01.02.2023
On 25th January 2023, the final meeting of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) funded collaborative project MoPlaSa on non-chemical control strategies against the buckthorn fruit fly (Rhagoletis batava) took place at ZALF. The project had started in August 2018 and was led by ZALF.
The members of the project group (ZALF, Agrathaer, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, e-nema, Neisser Geoprodukte, practical farms, Plant Protection Services of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sanddornverein e. V.) met with interested guests from science and practice to exchange information about the achieved results and the project progress.
Of particular interest were the results and resulting recommendations for practice, which can help sea buckthorn growers in the further control of the insect pest and the maintenance of sea buckthorn production. These include new knowledge of the fly's biology and monitoring methods so that close observation and appropriate effective control measures can be implemented using plant protection products applicable on organic farms. A possible reduction of the fly population by naturally occurring parasitoids (parasitic wasps) was also observed and considered to be very important - this should definitely be included in the control concept. Other tested methods could not yet be satisfactorily integrated into the package of measures in terms of their reliability under practical conditions.
The conclusion of the day was that many important insights were gained in the context of a very ambitious and challenging project and were noted with interest at the closing event. Some questions remain open for future work and will be further pursued by the Plant Protection Service, among others, to support growers in their efforts to achieve sustainable and economic sea buckthorn cultivation.
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On 25.01.2023, the final event of the collaborative project MoPlaSa, funded within the framework of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP), took place at ZALF. | Source: © M. Mueller.
