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[supersonico] 25/2/2018 13:18

Discover in images the approach of the solutions contract aiming at a progress trajectory for the protection of plants. The goal is to meet the expectations of farmers as consumers.

[supersonico] 25/2/2018 12:32

Mildiou: organic farming no longer wants to use copper
By Loïc Chauveau the 22.01.2018 at 09:00

Organic agriculture is entitled to only one mineral treatment product: copper. But it is very toxic in the environment. Researchers are now exploring promising alternatives.


TOXIC. "Copper is our stain". This regret comes from an organic farmer present January 16, 2018 to the return of the collective expertise (Esco) on the use of this mineral in organic agriculture led by the Technical Institute of Organic Agriculture (Itab) and the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA). Used in its ionic form in formulations combining sulphates and hydroxides, copper is the only treatment allowed on organic crops where it is sprayed on the leaves. The most famous product invented in the nineteenth century is the "Bordeaux mixture", a mixture of copper sulphate and lime.
Copper is used for about fifty uses defined by a culture and a pathogen. But it is mainly used for three diseases that cause economic devastation: the potato late blight, the vine downy mildew, apple scab. Its use is limited to 6 kilos per hectare per year (kg / ha / year) both in organic and conventional. But wet years where microorganisms abound, this limit is difficult to meet.

Copper affects both plants and animals
ANTIBACTERIAL. The toxicity of the mineral is no longer to prove. Copper is chosen for its antibacterial properties whose mechanism of action is not yet known. It is because of these qualities that it is used as much in health and hospital environments as in agriculture against pathogenic microbes. But after decades of use, agricultural soils and particularly viticultural soils are high, especially since copper does not deteriorate. If naturally, there are 3 to 100 milligrams of copper per kilo (mg / kg) of soil, the vines can go up to 500 mg / kg. The plants are now suffering from chlorosis and "there are hundreds of studies that show that copper affects the microbial communities of soils and microfauna components such as collembolans", said Didier Andrivon, Esco's scientific pilot for INRA. These damage to the environment will be less and less tolerable as the development of organic farming progresses. The aim of the Estates General of Food is to reach 20% of the agricultural area useful in organic as of 2022.

Multiple solutions to replace a single product
Since 2000, more than 3,000 scientific articles have focused on technical solutions to reduce usage.

Biocontrol involves introducing into the environment microorganisms that feed on pathogens or take their place in the ecosystem. These substances or natural products can also strengthen the resistance of plants by stimulating their natural defenses.
The direct action on the pathogen is possible thanks to plant extracts whose effectiveness is often recognized: decoction of nettles, horsetail essence, essential oils of garlic or cloves.
Prophylaxis includes all methods of destroying pathogens during the winter. This consists for example in recovering and destroying the dead leaves where the fungi have deposited their spores. The -effective- method is spreading in arboriculture, but remains marginal in viticulture.
Cultivation is the process of pruning the plants so that the fruits are always well aerated and do not bathe in a humidity favorable for the development of the microscopic fungi.

Varietal resistance uses genetics. The disease resistance genes present in ancient or archaic varieties are inserted into agricultural varieties. The technique is deployed in the potato (several varieties are already marketed) and is in test for the vineyard with the Oscar network of INRA.
Esco has gone through many articles on the effect of each of these techniques. "None of them alone has the overall effect of copper and their effectiveness is random depending on the application conditions or the weather," says Didier Andrivon. The most promising is that of varietal resistance but this one faces several difficulties. These hybrids may be less productive or change the taste of the finished product, which is unacceptable for wine. And many farmers - especially in bio- are wary of these varieties resulting from these new techniques of hybridization.

Substitution is not possible. But why not try to mix all its solutions? "We have found very few scientific publications showing the results of a crop management using all these techniques at once," regrets the researcher. Also, INRA has decided to invest this whole new way of research. From 2018, the experimental farm of Epoisses (Côte d'Or) will explore the possible synergies between all alternatives to copper.

[supersonico] 25/2/2018 11:54

Can we do without copper in organic farming?
On January 16, 2018, INRA delivered a collective scientific expertise (ESCo) on the levers available to reduce the use of copper for the protection of organic crops. This expertise was carried out at the joint request of the Technical Institute of Organic Agriculture (Itab) and a federating research program INRA (Metaprogramme SMaCH *). The review of the literature adopted and the results are potentially applicable to other agricultural issues seeking to limit or avoid the consumption of certain inputs.

