Operational plan
The Operational Plan will be implemented within the boundaries of the monumental olive grove of the Agricultural Cooperative of Palea Roumata of Chania. The olive grove is located within a valley and, due to its relative isolation, offers the possibility of applying the mass trapping method. Its combination with precision spraying of a small volume of solution ensures the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The olive grove to be applied is estimated to consist of about 20.000 olive trees.
The following actions will be implemented for the modernization of the olive fruit fly management and in particular the Bait Spray Method:
The initial identification of the plots – pilot olive grove and the mapping of the area of application of the bait spraying will be carried out. In cooperation with the supervising agronomist of ELGO-DIMITRA, a plan of agronomic (entomological) actions and a protocol for the management of olive fruit fly will be drawn up, on the basis of which the implementation of the operational plan will be carried out.
Deliverables:
- Selection of a pilot/indicative field (map)
- Plan of agronomic actions – protocol for the combined control of olive fruit fly
Appropriate electronic equipment will be installed on existing conventional sprayers allowing – for the first time at international level – the control and regulation of the sprayed quantity per tree, with full recording of the sprayed quantity, the tractor’s trajectory and the spray points in the olive grove. The data on the catching and spraying (tractor trajectory, quantity sprayed per tree and spraying points) will be recorded and sent in real time to a central information system.
Deliverables:
- Electro-mechanical designs for automatic sprayers
- Digital platform for the representation of the data
Through the information system, the qualified staff and producers will be aware of the evolution of the olive fruit fly population (spatial and temporal) and the coverage of olive groves at the level of spraying, providing an open source of data and timely/reliable decision-making, while chemical analyses of olive oil will highlight its excellent taste and quality characteristics without the presence of residues.
Deliverables:
- Report on data on olive fruit fly population and Bait sprays (per year)
- Results of analyses of residue and quality characteristics of olive oil (per year)
The olive grove of the Agricultural Cooperative of Palea Roumata will be a model for demonstration and training for other Cooperatives and/or producer groups in the adoption of modernization practices of the National Olive fruit fly Management Programme for a sustainable and viable olive cultivation, while the results will be disseminated through the following deliverables.
Deliverables:
- Project brochure
- Project website
- 2 awareness-raising workshops on the O.P. and its results
- Promotional film
- Participation in a national and/or international conference
- Publication in an international scientific journal with comparative results of olive fruit fly management tools and methods
- Field day – demonstration of integrated management of olive fruit fly
- Communication of the results in the EAD and EIP-AGRI electronic databases
The coordinator will be responsible for the project management and coordination of the Operational Group, the financial and administrative Management as well as the monitoring and evaluation of the project.
Deliverables:
- Support Application
- Payment Application and Chartered Accountant’s Report
- Progress Report
