Towards pesticide-free farming? Sharing needs and knowledge promotes Integrated Pest Management
Towards pesticide-free farming? Sharing needs and knowledge promotes Integrated Pest Management
Andrea Lucchi 0 1 2
Giovanni Benelli 0 1 2
0 The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies , viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Pisa , Italy
1 Department of Agriculture , Food and Environment , University of Pisa , via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa , Italy
2 Giovanni Benelli
Introduction
The overuse of chemical pesticides led to the fast-growing
development of resistance in targeted insect pests, as well as
to severe effects on non-target organisms and human health as
well
(Desneux et al. 2007; Benelli 2015, 2018a,b; Naqqash
et al. 2016; Pavela and Benelli 2016; Guedes et al. 2016)
. In
plant protection, a number of eco-friendly methods to manage
insect pest populations have been developed with the aim to
reduce the employ of synthetic pesticides
(Gut et al. 2004;
Millar 2007; Welter et al. 2005; Witzgall et al. 2010;
Brockerhoff et al. 2012; Daane et al. 2012; Miller and Gut
2015)
. Unfortunately, they are still underused by a substantial
number of Mediterranean stakeholders, due to lack of
knowledge and trust. Indeed, farm managers are often aware of the
existence of alternatives to pesticides. However, they do not
know exactly the potency of a given mean or strategy and/or
do not have full confidence in their effectiveness (Cooper et al.
2014). This can be partially due to a communication gap
among researchers, policy makers, and farmers at country or
regional level
(Lamichhane et al. 2016)
.
In the USA, this gap is filled by the University Extension
Services, which support farmers disseminating research-based
information, to implement innovative methods for pests and
diseases
(Gadino 2012; Gadino et al. 2016)
. In recent years,
the public Extension network experienced a fruitful
cooperation with the private sector, encouraging and delivering
effective and implementable solutions leading to substantial
benefits to farmers (Krell et al. 2016). But what happen in
*
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
European countries hosting important agricultural activities,
like Italy? The scenario is patchy and confused. For instance,
Trentino South Tyrol (Italy) hosts a good example of close
cooperation between growers and research institutions, which
allowed establishment of Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
in the Region. Notably, the driving force for IPM
implementation was the adoption in the last 20 years of the
pheromonemediated mating disruption (MD), which strongly reduced
insecticide use in that Region. MD has been applied from
the 1990s with an area-wide approach against the codling
moth and the leafrollers on apple crop, and against the vine
moths in the vineyards
(Ioriatti and Lucchi 2016)
. Although
the mountainous terrain of the area was not optimal for the
efficacy of MD, grower cooperatives and their field
consultants were strongly influential in convincing growers to accept
MD technology. Public research institutions conducted
extensive research and education, and provided credible
assessments of various MD formulations
(Ioriatti et al. 2011,
2012)
. Thus, the development and adoption of area-wide
mating disruption in Trentino-South Tyrol resulted from the
merging of several favorable factors, which brought together
researchers, advisors, cooperatives, growers, pheromone
distributors, and related industries.
The results achieved in Trentino-South Tyrol have not been
replicated in the rest of Italy, due in part to the lack of
cooperation between research institutes, industry, and growers. On
the other hand, some promising signals have been recently
noted. Here, we focused on a fruitful cooperation between
University and farms, which recently led—in less than
4 years—to the adoption of pesticide-free IPM approaches
in about 1200 ha of highly valued Tuscan vineyards.
What we are talking about: top-quality vineyards in the hearth of Tuscany
We share facts and challenges arising from a recent
cooperative pilot experience carried out in the wine growing area of
Bolgheri (coastal Tuscany, DMS: 43.233982, 10.614802),
one of Italy’s most prestigious areas for the production of
top-quality and high economic value wines, mainly produced
from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc, and Merlot
cultivars (http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-bolgheri) (Fig.
1). The Bolgheri area is characterized by sandy soils and
mild climate with medium-high rainfall (400–800 mm per
year on average).
Issues to watch for
The highly valued Bolgheri vineyards have historically been
affected by heavy infestations of two key pests, the European
grapevine moth (EGVM), Lobesia botrana (Denis &
Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) (Fig. 2) and the
vine mealybug (VMB), Planococcus ficus Signoret
(Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) (Fig. 3).
Insecticide strategies generally adopted by growers
included two or three sprayings per year against EGVM with insect
growth regulators or organophosphorates, a (...truncated)