Copper is used in Europe in most types of agriculture to control certain fungal or bacterial diseases and plays an important role in the protection of crops grown in organic farming. The use of copper is currently approved in more than 50 cases in arboriculture, viticulture, market gardening or field crops, with formulations authorized by the specifications of organic farming. Current uses are particularly important in vineyards for controlling downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola), in field crops to protect the potato from late blight (Phytophtora infestans) and, to a lesser extent, in apple orchards to contain the disease. scab (Venturia inaequalis). These three pathogens are at the origin of particularly damaging crop losses.
Surplus copper concentrations have adverse effects on the growth and development of most plants, microbial communities and soil fauna. These effects motivated regulatory restrictions on use (ceilings of the applicable doses per hectare and per year) and even the prohibitions of its phytosanitary use pronounced by certain European countries (Netherlands, Denmark) which lead to questioning the alternatives. currently or potentially available to limit or avoid the use of copper.

What alternatives to copper?
Several alternative methods to copper exist, with often partial effects. So they often have to be combined to effectively protect crops. Among them, genetics and, in particular, the search for resistant varieties holds an important place. However, ensuring the durability of resistances over time requires genetic constructions combining several resistances (pyramid) and a field management of the use of these varieties not to promote the ability of pathogens to overcome them.
Several natural products with biocidal capacity and / or natural stimulator of plants (including some essential oils, especially orange) are also part of the tools available, alongside prophylactic measures based on the removal of contaminated crop residues or the deployment of rain tarpaulins that prevent contamination by pathogenic spores. Tarpaulins are an effective but expensive device. The effectiveness of natural products (biocides and SDP) is more variable in field conditions than in the laboratory and R & D studies by companies involved in biocontrol would still be needed to improve their efficiency.
The knowledge gathered in the expertise shows that copper avoidance strategies, combining these different levers, are possible in apple orchards and in potato culture. The assembly of these levers leads, in these two cases, to (certainly theoretical) proposals for a system of crop protection that makes it possible to envisage the complete substitution and redesign of systems. For the vine, in the short term, the lever of genetics is not yet applicable in all conditions: we must change the naming regulations and gradually deploy the resistances to prevent them from being bypassed and permanently lost. If the genetic track is therefore an essential strategy in the medium term, it is the reduction of the doses of copper employed which, in the immediate future, would be the main lever. The doses applied could indeed be reduced without loss of efficiency.
Combining different means of control leads to redesigning the culture and crop protection systems that would need to be validated in system experimentation. The expertise also points to the lack of references in terms of adoption capacity and induced costs (including training and work organization) for the farms concerned. Further study would also be needed .

Parked;

[northwick] 24/2/2018 22:45

That's why I stick to good quality Scottish whiskey, preferably Single Malt.

[investingisatrickygame] 24/2/2018 22:07

Supersonico,

With all this stuff you put up I think none of us should drink one glass of wine or have our five a day. It seems the reality is that they are the worst of things for us :)

[supersonico] 24/2/2018 16:25

The Chinese government has thrown billions of dollars at the development of GMOs, but the unpopularity of such crops with consumers in China has prevented their large-scale agricultural production in that country. Waking Times recently reported that massive demand for organic produce in China has caused food shortages because of the country’s issues with pollution, and has led to the production of “fake organics.”
Unfortunately, a lack of demand at home has also led to a flood of questionable Chinese products flowing into other countries, including the United States.

[supersonico] 24/2/2018 15:39

Dutch Article;

UN: use pesticides violation of human rights to health



The use of pesticides is a serious threat to our health. This is the conclusion of the United Nations (UN) on the basis of a report from the beginning of 2017. Almost everyone gets the toxins inside, with deviations, illnesses and even death as a result. According to the UN report, this has disastrous consequences for our ecosystem - including global bee mortality - and poses a serious threat to everything that is alive. The only solution, according to the UN, is a transition to sustainable agriculture.

The UN report underlines the argumentation of the 'No VAT on bio' campaign. This was started in November by over 150 organic specialty stores and runs until 20 February. In the meantime, the organic specialty stores have already collected 60,000 signatures. They believe that production and consumption of organic food must be stimulated extra and that it will not help if the price remains relatively high due to unfair taxation.

Emergency bell

Ronald van Marlen, board member of Stichting EKO and Bio Nederland, is surprised that hardly anyone has heard this emergency bell from the UN. "The report is harsh, but probably no one dares to believe the bad news," says Van Marlen. "At the highest possible level, they have delivered profound thinking with the conclusion that pesticides are perilous and superfluous." The report substantiates this with references to scientific publications.

