Projects / Programmes
January 1, 2009
- December 31, 2012
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 4.03.00 |
Biotechnical sciences |
Plant production |
|
| 1.03.00 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Biology |
|
| 4.02.00 |
Biotechnical sciences |
Animal production |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| B6 |
Biomedical sciences |
B6 |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 4.05 |
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences |
Other agricultural sciences |
Sustainable Agriculture, healthy food, organic agriculture, harmful organisms, mycotoksins, pesticide application, pesticide residues, phytophysiology, vine growing, vegetable growing, fruit growing, cattle breeding, agriculture mechanisation, agriculture economics
Researchers (30)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Agriculture plays a multipurpose role in the environment since beside its basic, i.e. economic function, it plays an important ecological, environmental, social and cultural role. Therefore, the principles of sustainable development can not avoid the agriculture, its goal as to sustainability being the production of healthy food, reduction of negative influence on environment, preservation of biotic diversity, soil fertility and care of cultural landscape. The presented program entitled "Sustainable Agriculture" deals with the research of production technologies of fruit, grapes, vegetables and field crops, with the methods of wine production and with animal husbandry, all this in the sense of competitiveness and lesser pressure on the environment. Special emphasis is paid to plant protection, the prevention of spreading of harmful organisms, and to the controlled use of phytopharmaceutical products (PPP), which will be reflected in a higher quality of the foodstuffs produced. Further on, we study factors on the level of primary agricultural production influencing the contamination of food (cereals, vegetable, and wine) and animal feed with mycotoxins, and search for the solutions to diminish the risk. The research of protein metabolism in ruminants and the research of some methods in plant production, especially fertilisation, contribute to the reduction of the pressure on the environment by nitrogen and to a controlled ammonia emission.
The research project include the following concrete subjects:
- Improvement of the existing and development of the sustainable production technologies in fruit-, vine-, and vegetable growing using an appropriate choice of varieties, a balanced plant protection and an adjusted mechanisation to assure competitive products as to quantity, yet of better quality and lesser pressure on the environment.
- Study of phytophysiological processes on the practical level of growing of fruit trees and grapevine. Investigations: The process of fruit abscission in apple-tree; optimal fruit-tree load from the viewpoint of fruit quality; tolerance of the combinations variety/rootstock to stress conditions such as drought in grapevine; the use of previous crops in strawberry growing; solarisation and mycorhization in small fruit; factors influencing flower bud formation in apple-tree; determination of reasons for natural fruitlet thinning of fruit plants;
- Phytophagous and phytopathogenic organisms. Investigations: Identification, inventory making and geographic distribution of viruses, bacteria, nematodes and certain insects; microbiological activity of soil and interactions among hosts, parasites and their carriers; the influence of virus infections on economically important plant properties; resistance of harmful organisms to PPP;
- Introduction of precise farming systems as a consequence of development of special agricultural mechanisation. Investigations: Ecological soil cultivation; emission of hotbed gasses; reduction of mechanical damage of soil; localisation of required fertilisers conforming to the variability of soil and requirements of plants; technology of bringing PPP onto agricultural plants;
- Technology of wine production. Investigations: Monitoring of ochratoxin A content in Slovene and imported wines; determination of authenticity of Slovene wines; investigations of isotopic structure of sugars with the purpose of determination of geographic origin of wine; biological availability of anthocians and hydroxycinnamon acids;
- Animal husbandry. Investigations: Study of protein metabolism in ruminants; reduction of pressure on the environment by nitrogen by means of optimisation of animal nutrition; selection of cattle for milk yield in less optimal breeding conditions; study of the presence of mycotoxins in animal feeds and foodstuffs;
- Development of rural area and sustainable agriculture.
