In recent years, digital technologies have become increasingly important in the agri-food system. While such technologies have been understood to facilitate precision farming practices, digitalisation also may play a key role in the transition to more sustainable food systems. Given the current knowledge gap in understanding the perceptions of digitalisation by the diverse stakeholders of organic and agroecological production, this research holds particular significance. The aim of this paper is to analyse the perception of farmers, farm advisors and producer organisations, associations and/or cooperatives on the use of digital technologies in organic and agroecological production system in different European countries. A combination of convenience and snowball sampling methods were used to select participants. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and chi-square tests were used to discern differences within the collected surveys regarding benefits of using digital technologies, the reason why farmers do not use them, as well as the main barriers, risks and drivers of their use. The results show differences in perceptions according to the type of stakeholder. Surveyed stakeholders agree that digitalisation facilitates communication, exchange of knowledge and experiences between actors. The main barriers to the use of digital technologies are related to economic aspects, complexity and unsuitability of equipment. The creation of networks or collaborations between the actors involved to share equipment, costs, exchange knowledge, as well as governmental financial support were considered the main drivers of digital technologies for organic and agroecological systems. The results of this study contribute to theorising on the diffusion of innovations and may be helpful for policy makers and farm advisors as it provides relevant and important information to define and incorporate solid approaches to digital transformation in an agroecology innovation ecosystem.

Although input use in organic agriculture is strictly regulated, and significantly less contentious inputs are applied in organic than in conventional farming systems, copper, mineral oil, external nutrient input, anthelmintics, antibiotics and vitamins are still commonly used among organic farmers in the EU, partly due to the scarce availability of alternative products and the difficulty of implementing preventive strategies. Moreover, besides the direction set by the European Commission’s organic regulation, only a handful of policy instruments exist at national levels to reduce the use of these contentious inputs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of the RELACS EU-funded project about the current use of copper, mineral oils, external nutrient inputs, anthelmintics, antibiotics and vitamins in organic farming in the EU. The paper is based on six internal reports developed in RELACS which relied on international surveys, in-depth interviews, multiple case study methods, database-based calculations, secondary data sources, plus a survey independent from the reports to map existing policy instruments and voluntary initiatives in the EU aiming to reduce the use of the six input categories. As a result, the paper gives a comprehensive overview of the current consumption of the six contentious inputs within the organic sector, highlighting potential alternative strategies in the pipeline, available preventive measures and the willingness of farmers towards adopting these solutions. It also informs about specific policy instruments already in force, as well as about ongoing voluntary initiatives to reduce contentious inputs. Due to the current dependence of organic farming systems on the six categories of contentious inputs, any sudden phase-out or ban on their usage would do more harm than good to the organic sector. Therefore, gradual, data-driven reduction measures are needed, which require significant further investments in targeted research, and in policy support measures, with the active involvement of agricultural stakeholders.

In light of the continuous increase in organic agriculture, the availability of organic seeds has gained a lot of importance. Especially since the new EU organic regulation came into force on 1 January 2022, proposing reducing the possibility of using untreated conventional seeds in the absence of organic seeds in the future. At the same time, the breeding of tolerant, resistant and adapted varieties is at the basis of organic production as is research to improve seed production and seed quality. In this study, we investigated seed production of 8 tomato genotypes. The aim was to see whether different fruit harvesting frequencies affect seed quality and germination rate. The hypotheses we tested were (i) whether regularly removing fruits from the field would affect total fruit and seed harvest, (ii) whether storage of fruits and (iii) their ripening stage at harvest, had an impact on seed germination. Our results show that while seed production differs between genotypes and extraction time-points, different harvesting procedures, and with that different fruit maturity levels, did not affect thousand-seed weight and seed germination; these findings benefit both small and larger-scale seed producers.

The reduction of copper-based plant-protection products with the final aim of phasing out has a high priority in European policy, as well as in organic agriculture. Our survey aims at providing an overview of the current use of these products in European organic agriculture and the need for alternatives to allow policymakers to develop strategies for a complete phasing out. Due to a lack of centralized databases on pesticide use, our survey combines expert knowledge on permitted and real copper use per crop and country, with statistics on organic area. In the 12 surveyed countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK), we calculated that approximately 3258 t copper metal per year is consumed by organic agriculture, equaling to 52% of the permitted annual dosage. This amount is split between olives (1263 t y−1, 39%), grapevine (990 t y−1, 30%), and almonds (317 t y−1, 10%), followed by other crops with much smaller annual uses (<80 t y−1). In 56% of the allowed cases (countries × crops), farmers use less than half of the allowed amount, and in 27%, they use less than a quarter. At the time being, completely abandoning copper fungicides would lead to high yield losses in many crops. To successfully reduce or avoid copper use, all preventive strategies have to be fully implemented, breeding programs need to be intensified, and several affordable alternative products need to be brought to the market.

The indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has caused considerable environmental damage over the years. However, the growing demand for food in the coming years and decades requires the use of increasingly productive and efficient agriculture. Several studies carried out in recent years have shown how the application of plant growth-promoting microbes (PGPMs) can be a valid substitute for chemical industry products and represent a valid eco-friendly alternative. However, because of the complexity of interactions created with the numerous biotic and abiotic factors (i.e., environment, soil, interactions between microorganisms, etc.), the different formulates often show variable effects. In this review, we analyze the main factors that influence the effectiveness of PGPM applications and some of the applications that make them a useful tool for agroecological transition.

