S15 - Session P1 - Resilient organic berry cropping systems through enhanced biodiversity and innovative management strategies

Authors: Annette Reineke, Daniel Pleissner, Oana-Crina Bujor-Nenita, Rachid Lahlali, Abdelali Blenzar, Grzegorz Doruchowski, Bogdan Mihalcea, Lene Sigsgaard *

ResBerry is a newly launched EU-project funded under Core Organic Cofund aiming to provide the necessary knowledge and demonstrate the effectiveness of some specific tools to enhance the above- and belowground biodiversity in European organic berry orchards to increase resilience of berries against major pests and diseases. ResBerry will apply the most recent advances in: a) Implementation of preventive pest control measures through management of habitats for natural enemies in organic berry orchards by including companion plants in the form of flower strips, trap plants and/or cover crops supported with an optimized crop canopy structure; b) Deciphering the soil microbial community in organic berry orchards, how communities are shaped by companion plants, and which measurements can be applied to favor beneficial soil microorganisms as a preventive measurement against soil-borne pathogens and for overall increased resilience; c) Raising awareness among farmers for using direct innovative pest control strategies, such as entomopathogenic nematodes for control of spotted wing drosophila and entomovectoring for control of grey mould; d) Evaluating the implications of the proposed measures on yield and nutritional quality of berries and tackling the consumers' expectations regarding these measures; e) Disseminating and communicating the results to stakeholders, growers, market organizations, research scientists, academia, technical services and consumers. With a wide geographical coverage in five European countries, the project will focus on strawberries and raspberries but will also consider other small fruits as well.