Italia: Fighting elateritids in potatoes, the ri.nova project to respond to climate change

High temperatures increasingly early, highly variable precipitation with intense rain events alternating with increasingly long periods of drought and frequent prolonged heat peaks have provided the “ideal terrain” for the proliferation of these harmful species which, until a few years ago, reached maturity (and therefore the full capacity to damage the product) only in the final stages of the potato campaign.

In recent years, however, the presence and harmfulness of this parasite have seen a surge with increasingly earlier manifestations, causing huge production losses in all the main regional production areas, with a progressive involvement also of the industrial potato sector.

To address this challenge, Ri.Nova, the project leader – together with partners from the University of Bologna and the University of Ferrara and important local agricultural entities – has launched EM.E.PA.CLIMA , a three-year project that aims to provide concrete solutions to farmers to defend potato crops through innovative and sustainable strategies in the context of climate change. The overall objective of the project is to help producers better manage new climatic and phytosanitary conditions, through optimized agronomic practices, efficient irrigation methods and integrated defense techniques with low environmental impact. EM.E.PA.CLIMA directly involves agricultural companies, technicians and commercial operators in the Emilia-Romagna region with experimental and demonstration activities conducted in the field.

Innovative strategies for sustainable defense

The project includes several steps, starting from the identification of the period of maximum danger of the different species of elaterids ( Agriotes spp) in relation to the new environmental conditions to estimate the degree of correlation between the spread of parasites and the extent of the damage.

At the same time, we will work on agronomic aspects to reduce the vulnerability of the crop. “Correct field strategies represent a fundamental element in the EM.E.PA.CLIMA project – explains Lorenzo Barbanti, scientific director of the project and professor at the University of Bologna – . Through precise crop rotations and specific soil processing, we can intervene with disturbance actions at the moment of maximum vulnerability of the wireworms, which varies depending on the species involved. Furthermore, by anticipating the harvest times, we can significantly reduce the exposure of the tubers to the larvae. By combining these approaches, we will make the production areas less ’attractive’ for the parasite, thus reducing damage to the crops and improving the sustainability and profitability of regional potato cultivation”.

The spotlight is also on the issue of water management, an increasingly crucial aspect in the context of ongoing climate change. “The efficiency in the use of water resources is crucial to address the effects of climate change on potato cultivation – explains Stefano  Civolani , professor at the University of Ferrara – . With EM.E.PA.CLIMA, we will analyze different irrigation systems to identify those less favorable to wireworm larvae, as well as being able to guarantee greater water savings, thus limiting the pressure on natural resources and optimizing the use of energy and technical inputs. The goal, in short, is to obtain production more or less equivalent to current ones with less water and fewer pesticides. In this sense, we will also work on innovative defense techniques, using specific natural geo-insecticides to act against the larvae present in the soil, combined with substances with a ’bait’ action possibly more attractive than the tubers, implementing an attract-and-kill strategy. The goal is to develop high-precision treatments both for the insertion of these products directly into the side walls of the furrow near the tubers and during the period of greatest virulence of the larvae to maximize their effectiveness. This solution will allow to contain the attacks of the wireworms with sustainable and effective methods”.

Monitoring, experimentation and training for the future of potato farming

In addition to developing lines of intervention in the field, the project includes training and awareness-raising activities for farmers, technicians and local communities. “With EM.E.PA.CLIMA we want to give a concrete and sustainable response to the crisis generated by wireworms, providing operational tools and innovative technologies capable of restoring competitiveness to our farms and guaranteeing the economic and environmental sustainability of potato cultivation in our region – explains Stefania Delvecchio, organizational manager of the project – . We aim to significantly reduce production losses and offer operators in the regional potato sector the right tools to defend their crops and the fruit of their labor”.

There is a high level of interest in the problem of wireworms, as demonstrated by the partnership formed by the private research body Ri.Nova (project leader), two public research centres (Universities of Bologna and Ferrara), a training body (Dinamica) and local agricultural companies: Astra Innovazione e Sviluppo, Orogel Fresco, Apofruit Italia, Pizzoli, Vecchiattini Claudio, Marabini Luigi, Tamisari Paolo, Patfrut, Bonfiglioli Paolo, Chiarini Andrea, Orticolti.

The initiative is implemented under the CoPSR 2023-2027 – Type of intervention SRG01 “Support for Operational Groups PEI AGRI” – OS4. The project is funded by the EAFRD 2023-2027 – European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development – ​​Project “Potato wireworm emergency: sustainable strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change – EM.E.PA.CLIMA”.