Project / Initiative
Contracts and agreements
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Inactive
BEACON
Agri-environmental measures to enhance pollination and pest control services in apple and orange orchards
In this project, funded by the fruit industry, we have applied two agri-environmental measures, a planting of floral bands and a reduction of phytosanitary treatments in apple and orange groves in Soria, Lleida and Valencia. We have measured the impact of these visits on pollinators and natural enemies of pests and on fruit production and quality.
The objective of this project is to evaluate the combined effects of two agri-environmental measures, the sowing of flower strips and the reduction in pesticide treatments, on pollination and pest control services.
We are working in apple and orange farms in Soria, Lleida and Valencia, in collaboration with IRTA, IVIA and the University of Reading. We are assessing pollinator visitation rates and pollinator compositon in the two key crops, as well as natural enemy composition and pest populations. We are also measuring initial and final fruit set, and several parameters related to fruit quality.
Our goal is to show that agri-environmental measures provide economic returns in terms of improved yields and/or fruit quality.
