Description of project activities

Planned activities:

1. Research unit (ICCRR) prepares the materials (synthesized pheromones, dispensers, traps) required in the field tests;
2. Farmers (Partners) maintain of orchards through specific activities;
3. Field studies regarding pests and diseases in orchards from Bistrita-Nasaud county area;
4. Field experiments - application of innovative MD biotechnologies in mixed orchards;
5. Monitoring of the indicators proposed: no. of catches in traps, attacked fruits;
6. Evaluation the efficiency of the eco-technics;
7. Experiments, using ozone technology, for keeping apples over the winter;
8. Dissemination of results: Conferences / workshops/webinars with Partners participation.

Description of the context of the project

In the Annual Work Program (AWP) 2019 European Commission proposes in rural development policy as new objectives: the development of sustainable agriculture, rural employment, healthy eating and promoting consumption of fruits and vegetables as a daily practice. Our project technologies could contribute to the preservation of the environment and biodiversity. For pests control common practices in Romanian orchards are using various pesticides. Pests, such as the apple worm (Cydia pomonella), the apple stem borer (Synanthedon myopaeformis) the plum worm (Grapholita funebrana), the plum fly (Eriotoma amigdalis). Operational group ECO_FRUCT_BN will tested innovative experiments in orchards situated in the hill and mountain area of Bistrita county. Researchers, specialists in ecological chemistry from „Babeș-Bolyai” University –Institute for Research in Chemistry „Raluca Ripan” has the necessary expertise to implement an IPM strategies for pest control without eradication useful fauna, (entomophagous, with important role in biocenotic balance), but bringing the pest population to a density below the economic damage threshold. In traditional orchards for obtaining organic fruit, as the market demands, chemical treatments (repeated spraying with insecticides, which affect the entire biocenosis) will be replaced by the MD method (mating disruption), accepted in EU organic farming, specific and selective, which uses ecomons (pheromones and kairomoni). It will also be proposed an experiment with a method for storing organic fruits for a long time. Farmers intend to develop their own small organic farms in order to obtain and store organic fruits, apples, plums, pears "clean", with taste and fragrance, without toxic load. These goal will be realized by the technological transfer of the applied researches

Additional comments

Perspectives for assimilating the results of the project: the creation of healthy / eco-friendly development models (to be followed by others), the possibility to introduce other new techniques / technologies to other farmers, the possibility to enter GO, the possibility to form other partnerships or to expand the existing ones, the introduction of the eco-friendly management system by other farmers as well, the stimulation of the development and the realization of investments in organic / eco products, etc. The identified market opportunities are primarily related to:

• growing demand for organic / bio / eco products, not chemically treated, healthy products.
• promoting farmers who produce organic on the market
• promoting healthy Romanian products in the context of information and market penetration of imported products on which there are doubts about the health risk.

The interest / desire of other companies to take over the project results is mainly related to the success obtained in the project implementation. The power of the example is the most convincing, so in addition to the arguments already set out, the successful implementation of the project and the results obtained by the 4 farmers will be the convincing example. The transfer of good practices will also play an important role. Potential obstacles: climate conditions (for tests in the fields), pandemic conditions