The risk to public health starts with the release of the pesticides over the country. Due to evaporation and drift, a large part of the air ends up in the air. Farmers and agricultural workers, but also people in the vicinity of industrial agricultural lands and plantations, breathe this in. "Through our food we are almost all the bobbin," according to Van Marlen. "People who eat non-organic food daily get a lot of residues. Because plants absorb pesticides through their root system, the ingestion of residues can not be avoided with washing or peeling.

[supersonico] 24/2/2018 13:05

New (2014) Innovative Approaches to Crop Protection Report from Food Research Partnership Stakeholder Workshop

[supersonico] 24/2/2018 09:09

The synchronicity of the approval of Mevalone with the fast evolving DOT in France is very positive IMrampingO.



On the occasion of the Congress of Agricultural Cooperation,
cooperative enterprises reaffirm their strengths and their identity,
while listening to consumers and society!

video: "Agricultural Cooperation means cooperating for the common good!"

[supersonico] 23/2/2018 21:41

##Sustainablechemistry



What is Sustainable Chemistry?

Sustainable Chemistry is an essential part of sustainable development based on the application of ecological principles in chemical production and by shaping product design, manufacturing, consumption of resources, health and safety at work, economic success and technical innovation based on clear sustainability criteria – in industrialized nations as well as in emerging and developing countries.
Along that path the chemical industry plays a crucial role. On the one hand, it consumes vast quantities of raw materials and energy and is the cause of pollution with hazardous substances. That is why the sound management of chemicals and waste is crucial. On the other hand, today the chemical sector already plays an important role in solving key societal problems by using and developing innovative materials and products. This offers broad opportunities for economic progress especially in developing and emerging countries – whilst protecting health and the environment. Therefore, a sustainability-oriented chemical industry can make a major contribution to achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN.

Sustainable Chemistry focuses on:

Quality: Use of non-hazardous substances or – in cases where this is not possible – of substances which are less hazardous for man and environment as well as resource-friendly manufacture of durable and recyclable products.
Quantity: Reduction of consumption of resources; use as far as possible of renewable resources; avoidance of emissions or discharges of chemicals or hazardous substances into the environment or – where this is not possible – corresponding reduction; these measures additionally help to save costs.
Life cycle assessment: Analysis of raw material extraction, manufacture, further processing, use and disposal of chemicals and products in order to lower resource and energy consumption and avoid hazardous substances.
Action – not reaction: Avoid in advance that chemicals endanger the environment and human health during their life cycle and overburden the environment as source and sink; avoidance of damage costs and thus of economic risk for enterprises and clean-up costs for the state.
Business innovation: Chemicals, products and manufacturing methods developed in line with the requirements of sustainability create trust amongst industrial users and private consumers and thus lever a competitive advantage.

[supersonico] 23/2/2018 20:38

Sumi Agro 3AEY plus Action-Pin Brochure

TERP’INNOV

[investingisatrickygame] 23/2/2018 15:27

And when Eden tweets such news why just tweet it to themselves, hashtags aside. Why does Eden not tweet the same at Waitrose, M and S, Majestic Wine, leading Wine journalists and more. Wouldn't that be the sensible thing to do? Not everyone will trawl through or follow the same hashtags.

[supersonico] 23/2/2018 13:19

In the coming months..news



Field visit in Chablis with partners @SumiAgroFrance
Excellent to see the use of Mevalone spreading across France!

using a load of new ##Hashtags####

#biocontrol #partners #grapes #inthecomingmonths #biopesticides #sustainablechemistry

[supersonico] 23/2/2018 12:31

French agriculture at the crossroads



Boom bio, experimentation on the roofs of cities, emergence of biocontrol ... but also health scandals, precariousness of many farmers, land degradation and pesticide use fatal to pollinating insects: against the backdrop of aspirations and injunctions often contradictory, the l agriculture and French farmers seem to have arrived at a crossroads.
Beyond the spotlight on the successes and failures of the sector, it is the question of the agricultural model that arises with increasing acuteness, as evidenced by the recent debates conducted in the framework of the Estates General. of food.
The question that should now concern us is how research and political action can think and prepare not only the world of tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow. In this context, the agricultural and food system (from producer to consumer) plays an essential role.

