Biocontrol Potential of Essential Oils in Organic Horticulture Systems: From Farm to Fork

In recent decades, increasing attention has been paid to food safety and organic horticulture. Thus, people are looking for natural products to manage plant diseases, pests, and weeds. Essential oils (EOs) or EO-based products are potentially promising candidates for biocontrol agents due to their safe, bioactive, biodegradable, ecologically, and economically viable properties. Born of necessity or commercial interest to satisfy market demand for natural products, this emerging technology is highly anticipated, but its application has been limited without the benefit of a thorough analysis of the scientific evidence on efficacy, scope, and mechanism of action. This review covers the uses of EOs as broad-spectrum biocontrol agents in both preharvest and postharvest systems. The known functions of EOs in suppressing fungi, bacteria, viruses, pests, and weeds are briefly summarized. Related results and possible modes of action from recent research are listed. The weaknesses of applying EOs are also discussed, such as high volatility and low stability, low water solubility, strong influence on organoleptic properties, and phytotoxic effects. Therefore, EO formulations and methods of incorporation to enhance the strengths and compensate for the shortages are outlined. This review also concludes with research directions needed to better understand and fully evaluate EOs and provides an outlook on the prospects for future applications of EOs in organic horticulture production.

Organic horticulture.

Organic agriculture, also called biological or ecological agriculture, is defined by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) as a "production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people" (http://www.ifoam.org). It is known as an environmental-friendly production system that integrates traditional, modern and innovative techniques in order to promote biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity, with minimal use of off-farm inputs. Consequently, organic agriculture is aiming at cultural practices that will maintain or improve soil health, have a sustainable water and waste management, limit the use of fossil energy, adopt nutrient-balanced approaches to limit nutrient leaching into ground water and soil salinization and endorse mechanical and biological control of pests. Organic horticulture ranges from strict in farm-closed systems limiting external inputs to its minimum level, to systems that only follow the organic certification standards. From a broader perspective, organic horticulture should contribute to the global challenges via the nutrition security and the well-being of the populations (Alsanius et al., 2016). It should also be economically viable, socially fair, culturally diverse, transparently accountable and inclusive (Arbenz et al., 2016). Organic agriculture usually provides higher ecosystem services and social benefits as compared to conventional farming (Reganold and Wachter, 2016).

Therapeutic and inclusive organic horticulture: an University-society collaborative learning experience

<p>Therapeutic horticulture is a discipline which belongs to both society and health sciences that has its own identity, which differentiates it from others. It arises as a result of the complementary fusion of two disciplines: horticulture and therapy or rehabilitation. In the therapeutic field, it incorporates some knowledges about physical, cognitive and sensory disabilities, different pathologies, psychosocial problems and special needs. Around horticulture, it allows us to develop knowledge about agriculture, gardening, landscaping, environment and others. It has been used, for educational and socialization purposes, for more than half a century, since then with great implantation and recognition in many countries.</p><p>The implementation of an organic garden with pedagogical purposes for students of Agroecology in the School of Agricultural Engineering of the University of Extremadura (Spain), has been the scene for the realization of a collaborative project of integrative - teaching - learning strategy between the University and the “Sorapán de Rieros” Foundation. This project has allowed the use of the ecological orchard created for pedagogical purposes based on the needs of students with mental disorders of different nature with whom the Foundation works, connecting then different points of view.</p><p>The specialized training in Permaculture, Organic Agriculture and Agroecology, the tutoring work with specific methodologies developed by the expert staff of the Foundation in Psychology and Psychiatry, as well as the coexistence with the University students has been an enriching experience, with enormously satisfactory results in the improvement of mental and physical health, as well as the labor integration of the Foundation students.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Therapeutic horticulture, inclusive horticulture, mental health, organic farming, permaculture.</p>

Nitrogen release from five organic fertilizers commonly used in greenhouse organic horticulture with contrasting effects on bacterial communities

Organic fertilization in greenhouses relies on organic fertilizers with low carbon/nitrogen ratio. Nitrogen (N) availability thus depends on an efficient mineralization driven by microbial communities. However, data on the mineralization rate of such fertilizers are scarce, and their improper use can lead to either N deficiency, or N losses to the environment. Consequently, better knowledge of N availability following organic fertilization is crucial for the development of sustainable greenhouse organic horticulture. We investigated the effect of pelleted poultry manure (PM) and blood (BM), feather (FM), alfalfa (AM), and shrimp (SM) meals on N availability and bacterial communities in a peat-based organic growing medium and a mineral soil. Nitrogen and carbon (C) pools were measured periodically over a 52 wk incubation experiment. Bacterial communities were characterized by sequencing the regions V6–V8 of the 16S rRNA gene on the high-throughput Illumina MiSeq platform, 4 wk after the start of the incubation. Nitrogen mineralization plateaued for the mineral soil and the peat substrate at, respectively, 41% and 63% of applied N for PM, 56%–93% (BM), 54%–81% (FM), 34%–53% (AM), and 57%–73% (SM). Organic fertilizers supported markedly contrasted bacterial communities, closely linked to soil biochemical properties, especially mineral N, pH, and soluble C. Alfalfa meal promoted the highest Shannon diversity index in the mineral soil, whereas SM and PM increased it in the peat-based growing medium. Our results quantified the mineralization and highlighted the impact on bacterial communities of commonly used organic N fertilizers in conditions relevant to organic greenhouse horticulture.

