Integrated protection of olive crops
Keywords |
Olive crops, IPM, pests, diseases, natural enemies, biological control, biotechnical methods, sustainability, side effects of pesticides. |
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| Convenor | Perdikis D. | |
| Liaison-Officer | Lucchi A. | |
Structure |
The WG “Integrated Protection of Olive Crops” was initiated as a Study Group in 1991. It is composed of scientists, advisors and other stakeholders from the Mediterranean basin, other European countries and overseas. In September 2003, the Council decided to transform the Study Group into Working Group and endorsed the election of Dr Argyro Kalaitzaki as convenor. In the last WG meeting in Cordoba, Spain, Dr Dionyssios Perdikis was elected as a new convenor. |
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Aim |
The group fosters exchange of knowledge and expertise on research, development and implementation of integrated and biological control strategies for olive pests and diseases, aiming to minimize the impacts of crop protection on the environment, increase sustainability and support the production of higher quality products. Main goal of the group is also to promote cooperation among scientists, advisors and other stakeholders working in this field. |
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Activities |
Members of the group target their research towards the development, evaluation and implementation of all aspects of integrated and biological control methods for olive pests and diseases. The WG meets every two years to discuss new findings on the following main research activities:
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Achievements |
The working group has organized five meetings. The 1st meeting in Chania, Greece, in May 2003, the 2nd in Florence, Italy, October 2005, the 3rd in Bragança, Portugal, October 2007, the 4th in Córdoba, Spain, June 2009 and the last one in Jerusalem, Israel, in May 2011. Participants from academic and government research institutions, industry and extension services from Europe but also from overseas regularly attend the WG meetings. Attendance is expected to remain high due to the importance of pests and diseases, which include some of the most extensively studied in crop protection, the several innovative management approaches that have been developed and the economic importance of the crop in Mediterranean countries but also in new areas. Since the initiation of the WG, new techniques, tools, control strategies and a considerable number of beneficials have been developed, studied and evaluated. The WG has much enhanced the cooperation on development and application of IPM in olive groves worldwide. The results of the working group's activities appear in the following IOBC-WPRS publications: IOBC-WPRS Bulletin Vol. 25 (4) 2002 (pdf), 67 pp. Meeting 2011, 15-20 May, in Jerusalem, Israel (website). Meeting 2009, 1-4 June, in Córdoba, Spain. |