Fragile regions
In recent decades, considerable productivity gains have been achieved in a context of profound changes in the agricultural world, making it possible to provide food at a very low price.
One point must be emphasized here: over the last 40 years, there has been a global movement of substitution of agricultural labor by inputs (machinery, chemistry). This transformation has led to economies of scale and the emergence of larger farms. This has also led to the specialization of production at the level of agricultural regions, as shown by the example of milk.

As a consequence of this movement, the resilience capacities guaranteed by the diversity of agriculture have diminished. Each region of France is thus more exposed to hazards, whether climate or market.
In the successive reforms of agriculture and the CAP, this problem - the fact that this specialization would intensify the environmental impacts - was not explicitly taken into account, even if the milk quota system in France had incorporated this point. and allowed to slow down the concentration. To leave this established system is complicated. We must start to push small and big changes.

Change the system but how?
To make things move, several approaches are possible, as conceptualized by the researchers Stuart B. Hill and Rod J. MacRae to whom we owe an analytical grid to evaluate the degree of change of a system. , according to three large levels.
First there is "efficiency": we do not change anything radically but we try to improve the existing, by adjusting each component of a system. Then comes the "substitution": one starts from the same organization by exploring the benefits allowed by a substitution to one or other of the components of a system. Finally, the "redesign": the whole system is redesigned.
Take the example of weed management for winter rapeseed (sown at the end of the summer). The sprayer can best be adjusted to minimize the amount of herbicide required (efficiency). By adapting row spacing, it is possible to use weed control, which combines mechanical weeding and chemical treatment on the row (substitution). Finally, you can sow winter rape with legumes frost (redesign).

In the latter case, the legumes will settle quickly in the fall, preventing the growth of weeds, then they will freeze in the winter, leaving the soil clean and allowing the rapeseed to grow. Note that in this device, frozen legumes will release nitrogen favorable to the growth of rapeseed and prevent the occurrence in autumn of an insect, the big flea beetle. This also avoids insecticide treatment.
The obsession with the low price
To change the situation, we must also draw a new common horizon. The social contract on which our agricultural model is based has not changed. It is always about having enough quantity and the lowest price, while ensuring the safety.
Remember that in France, food self-sufficiency was not reached until the early 1980s: it is the result of a set of production systems set up at a time when people were not eating at their own expense. hunger. In 1950, the Hexagon imported half of its food! A real feat has therefore been accomplished by French and European agriculture in a few decades.

It is in this light that we must reread the first of the Treaty of Rome - "to increase productivity" - concerning the common European agricultural policy, on which our agriculture is still based.
The CAP is also based on this steady increase in agricultural production. But this continuous increase can not be realized without a fair and precise evaluation of the yields; however, they are likely to become more and more unpredictable in a time of climate change.
Take the example of soft winter wheat. Its average yields increased steadily from 1969 to 1995 due to genetic improvement, (often chemical) control of lodging and pests (diseases, insects, weeds) and management of nitrogen fertilization. Since 1995, there has been no trend increase and interannual variations are becoming central. In France, 2016 marks a year of exceptionally bad weather.

Climate change induces earlier maturity and, in the long run, limits yield potential. Rather than seeking maximum productivity at the scale of each culture, should not we explore other options? Should not we go from one crop per year to three in two years and so enhance the value of the whole year? Intermediate crops are, for example, an effective option for this new approach.
A new contract for tomorrow's agriculture
While the Etats Généraux de la Alimentation has offered a space to rethink the French agricultural model (in particular to ensure sustainable food and a better distribution of agricultural income), they are above all a vision; their results can only be evaluated in the long term.

This is not unlike the Grenelle of the environment and the awareness about the massive use of plant protection products and antibiotics. It took time for actions to be put in place with concrete results: EcoAntibio (reduction of antibiotics in livestock farming), AgriBio (increase in the share of organic farming in production and consumption) or Ecophyto (reduction the use of phytosanitary products); even if in the latter case, the results are slower to manifest themselves.
Today, for this transition to be possible, we must obviously identify the levers to be activated, but also understand how the agricultural system is "locked". In such a configuration, with many players in balance, the first who seeks to evolve may indeed lose. Innovations and regulatory incentives should "unlock" the system.
We will be able to bet on niche innovations - such as biocontrol, which will be able to hybridize with the dominant system of chemistry to replace it gradually. Not to mention the crucial role of the legislator, as will undoubtedly be seen with the future stopping of glyphosate. Regulation is a key accelerator for changing practices.