Reduction of copper-based fungicides with the final aim of phasing out has a high priority in European policy as well as in organic agriculture. Our survey aims at providing an overview of the current use of copper-based plant protection products in European organic agriculture and the need for alternatives to allow policy makers to develop strategies for a complete phasing out. Due to a lack of centralized databases on pesticide use, our survey combines expert knowledge on permitted and real copper use per crop and country with statistics on organic area. In the 12 surveyed countries, covering together 83% of the European organically managed horticultural area, we calculated approximately 3258 t copper metal per year are consumed by organic agriculture, equalling to 53% of the permitted annual dosage. This amount is split between olives (1263 t y -1 , 39%), grapevine (990t y -1 , 30%), and almonds (317 t y -1 , 10%), followed by other crops with much smaller annual uses (<80 t y -1 ). Potato, usually considered a highly demanding plant for copper inputs, only uses 39 t y -1 of copper per year. In 56% of the allowed cases (countries × crops), farmers use less than half of the allowed amount, and in 27% less than a quarter, with some variability between countries. Considering the large volumes of copper used annually, replacement of copper seems only feasible if all preventive strategies from the crop protection pyramid are fully implemented and several affordable alternative plant protection products are successfully brought to the market.

The plant and animal health care strategy in organic farming strengthensagro-biodiversity, protects the environment as well as animal and human health. In addition to fully exploiting preventive options, the use of external inputs such as plant protection products, fertilisers or veterinarymedicinal productsis allowed to prevent inacceptable losses in productivity or animal suffering. However, external inputs need to comply with organic standardsas well as European legislationand aretherefore carefully evaluated before any decision on acceptance is taken.Organic farming systems should aim at reducing dependency on off-farm fertilisers to the lowest feasable level to ensure closed nutrient cycles and avoid nutrient leakage and contamination. This policy brief explains the underlying principles and the procedures for evaluation of inputs, focusing on plant protection products, fertilisers, feed additives and veterinary medicinal products used in organic farming under European legislation. The case study in Annex I on plant protection products provides a full picture on the processes and criteria for authorisation, the assessment of new inputs accordingtothe suitability in organic farming, the history of utilised substances and possible trade-offs and concerns.

Organic farmers adhere to high standards in producing quality food while protecting the environment. However, organic farming needs to improve continuously to keep meeting its ambitious objectives. The project ‘Replacement of Contentious Inputs in Organic Farming Systems’ (RELACS) will foster the development and adoption of cost-efficient and environmentally safe tools and technologies to further reduce the use of external inputs on organic farms across Europe as well as in Non EU Mediterranean countries. Project partners will provide scientific support to develop fair and implementable EU rules to improve current practices in organic farming. Farm advisory networks in 11 European countries will reach out to farmers to ensure effective dissemination and adoption of the tools and techniques.

This paper reviews the recent development of the scientific, legislative, economic and environmental aspects of plant organic farming. The impact of organic farming on biodiversity and soil fertility is discussed in comparison with conventional systems. A significant barrier for wide application and future development of organic farming is the existing diversity of national and international policy instruments in this sector. Special attention is paid to up-to-date research techniques that could help solve a number of the problems typically faced in plant organic farming. It is argued that organic farming is still not productive enough to be considered fully sustainable. This underlines the necessity of strong support for more effective implementation of scientific research innovations and improvement of the networking between all stakeholders – organic producers, scientists and corresponding policy makers at the national and international level.

New species arise through the evolution of reproductive barriers between formerly interbreeding lineages. Yet, comprehensive assessments of potential reproductive barriers, which are needed to make inferences on processes driving speciation, are only available for a limited number of systems. In this study, we estimated individual and cumulative strengths of seven prezygotic and six postzygotic reproductive barriers between the recently diverged taxa Silene dioica (L.) Clairv. and S. latifolia Poiret using both published and new data. A combination of multiple partial reproductive barriers resulted in near-complete reproductive isolation between S. dioica and S. latifolia, consistent with earlier estimates of gene flow between the taxa. Extrinsic barriers associated with adaptive ecological divergence were most important, while intrinsic postzygotic barriers had moderate individual strength but contributed only little to total reproductive isolation. These findings are in line with ecological divergence as driver of speciation. We further found extensive variation in extrinsic reproductive isolation, ranging from sites with very strong selection against migrants and hybrids to intermediate sites where substantial hybridization is possible. This situation may allow for, or even promote, heterogeneous genetic divergence.

Organic farmers adhere to high standards in producing quality food while protecting the environment. However, organic farming needs to improve continuously to keep meeting its ambitious objectives. The project ‘Replacement of Contentious Inputs in Organic Farming Systems’ (RELACS) will foster the development and adoption of cost-efficient and environmentally safe tools and technologies to: - Reduce the use of copper and mineral oil in plant protection, - Identify sustainable sources for plant nutrition, and - Provide solutions to support livestock health and welfare.

Ubersicht - Strategien und Ansatze der okologischen Pflanzenzuchtung - Zuchtung weisser Lupinen auf Anthraknosetoleranz - Selektion des Holobionts (Pflanze + Mikroorganismen): Erforschung der Beziehung zwischen Erbsenmikrobiom und Toleranz gegenuber Bodenmudigkeit - Zuchtung fur Mischkulturen: Erbsen & Gerste - Zuchtung der Soja auf Unkrautunterdruckung - Partizipative Zuchtungsansatze bei Soja