Significance for science
The knowledge of physiological processes of induction of apple-tree flower buds will help to solve the basic problem of apple production in the world, i.e. the problem of alternate bearing of trees. Understanding the process of development of abscission tissue of apple fruitlets can contribute to the development of nature friendly agents used for chemical thinning of fruitlets or to a possible avoidance of chemical thinning in future. Further on, preservation and detailed knowledge of plants containing bioactive substances will contribute to spreading of these plants in production by including them in crop rotation and to sustainable development. Also, their favourable impact on human health is to be expected. In vine growing the research of aromatic compounds and antioxidants (methoxypyrazines, glutathione, hydroxycinnamic acids…) will intensify the knowledge on the role of white wines in human nutrition. Development of new system used for dosage of sulphur dioxide in must and grape pulp at grape pressing has resulted in a European patent application. The results of the research of PPP residues in agricultural plants will be of help in the sustainable development of agricultural production, development of production technologies of safe and healthy food and decrease of environmental pollution. Demand for the reduction of negative influence of plant protection products on environment due to increasingly severe environmental regulations and those for the protection of human and animal health can not be ensured without an intensified research in the field of current technologies used for the application of plant protection products and their target application. We have shown for the first time that the tropical root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne ethiopica do survive winter temperatures in the open field climate conditions in the continental and in the European Mediterranean climate. An overall study of the species M. ethiopica has lead to placing of the nematode M. ethiopica on the alert list of harmful organisms of the EPPO organisation (EPPO Alert List). Tomato chlorotic dwarf viroid (TCDVd) on petunias was confirmed for the first time in the world only in 2007, and Citrus exocotis viroid (CEVd) on S. jasminoides in 2008; our confirmation of the infection with TCDVd on petunias and with CEVd on S. jasminoides is therefore an important contribution to the knowledge of epidemiology of these two viroids. The experiments of the transfer of viruses with soft scale Neopulvinaria innumerabilis are the first experiments conducted in this field in Slovenia. The results of investigations conducted in the field of apiculture and cattle breeding are important for the development of entire agriculture. They have brought new knowledge on the influence of substances from environment and on the activity on honeybee organism and knowledge of the effect on the level of cell and tissues. The results of the work in the field of protein metabolism in ruminants have shown that by wilting of forage prior to ensiling it was possible to reach a very efficacious synthesis of microbial protein in rumen and by that to improve the utilisation of nitrogen in ruminants. Soil is the foundation of all terrestrial ecosystems; one of the three basic components (air, water, soil), which create life on earth. Studies of soil properties with a goal to enable sustainable use of this natural resource are largely important especially in agricultural ecosystems. Soil investigations in agriculture enable sustainable use and conservation of this natural resource as well as sustainable development of the region plus ensuring food security for current and future generations.
Significance for the country
The research work of the program group is interdisciplinary and involves different areas of biotechnical science important for the development of Slovenia. The plant production and processing, similar to animal production in the program group, takes care of introduction of enhanced technologies on the territory of Slovenia. Theoretical findings were transferred to fruit-, vine- and vegetable growing practice (technologies of apple tree fruitlet thinning, technologies of induction of blooming of fruit trees, crop rotation in strawberries, study of PPP application in the integrated and ecological organic fruit production,…). The research of individual technologic measures in the most frequently present Slovene soil type on the average gave an important contribution to the enhancement of quantity and quality of yield. Preservation and detailed knowledge of plants which, due to the content of bioactive substances, favourably affect the human health and/or which are interesting for the inclusion in crop rotation presents a basis of introduction or spreading of these plants in production in order to reach sustainable development of Slovene agriculture. Our results on survival of nematode M. ethiopica are the basis for the pest risk assessment which this pest presents for the production of agricultural plants in the growth conditions of Slovenia and Europe: the risk assessment is mandatory at any find of a new pest. Infections of ornamental plants with viroids of the genus Pospiviroid, of which Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd) and Tomato chlorotic dwarf viroid (TCDVd) are the members, can be transmitted to important agricultural crops such as tomato. Infections of grapevine with GLRaVs cause great damage in vine growing. Confirmation of virus transmission by local population of soft scales is important for Slovenia. The absence of effective registered substance for the control of N. innumerabilis suggests a possible spread of GLRaVs in Slovenia and in Europe in the future. In Slovenia the options for reduction of use of the quantity of plant protection products and reduction of the use of fossil energy have been investigated. Development of spraying machine for target PPP application will contribute to a reduced application of PPP on plants and environment, it will increase the effect of work, and decrease the psycho-physical pressure on the user and an extraordinary precision of application will be obtained. The research topic in the field of bee keeping and cattle breeding is an up-to-date way towards preservation of natural environment in the Slovene agriculture. Results of the research in these two fields bring new findings with applied value: recommendations for the use of flooded forage and forage with the increased content of mycotoxins were prepared, the first results of a field research on the impact of intensive agriculture on bee colonies were published, the most appropriate model of evaluation of daily quantities and composition of milk on the basis of alternating milk recording scheme were determined; the internet portal GOVEDO (CATTLE) was complemented with the module Identity Card of Farm allowing farmers and advisors easier access to data on the level of individual farms and animals. Due to Slovenia’s natural conditions the best agricultural land is a very limited natural resource. Slovenia’s food security is dangerously low as we have destroyed unacceptably vast areas of agricultural land in the past decades of irrational land use. It is therefore necessary to ensure the agricultural production on the remaining agricultural land in a manner which maintains soil fertility, protects other natural resources (groundwater) and through sequestration of atmospheric CO2 helps mitigating the impacts of the climate change.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
