One of the largest and most important international fairs about fruit production, MACFRUIT 2021 has seen the participation of DOMINO within a workshop organised by the fair in collaboration with the Universities of Bologna, Ancona, and Modena and Reggio Emilia that aimed at presenting the “New frontiers in protected fruit growing”.
Among the innovations in this respect, Prof. Davide Neri presented, on Sept 7, the possibilities of using multifunctional covers in orchards as an active protection strategy against biotic and abiotic stresses. Indeed, covers such as the temporary systems tested in the project, can limit fruit and leaf wetness (anti-rain), damage from hail, wind, birds and/or exclude insect entry with close-meshed nets on single rows or blocks of rows. Besides the positive impact of this cover systems on the use of pesticides(up to 90% less compared to integrated or organic orchards), the need to reuse the plastics at the end of their life-cycle, the possibility of stimulation of certain pathogens and parasites and the possible “visual” impact on the landscape were also described as factors that need to be taken into consideration to fully address their economic, social and environmental sustainability. The interest on the subject was underlined also by an interview requested by the regional channel of the Italian public broadcasting network RAI.