowing the reduction or avoidance of copper applications.
If you would like to find out more about this research, please contact:
Francisco Miguel de De Cara-García franciscom.cara@juntadeandalucia.es
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El uso del cobre para el control de enfermedades fúngicas o bacterianas en la agricultura ecológica ha sido, y sigue siendo, frecuente en los cultivos de invernadero y olivar en los países europeos mediterráneos. Estas enfermedades son difíciles de prevenir, y es necesario aplicar tratamientos terapéuticos de cobre una vez que se dan las condiciones para que se desarrolle la enfermedad. Sin embargo, el uso repetido de formulaciones cúpricas favorece la acumulación de este metal pesado en los suelos, con efectos indeseables sobre los cultivos y los organismos vivos del suelo (biota). Después de identificar alternativas autorizadas al cobre: productos fitosanitarios y sustancias básicas (tabla 1), se utilizaron dos patógenos representativos (Botrytis cinerea y Colletotrichum sp. - Fig. 1, 2-) para comparar en el laboratorio su efecto fungistático/fungicida versus el oxicloruro de cobre (50%) (COX). El carbonato de hidrógeno potasio y el polisulfuro de calcio, dos productos con un precio asequible para el agricultor, mostraron una respuesta bastante buena contra ambos hongos, siendo mejores que el COX. También, se probaron algunos extractos de plantas, y dos productos diferentes de extracto de canela fueron también mejores que el COX. El coste de aplicar estos extractos también es relativamente bajo, sin embargo, estos extractos no están autorizados como fitosanitarios. En resumen, encontramos que los agricultores pueden contar con al menos tres productos alternativos al cobre, lo que permite reducir o evitar las aplicaciones de cobre en cultivos ecológicos.
Si está más interesado en esta investigación, comuníquese con:
Francisco Miguel de De Cara-García franciscom.cara@juntadeandalucia.es
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Waste from organic aquaculture such as fish pond sediments is a potential ingredient for compost that can be used to improve soil properties and plant growth. The Organic-PLUS project is interested in recycling and reusing fertilisers, as this could be a pathway to replace contentious inputs like manure from intensive conventional systems, or possibly peat in growing media (peat is an industrially mined product with a high carbon and environmental cost, seen as a contentious input by many consumers). To test the hypothesis that fish pond sediments could be a replacement for contentious inputs, a laboratory experiment was designed. The substrates used in the experiment were fish pond sediments from organic rainbow trout farming, mixed with fresh grass and wheat straw. Fish pond sediments accumulate in significant quantities at the bottom of ponds and pose a threat to the environment, (even though organic fish pond stocking densities are 30-40% lower), limiting the flow of oxygen and water in the lower layers of pond. One way to manage and utilise excessive amounts of fish pond sediments could be to compost them. Our laboratory experiment has shown that the compost from organic fish pond sediments demonstrates good fertilising potential. In the first week of composting, a temperature of about 52–61°C was reached. The high temperature in the composter lasted for several days, reducing the number of pathogenic microorganisms. Combining compost from fish pond sediments with cardboard and biochar from wood chips increased the content of organic matter, phosphorus and carbon. We also found that the addition of these ingredients had a significant effect on the growth of beans. (danuta.drozdz@pcz.pl, kmalinska@is.pcz.pl)