But what needs to be promoted presents a low real risk. Because in the innovation regime experienced by agriculture, the deployment of operational systems is highly dependent on local conditions (markets, regulations, soil conditions, climatic conditions). However, a very strong dependence on local conditions slows or even prevents the adoption of innovations. Remember that it is precisely to reduce the risk and this dependence in the environment that agriculture has resorted massively to chemistry.

Levers for a transition
Several levers can be identified to support the transition from French agriculture to agroecology: learning by use, which emphasizes the role of initial and continuous training, the collective functioning of farmer groups, the agricultural council or collective facilities shared thanks to new technologies.
The training of the farmers of tomorrow is crucial: today, we come to the end of "Pisani high schools"; these have trained generations of farmers as part of this first "agricultural social contract" which advocated the intensification of production to meet food self-sufficiency objectives. If today things can move, it will also be thanks to this new generation that will mobilize practices and systems more "intensive" in knowledge.

Counseling is also a major component of change because it spreads knowledge and lowers farmers' risk aversion. When we talk about the separation of advice and sales, it is above all the quality of the board and advisers that must be the focus of attention. Different organizational models of the council exist in Europe and in the world. That of Canada and Quebec, with an order of agronomists, encourages reflection.
The agricultural transition is an individual issue for each farmer, but also collective and societal. It is not only the production of resources that needs to be mobilized but the entire value chain (from production to consumption, including processing). A better distribution of value and a modification of the common agricultural policy, with implementation of payments for environmental services, would be effective translations of these important changes in progress.

[supersonico] 23/2/2018 12:15

DOT Organic..

Last year, 649 new winemakers began a conversion to organic compared to 467 in


Organic viticulture continues its development.

Organic viticulture consolidates its development. In 2017, 5074 winemakers were engaged in this mode of production. That's 14.5% more than last year. "There is a very strong craze of winemakers for organic," said Florent Guhl, director of the Agency Bio, February 22 in Paris, at a press conference.


In 2017, 649 new winemakers began a conversion against 467 in 2016. "We did not necessarily expect such figures given the difficulties of conversion to organic viticulture," said Florent Guhl while adding that this testified to strong consumer demand for organic wines. Organic viticulture has greatly expanded in Occitania, New Aquitaine, Provence-Alpes Côte d'Azur and the Grand Est.
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The European Court of Auditors (ECA) is conducting an audit on the controls of organic food in the EU. The auditors will examine the control system that governs the production, processing, distribution and importation of organic products, and will try to assess whether consumers can now trust that the products are really ecological than at the time of the last audit of the ECA of this sector in 2012. Likewise, the auditors have published an information document on the EU organic food control system for those interested in the subject.
Organic production is a way of producing food and other products that respects natural life cycles. The ecological nature of the products is verified on the basis of a certification system established in the legislation of the Union and supervised by the European Commission. The system is applied by the Member States and the inspections are carried out by public and private organizations.

Retail sales of organic food from the EU grew by 54% between 2010 and 2015. The total area of ​​organic farming in the EU increased by 21% in the same period. Imports of organic food grew by 32% between 2012 and 2015. Although the price of organic products is higher than that of conventionally produced products, the market strives to meet the demand, and the surcharge that consumers are willing to pay. Pay has the potential to encourage fraudulent green sales.
In the words of Nikolaos Milionis, Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for auditing, "the challenge facing the green sector is to ensure a constant growth of supply and demand, maintaining the confidence of consumers."
In the framework of the common agricultural policy, certified farmers receive a 'green payment'. They can also receive support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, both for the conversion to ecological agricultural practices and for their maintenance. The total contribution of the Fund to payments to organic farming for the period 2014-2020 amounts to 6.5 billion euros.

[supersonico] 23/2/2018 09:57

Suggestions for things to watch and read while you wait for Fraudyboy to respond .

Make yourselves comfortable.. It could be a while.

Box office News


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Californians for Pesticide Reform Newsletter;


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[supersonico] 22/2/2018 18:06

Investing..one for you ..but maybe the 'green' is just related to clean energy investments..



Interview 5: A look at the investment landscape: what are the opportunities and challenges?
Bio-based is a risky, long-term investment. Yet with growing demand among family funds and investors for “green” investments, there are increasing opportunities in the sector. This presentation will provide the investor’s view of the sector – what are the opportunities and threats to financing?
Jos Peeters, Managing Partner, Capricorn Venture Partners