project - EIP-AGRI Operational Group
Innovative crop protection techniques for the eco-sustainable basil chain - Pesto
Context
"Peronospora belbahrii" is taking on more and more importance in basil defense programs. In recent years, as a result of climate change, attacks and damage to crops have increased exponentially. Its spread is greater the better the environmental conditions are for the pathogen.
The management of the disease in basil is increasingly difficult also due to two coexisting problems. The first concerns the etiology of P. belbahrii, which has very short incubation times and requires repeated interventions with systemic synthetic active compounds. The second concerns the fact that basil, although it is gaining more and more importance for the turnover of the Italian agri-food industry, remains a minor crop in terms of cultivated hectares. For this reason, the agro-pharmaceutical industry invests little in the search for new synthetic molecules: there are therefore few authorized active compounds, with the risk of resistance development by the pathogen and the need to apply increasing doses, increasing the risk of residues.
This scenario is surrounded by the ever-increasing needs of consumers towards food production characterized by environmental and social (zero residues of pesticides) sustainability.
In such a complex context, it is essential to seek sustainable and innovative solutions, based on IPM principles (integrated pest management) and focused on prevention, which currently remains the only weapon in the hands of producers to effectively combat the disease.
Objectives
The project "Innovative crop protection techniques for the eco-sustainable basil chain - PESTO" aims to launch a pilot initiative of technology transfer to define an integrated protocol for the implementation of innovative products and technologies for the defense of basil against the downy mildew. Besides the employment of tolerant varieties and of either biological or chemical products, the project plans to employ activated oxygen (ozone) dissolved in water, with the aim of controlling the basil disease and of sanitizing the farming areas and tools, both in the field and in greenhouse growing conditions.
Activities
The operating plan aims to develop integrated protocols for protection of basil from the downy mildew, in the field and in the greenhouse, with the support of innovative technologies. The following activities are planned:
•Development of a prototype sprayer for ozonated water;
•Application of integrated basil protection protocols, including ozonated water;
•Characterization of the crop product quality and the effectiveness of crop protection protocols;
•Production of organic basil processed products and their evaluation;
•Economic evaluation of the benefits of the proposed protocols.
Project details
- Main funding source
- Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups
- Rural Development Programme
- 2014IT06RDRP003 Italy - Rural Development Programme (Regional) - Emilia-Romagna
Location
- Main geographical location
- Parma
EUR 275180.62
Total budget
Total contributions from EAFRD, national co-financing, additional national financing and other financing.
7 Practice Abstracts
The project started with several dissemination events and ended with a press conference that mobilised the various partners. Despite the pandemic, the various activities went smoothly. With a view to making the Pesto project recognisable and facilitating the dissemination of information about it, a visual identity (logo, template) was devised, which was then used by the parties involved in both the documentation and the project sites. Among other activities, a dedicated project website was created, which can also be reached via links published on the websites of OG members. A presentation of Pesto can also be found on the EIP-AGRI European website, on the Innovarurale portal and on the Innovation portal of the Emilia-Romagna Region's Directorate General for Agriculture, Hunting and Fisheries. Leaflets were created to facilitate the dissemination activity. The PESTO project was presented at the International Exhibition of Organic and Natural Products (SANA). At the Azienda Ca' D'Alfieri, the 'Evening of Basil' event was organised, where the objectives and results of the project were described. Within the framework of this OG, a study tour on plant topics was carried out. A scientific article on the results obtained is currently being revised.
Guidelines
It is still difficult to adequately control Downy mildew, especially since the presence of few symptoms is a problem for the marketing of fresh produce. Considering organic management and the results of the PESTO project, the guidelines for controlling the disease are:
• Use of tolerant varieties. Examples are Eleonora (Enza Zaden),, Prospera (Genesis Seeds Ltd.) and other varieties placed on the market more recently.
• Healthy seed; pathogen-free seed is particularly important for greenhouse crops.
• Reduce foliar wetting period (<4h); avoid overhead watering and evening, night and morning watering.
• Reduce planting density to improve air circulation between plants can help reduce humidity.
• Adopt wide crop rotations and prepare the soil properly. In particular, take care to bury infected crop residues as soon as possible after the end of cultivation.
• Carry out frequent monitoring in order to detect early outbreaks and, if possible, remove infected seedlings.
• Introduce natural means of defence such as micro-organism-based products (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens), corroborants and basic substances (essential oils, copper products, ozone, etc.) and disinfectants (peracetic acid).