Organic production of the fruit and small fruit products as the perspective direction in the horticulture of the Sum region

The state of organic fruit and small fruit products market in the Sumy region, which has been analyzed in the article, both in Ukraine and as a whole, has a positive development dynamics, because the society demands healthy food and preserving the environment. The organic horticulture of Sumy region deserves special attention and urgency, since it produces high-quality vitamin products and has a natural and economic potential to increase the share of both small fruit and fruit products. The factors have been determined under the influence of which the assortment market policy is formed. The formation of the organic products market in Ukraine and the Sumy region in particular is formed mainly to thanks external factors. The structure of the regional organic horticultural products market is due to the global trends and willingness of Sumshchyna producers to develop new segments. The internal factors include the growing demand for healthy food and improving living standards. The data about the number of operators of the regional market of organic products, are elucidated as well as their organizational and legal form and scope of activity. The production of the organic small fruit products in the region has appeared to be carried out by economic entities of different organizational and legal management forms. That has enabled to identify the problematic aspects and determine the areas of their support by the state. The problem aspects of functioning of operators of the organic fruit and small fruit market and prospects of their further development are defined. The successful model of the organic small and medium businesses in the horticulture field is the search for a potential consumer, and then direct manufacturing. At the state and regional level, attention should be paid not only to the organic market operators, but also to stimulating consumer demand for the organic products. The stimulation of the close cooperation of the agricultural education institutions in the Sumy region with the enterprises will provide training in the organic production field and solve the major problem of the organic market operators – staffing.

Organic horticulture: a current demand, whose proper management is the only guarantee of safe food

O estudo foi realizado entre julho de 2014 e maio de 2016, em 21 propriedades hortícolas do estado do Paraná, Brasil. Foram coletadas duas amostras de vegetais folhosos e uma amostra de água de irrigação por propriedade. As amostras de água foram analisadas pela técnica do substrato cromogênico para avaliar a contaminação por coliformes totais e Escherichia coli, e os vegetais foram avaliados pelas técnicas de Willis (1921), Hoffman et al. (1934), Faust et al. (1939) e quanto à contaminação por parasitas. Observou-se presença de E. coli em 80,95% (17/21) das amostras de água; com relação aos vegetais, 19 (45,23%) continham pelo menos uma espécie de parasita, tais como: ancilostomatídeos, Chilomatix spp., Dipillidium spp., Entamoeba spp., Strongyloides spp., Trichuris spp., larva de vida livre, larva de nematódeo, oocisto não-esporulado. Houve associação estatística entre o destino do esgoto (fossa seca) e a positividade aos parasitas. Os dados mostram contaminação fecal em número significativo de amostras e confirmam a necessidade de maiores exigências sanitárias durante o cultivo de hortaliças folhosas, que, na maioria das vezes, são consumidas cruas.

PENGARUH JARAK TANAM DAN DOSIS PUPUK KANDANG TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL TANAMAN BAWANG MERAH (Allium ascalonicum L.)

Effect of Plant Spacing and Dosage Manure on Growth and Yield of Shallots (Allium ascalonicum L.). This study aims to determine the effect of plant spacing and doses of manure is right for the growth and yield of onion maximum. This research was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, substations Organic Horticulture Darussalam, Banda Aceh. This research has been conducted on the month in March 2016 to May 2016. This study used a randomized block design (RAK) factorial 2 x 4 with three replications, so that there are 8 combined treatments and 24 experimental units. Factors studied were plant spacing which consists of two levels ie (20 cm x 15 cm) and (20 cm x 25 cm) and the dose of manure which consists of four levels ie (without manure), (10 ton ha-1) , (20 ton ha-1) and (30 ton ha-1). The results showed that the spacing of significant effect on the wet weight berangkasan per plot and the dry weight of tuber per plot, plant height significantly affected the age of 30 HST and berangkasan dry weight per plot. Influential no significant effect on plant height at 15 and 45 days after planting, leaf number aged 15, 30 and 45 days after planting, the number of tillers per hill, tuber number per hill, wet weight berangkasan per clump, dry weight berangkasan per clump, dry weight of tuber per hill. Growth and the best results encountered at a spacing of 15 cm x 20 cm. Dose manure no real effect on all the observed variables. There was no significant interaction between treatment and dose spacing of manure, so there is no relationship between the two factors. Keywords : onion, plant spacing and doses of manure