On 16 March 2021, a digital workshop on the topic of sustainability of organic fruit orchards will be held in the framework of the EU project DOMINO. Among other things, the results of trials conducted by FiBL Switzerland and six project partners over the past three years will be presented.

Organic fruit production is characterized by a ‘conventionalization’ of the management methods that are frequently reducing biodiversity and depend largely on external inputs to maintain soil fertility and assure plant protection. There is thus the need to introduce new strategies such as using multifunctional cover crops which can also improve the economic return of orchards.

In the framework of the CORE Organic project DOMINO (Dynamic sod mulching and use of recycled amendments to increase biodiversity, resilience and sustainability of intensive organic fruit orchards and vineyards), FiBL Switzerland and six project partners have tested new strategies to improve the long-term sustainability and the ecological foot print of intensive organic fruit production. The trials have been carried out in the five countries of the EU (Italy, Germany, Poland, France, Bulgaria) and by FiBL in Switzerland.

On 16 March 2021, a digital workshop will present lessons learned of three years of research on the following topics:

• Biodiversity and ecosystem services: Increasing the biodiversity of organic fruit orchards and vineyards by the introduction of new crops or companion plants in the tree row and the assessment of ecosystem services of such systems.
• Fertilisation: Testing of regionally available recycling fertilisers and leguminous intercrops to improve nutrient balances and ecosystem services.
• Plant protection: Evaluating partly closed cover systems to support non-chemical pest and disease control.

Registration for the workshop at this LINK . More information about DOMINO at the project web site.

Source: FIBL