Thursday 28 convention on brown spot disease and on Saturday 30 a look at the latest on contrasting the brown marmorated stink bug, with a special session on improving production
FERRARA, 16 October 2019 – Brown spot disease and the Marmorated stink bug are the main two phytosanitary problems that affect pear growing and will be at the heart of the technical conventions of the World Pear Forum, an important event that will be held at the same time as FuturPera 2019, at Ferrara Ferrara Fiere e Congressi from 28 to 30 November 2019.
The aim of this technical part of the international forum, organized in association with CSO Italy, is to take stock, with important experts, of the latest news and possible strategies for defence against two severe pear tree diseases, which have been affecting the quantity and quality of the product for a number of years, but also to talk about improving production, as explained by Albano Bergami, member of the FuturPera BoD and national chairman of the fruit growing section of Confagricoltura.
“2019 will be remembered as the “horrible” year for national pear growing. The effects on product, due to the spread and upsurge of phytosanitary problems such as the marmorated stink bug and brown spot disease, as well as rapid temperature changes, are the main causes that have led to production yields, in all the growing areas, that are far below historical minimum levels. The priority, in order to relaunch the sector, is to identify and share strategies for containing these problems, at economically sustainable levels. For that purpose, I believe that the convention program offered in this edition of the World Pear Forum can be considered the most authoritative and competent that it is possible to implement”.
In detail, on 28 November, starting from 2 pm, there will be a session on “Analysis and possible solutions for the damage of brown spot disease” with a first part dedicated to the report on the in-field tests by Marina Collina (University of Bologna) to understand the fungal disease and tackle it as best as possible and the presentations by Stefano Civolani (Innova Research centre); Claudio Cristiani (CAE test centre); and Michele Preti (Astra) with their experiences on the use of the most effective phytosanitary products. The second part of the convention will bring the experience of nurseries, grower organizations and consortia – Salvi Vivai, Vivai Mazzoni, FruitModena, Agrintesa, Consorzio Agrario dell’Emilia, C.or.ma - to take stock of the lines of defence applied in the field over the past two years. This will be followed by Loredana Antonacci (phytosanitary department of the Emilia-Romagna region) with the first indications on the lines of defence for the coming years. In the final part of the convention, there will be a session on improving production with the Australian horticultural adviser Marcel Veens, who will talk about his growing experience, including pruning, plant management and nutrition. The moderator of the convention will be Ivano Valmori, director of AgroNotizie.
On Saturday 30 November, from 10 am, the second technical convention of the World Pear Forum will be held: “How to tackle new challenges: the example of the Marmorated stink bug”. CSO Italy will open the day with a summary of the surface areas used for pear growing and a projection for the year 2020. This will be followed by the report by Michele Mariani, a technician from the Fll. Navarra Foundation in Ferrara, on the test results in the field on the William variety with “franco” rootstock. The second part of the convention will be about defence methods and results of the research on contrasting the marmorated stink bug. Speakers will be Luca Casoli (Phytosanitary Department of Modena and Reggio Emilia) and Lara Maistrello (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia). The final part of this important focus on the marmorated stink bug will be performed through a round table with technicians and growers, in order to take stock of the problems and practical experiences in the field for containing the marmorated stink bug. Giannantonio Armentano, a journalist for the Informatore Agrario journal, will moderate the convention and round table.
FuturPera is organized by Ferrara Fiere e Congressi and OI Pera (Interprofessional Pear Organization) in association with CSO Italy, Fll. Navarra Foundation in Ferrara, the contribution of the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Municipality of Ferrara and Chamber of Commerce of Ferrara and the support of Bper Banca, Generali Italia and VH Italia Assicurazioni.