Data collected in the field prior to each basil cutting showed a higher incidence and severity of downy mildew in 2022 compared to 2021. This greater diffusion of the pathogen found during the second year of study, correlated above all to the different climatic conditions that occurred compared to the previous year, also corresponded to a lower yield of basil and a greater stem fibrosity. Prospera variety, completely resistant to P. belbahrii in 2021, was instead found to be susceptible to the pathogen in 2022, with disease incidence and severity comparable to Garibaldi variety. As regards the two sowing densities, high and low seeding density, no difference was found in terms of downy mildew occurrence and crop yield, which shows that sparse sowing is not decisive for the control of the pathogen. Finally, between the two irrigation methods, drip and sprinkler, no differences emerged in terms of downy mildew incidence, while slight differences were found in terms of disease severity and final yield. In fact, drip irrigation, although not decisive, can limit the spread of the disease and thus contribute to a greater crop yield. In this action batches of basil seeds belonging to the two varieties under study were also analyzed by qPCR approach; all samples tested positive for the presence of the pathogen.
Azienda Cà D'Alfieri: In 2021, both varieties (Garibaldi and Prospera) were not affected by downy mildew; there were some differences between the 2 cultivars such as the high Harvest Index (yield of a plant species compared to the total amount of biomass produced.) of Garibaldi F1, which tends to be more woody than Prospera. Also in 2022, there was a total absence of the disease but a decrease in the production performance of both varieties was observed. Garibaldi F1 confirms the early flowering tendency. Azienda Agricola Battistoni: in the 2021 season, the behaviour of the varieties was very similar to the results of the tunnel-grown basil from Cà D'Alfieri, i.e. both varieties in the trial were free of downy mildew. In the 2022 season, on the other hand, a situation similar to the lowland trials occurred, with downy mildew affecting both varieties.
Bottom line:
- Cooler climatic conditions make it possible to reduce the conditions favourable to the disease.
- The transplanting technique can reduce the conditions for the development of downy mildew by reducing the number of plants per unit area;
- Cultivation in cold tunnels made it possible to have blight-free basil even in the difficult 2022 season.
The Prospera F1 variety performed exceptionally well in 2021 (yield, quality, health), but poorly in 2022;
- The Garibaldi F1 variety was susceptible to downy mildew in both years. It tends to flower before cutting;
- Drip irrigation increased yield in 2021; Drip irrigation was the best performer in terms of yield in 2022. Drip irrigation tends to reduce the Downy Mildew Index,
- Seeding density did not substantially affect downy mildew incidence and yields. Sparse seeding tends to increase plant woodiness and favours weed presence; it has the advantage that it reduces seed costs.
The difference in Prospera F1's behaviour in 2022 with regard to the disease is confirmed by the countless reports from basil growers with problems keeping downy mildew under control, even with synthetic chemical formulations. It should be noted that in 2022 spring-summer temperatures were above average: it is possible that this year has led to a higher virulence of basil downy mildew (new genetic variant?) capable of overcoming the tolerance mechanisms present on varieties such as Prospera. In 2022 the disease was detected from the first cut with atypical symptoms (chlorotic leaves with necrosis in the apical part and lack of characteristic sporulation).
Protocol for ozone treatment
Open field use, on the other hand, requires specially modified sprayers, and within the Pesto project, a prototype sprayer was developed for the distribution of ozone on basil. The sprayer used, provided by the company itself, was modified by fitting an OZONE Airone 2000 generator. Using a Redox meter and a Tablet located in the driver's cab, it was possible to check the level of ozone distributed. The machine was fine-tuned in the first months of the project and was used for field tests at La Felina.
Cost analysis
The costs associated with basil production with both traditional (extra project) and alternative (tolerant/ ozone-treated varieties) methods were modelled, despite the relative complexity, since agronomic realities are many as is the knowledge of individual farmers. A simulation tool was therefore created, where the data to be entered and the parameters are those specific to each farm/farmer. In order to realise the calculation tool, significant data collection was necessary, involving both the agronomic team and the partner farms. The tool realised allows the estimation of revenues (Gross Saleable Production, GSP), once the production related costs have been subtracted. Costs are estimated for each operation. A simulation with 'realistic' data shows that the most important costs arise from farm management and basil harvesting. In the case of using tolerant varieties, there is also a more important seed cost. From an organisational point of view, managing downy mildew in basil by using tolerant varieties tends to be quite complex compared to the other methods. The main points of attention in adopting alternative protocols to deal with basil downy mildew concern the cost of inputs and the human resource commitment required to execute the protocols
Contacts
Project coordinator
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Azienda Agraria Sperimentale Stuard
Project coordinator
Project partners
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Agriform
Project partner
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Azienda Agricola Agriturismo Battistoni
Project partner
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Azienda Agricola Ca' d'Alfieri
Project partner
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Azienda Agricola La Felina
Project partner
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Open Fields
Project partner
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Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Project partner