Articles
CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES FOR ORGANIC STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION IN FINLAND
Article number
567_114
Pages
531 – 534
Language
English
Abstract
Protection of plants for pests is a major challenge in organic strawberry production.
To ensure successful organic strawberry production, effective sustainable plant protection methods need to be developed.
The primary aim of our project is to develop ecological mulching and plant protection techniques.
This project will be carried out through 2003 at MTT Agrifood Research Finland.
The specific aims of the project are:
   1) to study the effect of mulching of organic materials (greenmass, straw, husks of buckwheat, flax fibre mat and wood chips of deciduous and coniferous trees) with black plastic mulch as a control, 2) to study the effect of biological sprays (seaweed, garlic and compost extracts, Trichoderma and silicon spray) on fungal diseases and the effect of essential oils (d-limonene, carvone, mint oil) on pests, 3) to study the biological control of strawberry mite by means of indigenous predatory mites and to evaluate the effect of mulching materials and biological sprays on strawberry mites, and 4) to study the effect of seaweed, garlic and compost extracts, Trichoderma and silicon spray treatments on the fungal and bacterial flora of berries and to develop a method for the prognosis of post-harvest quality and storage properties of the yield.
Mulches, biological sprays, biological control by predatory mites and the fungi and bacteria affecting the quality of the berries will be studied in field trials.
Predatory mites will be reared in the laboratory in Jokioinen, where a field for experiments on biological control, quality and prognosis has been established.
To ensure successful organic strawberry production, effective sustainable plant protection methods need to be developed.
The primary aim of our project is to develop ecological mulching and plant protection techniques.
This project will be carried out through 2003 at MTT Agrifood Research Finland.
The specific aims of the project are:
   1) to study the effect of mulching of organic materials (greenmass, straw, husks of buckwheat, flax fibre mat and wood chips of deciduous and coniferous trees) with black plastic mulch as a control, 2) to study the effect of biological sprays (seaweed, garlic and compost extracts, Trichoderma and silicon spray) on fungal diseases and the effect of essential oils (d-limonene, carvone, mint oil) on pests, 3) to study the biological control of strawberry mite by means of indigenous predatory mites and to evaluate the effect of mulching materials and biological sprays on strawberry mites, and 4) to study the effect of seaweed, garlic and compost extracts, Trichoderma and silicon spray treatments on the fungal and bacterial flora of berries and to develop a method for the prognosis of post-harvest quality and storage properties of the yield.
Mulches, biological sprays, biological control by predatory mites and the fungi and bacteria affecting the quality of the berries will be studied in field trials.
Predatory mites will be reared in the laboratory in Jokioinen, where a field for experiments on biological control, quality and prognosis has been established.
Publication
Authors
P. Kivijäri, S. Prokkola, A. Aflatuni, P. Parikka, T. Tuovinen
Keywords
Fragaria x ananassa, organic cultivation, mulches, Botrytis cinerea, Galerucella sagittariae, essential oils, Phytonemus pallidus, predatory mites, microbial quality, shelf-life
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