Organic horticulture in Mediterranean climate greenhouses, Almería, Andalusia, Spain Viena, nov. 2014 Carmen García y Pedro Gómez IFAPA La Mojonera, Almería, SPAIN
Resources 18 Centres > 1,000 ha Annual budget: 65 million IFAPA is the Andalusian Institute of Research and Training in Agriculture and Fisheries. It is assigned to the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development of the Junta de Andalucía (Regional Government). Staff: 971 More than 100 research projects are being conducted at present. Around 20,000 students take part in training activities annually
At present the largest growth of organic agriculture surface in Europe is reaching 10 million hectares(junta de Andalucía, 2011). Spain is the country with the largest organic surface in Europe, with 1.45 million hectares(fibl, 2012). Andalusia, the southern region, has experimented a significant increase in organic surface, reaching 1 million hectares, representing almost 70% of the organic area of Spain.
Regional governments are responsible for organic farming in Spain. In Andalusia, the organism in charge is the office of Organic farming, included in the Andalusian Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment. In Andalusia there are 11 authorized certifying agents nowadays. Farms are certified according to European regulations compliance. There are already some farms applying Biosuisse and Demeter standards.
The use of this area is heterogeneous, consisting mainly of pasture and forage (61%), followed by the use of forest (17%). Important crops of Andalusia such as olives, cereals, dried fruits and vegetables also reach cultivated areas of 54 800, 48 777, 37 843 and 6092 hectares respectively. The entire sector of farming is supported by the public administration in order to promote their products and the recruitment of advisores. Andalusia has developed two specific organic farming Plans.
SIPEA-web is our Register of Organic Operators: trader, processor, packer, exporter, importer, producer
he register contains data on producers, area, crop and location
Organic Vegetable Greenhouses 1661,32 hectares
ALMERÍA - 27,000 ha greenhouses - 80% IPM - 8% biogreenhouse HUMAN CAPITAL - more than 1,000 technical advicers - 12000 farmers, 65% under 45 years
A wide variety of horticultural cultivars is used which no organic seeds and sometimes there are no organic seeds. We are working with traditional tomato cultivars and evaluate their agronomic suitability, characterizing fruit tastes and estimate the opinion of consumers, short distance markets and nutritional content (antioxidants)
Andalucía has 25 organic nurseries. Grafting is a common practice.
There are basicly two types of greenhouse structures: raspa y amagado and multitunnel greenhouses. There are no heating systems by petrol or gas combustion. Strategies to optimize management of energy consist of the use of thermal plastics, double roofs and cover textiles Greenhouses are equiped with rain-water collectors
Our greenhouses are of the "raspa y amagado"-type, is a simple coat of plastic of a structure made of wire and galvanized pipes without active climate control. The physiology department is studying the use of passive heating whereby water hoses absorb heat during the day and release during the night. Baffles (fixed plastic bands) in roof and lateral windows are used to increase air circulation inside the greenhouse
Most of the soils are sand-mulched and extra soil supplied is sandyloan (Lao, 2004) sand manure supplemente soil original soil It is difficult to till and to incorporate fertilizers. Some farmers mix sand and soil.
The fertilizers used in organic farming are sometimes not very soluble and clog up pipes and drippers. Tests conducted by our Irrigation Dep. confirm good results with the use of citric acid alone or in combination with hydrogen peroxide. Protocolos are being optimized.
Our Irrigation department is working also on economic and technical compare with the usual drip irrigation vs. Exudative pipe, that is installed annually and is cheap and recyclable.
Our farms have high fertirrigation technology and efficient water use. 100% of farms are equipped with drip irrigation. Suction probes are used to adjust the nitrogen fertilization.
Biological control of pest is completely implemented The main pests are controlled with Amblyseius swirskii and Orius laevigatus in pepper plants and with Nesidiocoris tenuis in tomato plants Because N. Tenuis is slow to settle in the crop, bioinoculation strategy in nurseries has been adopted.
In the short-cycle crops, the introduction of auxiliary insects is more difficult and biological control dep. is working on the contribution of pollen as a supplementary food. In cucumber it worked very well and now is being tested in zucchini.
Aerial fungi and bacteria are treated with authorized plant protection products, mainly copper, sulfur, soaps and vegetal extracts. PhD.- Development a method to determine the volume-rate spraying for greenhouse tomato crop
Janssen
SOIL DISINFECTION is solarización or biosolarización (solarization + biofumigation) SUN + WATER + ORGANIC MATTER + RECICLABLE PLASTIC
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