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Odpady z akwakultury ekologicznej, takie jak osady denne ze zbiornika rybnego, mogą być potencjalnym substratem do produkcji kompostu w celu poprawy właściwości gleby i wzrostu roślin. Aby przetestować tę hipotezę, zaprojektowano eksperyment laboratoryjny obejmujący proces kompostowania. Substratami zastosowanymi w eksperymencie były osady denne z ekologicznej hodowli pstrąga tęczowego, zmieszane ze świeżą trawą i słomą pszenną. Osady denne ze stawów rybnych, które gromadzą się w znacznych ilościach na dnie stawu, stanowią zagrożenie dla środowiska, mimo że ekologiczne stawy rybne zawierają 30-40% mniej ryb na ha. Nadmierne osady ograniczaj w ten sposób przepływ tlenu i wody w dolnych warstwach stawu. Jednym ze sposobów zagospadarowania osadów ze stawów rybnych jest kompostowanie. Wyniki uzyskane z eksperymentu potwierdziły, że kompost z ekologicznych osadów dennych ze zbiornika rybnego wykazał potencjał nawozowy. W pierwszym tygodniu kompostowania, mieszanka osiągneła temperaturę około 52–61 ° C. Wysoka temperatura w kompostowniku, która utrzymywała się przez kilka dni, zmniejszyła liczbę patogennych mikroorganizmów. Nastepnym etapem było zmieszanie kompostu z osadów dennych ze zbiornika rybnego wraz z tekturą i biowęglem ze zrębków. Etap ten spowodował zwiększenie zawartość materii organicznej, fosforu i węgla. Dlatego dodanie tych substratów do kompostu miało znaczący wpływ na wzrost białej fasoli (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). (danuta.drozdz@pcz.pl, kmalinska@is.pcz.pl)
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In aubergine plant genetic resources there is huge range of resistance to early blight (Alternaria solani). Therefore, the choice of variety is important, to avoid the contentious use of copper or other fungicides in growing organic aubergines. The Organic-PLUS project is interested in how genetic diversity in local landraces can take the need of copper fungicides away and make the zero–copper production of Mediterranean vegetables possible.
Turkey is one of the most significant countries in the world regarding plant genetic resources and plant diversity. This is also true of vegetable plant species including aubergine (Solanum melongena L.). Among the 65 landraces of aubergine that were identified, it was then tested how high the resistance level was to the commonly spread fungi. Early blight disease can cause much damage in organic horticulture. The testing was done by incubating petri dishes with Alternaria spores (24 0C) for 7 days and then putting two aubergine leaves on the dishes with 6 replications and 2 controls. They were left there for 8 days and analysed for infection. A 0-5 scale was used for scoring.
Results showed that 14 out of 65 landraces showed moderate resistance against early blight and a further 14 varieties had very high tolerance. The landraces were morphologically characterised, regenerated and multiplied to send the seeds and details of traits to “Turkish Seed Gene Bank” (Ankara, Turkey). This means that the material and characterisation information is ready for further investigation by breeders’ research programs under the framework of an international Gene Bank rules to achieve utilisation of them at farm scale.
Dr Alev Kir alev.kir.etae@gmail.com
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Patlıcan genetik kaynaklarında erken yaprak yanıklığına (Alternaria solani) karşı dayanıklılık konusunda büyük varyasyon vardır. Bu nedenle, organik patlıcanın yetiştirilmesinde bakır ya da diğer uzaklaştırıcı tartışmalı girdilerin kullanımını önlemek için çeşit seçimi önemlidir. Organic-PLUS projesi, genetik çeşitliliğin, bakır kullanımına olan ihtiyacı nasıl ortadan kaldırabileceği ve sıfır-bakır kullanımına ilişkin Akdeniz sebze üretimini nasıl mümkün olabileceği ile ilgilenmektedir.
Türkiye, bitki genetik kaynakları ve bitki çeşitliliği konusunda dünyadaki en önemli ülkelerden biridir. Bu durum, patlıcan (Solanum melongena L.) da dahil olmak üzere sebze bitki türleri için geçerlidir. Söz konusu bitki genetik kaynakları arasında 65 patlıcan yerel çeşidi üzerinde çalışma yürütülmüştür. Daha sonra yaygın olarak yayılım gösteren mantarlarla dayanıklılık düzeyinin ne kadar yüksek olduğu test edilmiştir. Erken yaprak yanıklığı hastalığı organik sebze yetiştiriciliğinde çok fazla hasara neden olabilir. Test, petri kaplarının 24 0C’de 7 gün boyunca Alternaria sporları ile inkübe edilmesi ve daha sonra petri kaplarının üzerine iki patlıcan yaprağı koymak suretiyle 6 tekerrür ve 2 kontrollü olarak gerçekleştirildi. Yaprak örnekleri kaplarda 8 gün kaldılar ve enfeksiyon için analiz edildiler. Hastalık okumaları için 0-5 skalası kullanıldı.
