ORGANIC SEEDS, AN AREA THAT REQUIRES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Published in: Journal of plant pathology 2009-12, Vol.91 (4), p.S4.84-S4.84
• Main Authors: Riccioni, L, Zaccardelli, M, Pasquini, M, Micheloni, C, Malinconico, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alternaria; Ascochyta rabiei; Cicer arietinum; Colletotrichum lindemuthianum; Daucus; Fusarium; Triticum aestivum
• ISSN: 1125-4653

For obtaining organic productions, one of the requirements to be followed is the use of seeds from mother plants grown using organic methods (Reg. EC No 2092/91). In the early stages, given the total absence of organic seeds on the market, the EU had to provide mechanisms for exemption (Reg. EC No 1452/2003) to use conventional non chemically treated seeds. Data, available on the ENSE website, demonstrate the unavailability of organically produced seeds, and the use of massive amounts of untreated conventional seed. To encourage the development of organic seed production, the Italian Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestall has therefore launched the project Pro.vi.se.bio, in which the Subproject "Organic seeds" aims at the "identification of the best agronomic practices to prevent infection to seeds and limit the use of treatments for the defense in the growing stages after sowing, and to the identification of new natural compounds for organic seed treatment". Three Institutions of CRA (CRA-PAV, CRA-QCE and CRA-ORT), the ICTP-CNR and AIAB participate in this Subproject. Technical choices will be investigated as the most suitable to contain the contamination/infection by: (i) Fusarium spp. to seeds of durum and bread wheat; (ii) Colletotrichum lindemuthianum to bean seeds; (iii) Ascochyta rabiei to chickpea seeds; (iv) Alternaria spp. to carrot seeds. Economically sustainable strategies for organic seed treatment will also be developed for the control of seed-borne fungi, without affecting negatively other agronomic parameters, and for protecting seedlings from attacks by pathogenic soil fungi. Preliminary results obtained during the first phase of the Subproject are reported.