- 0532974721
- 0532974767
- massimo.coltorti@unife.it
Copper (Cu) is one of the seven fundamental micronutrients for plants. It is a very important tool in conventional and integrated pest management (IPM), in particular in organic farming, where other synthetic chemical substances cannot be applied. However its use to control bacterial and fungal diseases poses several safety questions, since this element is highly resilient in the environment, and tend to accumulate in the upper soil layers and in sediments.
Copper contamination levels in EU soils (topsoil, first centimeters). Colours are representing the concentration expressed as mg of copper per kg of soil. From: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/themes/copper-topsoils
Soil pollution is a major issue for European Union (EU), and copper rapid accumulation in agricultural soils is a worrying threat to environmental safety, as pointed out also by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, 2018). Even if copper does not accumulate in fruits, generally, high levels may become toxic for water organisms, honeybees, birds and mammals. The massive use of copper compounds in organic farming is thus no longer a sustainable practice. However, nowadays it is very difficult to totally substitute copper products because no other alternatives exist with comparable effectiveness.
LIFE MICROFIGHTER (Project 101074218 — LIFE21-ENV-IT-LIFE MICROFIGHTER
) is a new project that will test an innovative product against major pathogenic bacterial and fungal diseases for grapevine, tomato and olive trees. An innovative pesticide “Zeo-Biopesticide” made by the combination between zeolite technology and microbial biocontrol agents (mBCA) will ensure plant protection and a substantial reduction in the use of copper.
The active part is the microorganisms (mBCA), which are natural antagonists of the target phytopathogens.
The zeolite powder is a natural rock rich in zeolite minerals, that act as a carrier and life supplier for mBCA.
The use of zeolite will ensure a sufficient permanence time for the mBCA to colonize the aerial part of the plant, and efficiently contrast major diseases, such as downy mildew, bacterial speck, bacterial spot, olive knot disease and peacock eye.
The project started on the 1st of August 2022 and will last for 4 years; during this time, the “Zeo-Biopesticide” efficacy will be demonstrated on 9 different farms, cultivating tomato, olive groves and grapevine, and spread across Italy, Croatia and Spain.
Our goals are:
• 50% reduction of copper introduced in the environment,
• Increasing soil biodiversity,
• Protection of food production (yield, quality, marketability),
• Dissemination and networking with stakeholders (farmers, policy makers etc.)
The ZeoTeam (UNIFE) is the leader of two working groups, where our specific goals will be:
1. The acquisition of data from farms and the drafting of a detailed report that will then act as a baseline for experimental tests;
2. The monitoring of copper in soils, to access lower accumulation thanks to the substitution with the Zeo-Biopesticide;
3. The monitoring of biodiversity improvements due to low copper use;
4. The assessment of food characteristics and quality.
• SYMBIAGRO SRL, Italy
• ASTRA INNOVAZIONE E SVILUPPO SRL AGENZIA PER LA SPERIMENTAZIONE TECNOLOGICA E LA RICERCA AGROAMBIENTALE SRL (Astra), Italy
• CONSORZIO AGRARIO DI RAVENNA SOC.COOP. A R.L. (CAR), Italy
• FEDERACION DE COOPERATIVAS AGROALIMENTARES DE LA COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA (CACV), Spain
• CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE (CNR), Italy
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FERRARA (Unife), Italy
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MODENA E REGGIO EMILIA (UNIMORE), Italy
• SVEUCILISTE U ZADRU (UNIZD), Croatia
• CO&SO -CONSORZIO PER LA COOPERAZIONE E LA SOLIDARIETA'-CONSORZIO DI COOPERATIVE SOCIALI-SOCIETA' COOPERATTIVA SOCIALE (CO&SO), Italy
Prof. Massimo Coltorti - massimo.coltorti@unife.it
Co&So – Costantino Raspi:europa@coeso.org
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union or the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Italiano
English