Sonuçlar, 65 yerel çeşitten 14'ünün yaprak erken yanıklığına karşı orta derecede dayanıklılık gösterdiğini ve 7 çeşidin toleransının çok yüksek olduğunu göstermiştir.
Dr Alev Kir alev.kir.etae@gmail.com
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The use of animal manure from conventional livestock systems is a contentious input that Organic-PLUS aims to phase-out of organic agriculture. There are, however, a number of uncertainties associated with on-farm produced compost including its chemical and biological composition. Therefore, we re-evaluated plant-based sources (e.g. olive branch prunings, medicinal and aromatic plant residues, and freshly cut grass) carried out in replicated trials (n=3) at the Olive Research Institute (ORI) in Izmir, Turkey, in order to make a number of recommendations to help minimise risks for farmers. Our results show that the quality of the end product can be affected by the compost heap size (height and width), the microorganisms present, by monitoring the moisture and temperature of the heap, the timing of compost heap turning and the size and moisture content of plant residue particles prior to composting. Our data also indicate that reduced (2% of total heap volume), or zero, manure in farm composts as no detrimental effects on the composts’ chemical quality. After maturing for 8 months the compost had the following composition: nitrogen (2.01%), phosphorus (0.12%), potassium (1.41%), organic matter (57.95%) and total organic carbon (17.02%). This is considered ‘rich’ under the legislation framework for compost quality in Turkey. In addition, the Carbon/Nitrogen (C/N) ratio was 35/1, which is an acceptable level for olive branch pruning and medicinal and aromatic plant residue-based composts after 8 months on-farm. However, research will continue until the C/N ratio of compost decreases to 20-25/1 level. alev.kir.etae@gmail.com
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Geleneksel hayvancılık sistemlerinden gelen hayvan gübresi kullanımı, Organic-PLUS projesinin organik tarımda kullanılmasını terk etmeyi amaçladığı tartışmalı bir girdidir. Bu, tarla içi (veya tarla dışı) bitki atıklarının, profesyonelce kompost haline getirilerek daha iyi kullanılmasıyla sonuçlanır. Bununla birlikte, kimyasal ve biyolojik içerikler de dahil olmak üzere çiftlikte üretilen kompostla ilgili bazı belirsizlikler vardır. Bu nedenle, Zeytin Araştırma Enstitüsü'nde (ZAE)/İzmir, Türkiye’de tekerrürlü (3 tekerür) denemesinde yapılan bitki bazlı kaynakları (örneğin zeytin dalı budama atıkları, tıbbi ve aromatik bitki artıkları, taze kesilmiş çim) kullanarak çiftçiler için riskleri en aza indirecek tavsiyeler için yeniden değerlendirdik. Sonuçlarımız, son ürünün kompostlama kalitesini etkileyen unsurların kompost yığın büyüklüğü (yükseklik ve genişlik), mikroorganizma varlığı ve nemlendirmenin, yığının nem ve sıcaklığı, mevcut kompost yığınını karıştırma zamanlaması ve başlangıçta yığını oluşturan bitkisel materyalin parçacık büyüklüğünden etkilenebileceğini göstermektedir. Verilerimiz ayrıca, azalmış (toplam yığın hacmindeki at gübresi hacminin% 2'sini ekleyerek) veya çiftlikte sıfır hayvan gübresinin kompost kimyasal ve biyolojik kalitesi üzerinde zararlı bir etki oluşturmayacağını göstermektedir. 8 ay olgunlaştıktan sonra kompost içeriği: azot (% 2.01), fosfor (% 0.12), potasyum (% 1.41), organik madde (% 57.95) ve toplam organik karbon (% 17.02) olarak tespit edilmiştir. Bu içerik, Türkiye'de kompost kalitesi için mevzuat çerçevesinde 'zengin'dir. alev.kir.etae@gmail.com
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