OP Joinfruit joins the celebrations for the World Earth Day officially presenting the project “Healthier soil and more virtuous production with Symbiotic Agriculture in the fruit sector”, first experience of activating the specification of Symbiotic Agriculture for a PO, produced by the OP of Verzuolo (CN) in collaboration with the research group on plant-microorganism interactions at the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology of the’University of Turin, the Consortium Company And so and the SATA S.r.l., a leading consultancy and control company for the agri-food chain.
Symbiotic Agriculture it is a form of “collaborative” cultivation with nature: a cutting-edge eco-compatible system that favours the healthy and balanced development of plants by caring for the soil, through natural and sustainable soil fertilisation achieved by using a soil microbial complex as an alternative to chemical inputs. Through the inoculation of microbial formulations comprising soil bacteria and fungi, we preserves soil health and, year after year, you want to improve fertility, retain carbon and be more resistant to water stress. This is a Certification of Process for quality agri-food production, which aims to restore, maintain, and improve soil biodiversity and microbial functionality, a project initiated by the Consortium Company And so thanks to the will of Sergio Capaldo, founder of La Granda (a leader in the promotion of the Piedmontese breed, a Slow Food Presidium) and has always been the National Livestock Manager for Slow Food and the meat quality manager for the Eataly group.
This is the first time a Symbiotic Agriculture project is being applied with organised and strategic action on member companies by a Producer Organisation, and which provides, in addition to certification, constant monitoring (through physico-chemical soil analyses, microbial biodiversity analyses, and sensory analyses of products managed by SATA Srl) on the benefits that the AS specification generates in terms of reducing the use of chemical fertilisers and improving production.
“The objective we set ourselves - comment Bruno Sacchi, Director of OP Joinfruit – to become the first OP to demonstrate the superior environmental sustainability of this production system for fruit trees; most results documenting the positive effect of microbial inoculants derive from research on herbaceous, cereal, and horticultural crops. Furthermore, we will be the first to also produce quality parameters for the product obtained at the end of each year, such as, among others, colour, brix-acidity, texture, aroma, flavour, and crunchiness: a choice that is part of our daily commitment to cultivating a sustainable future and contributing to the well-being of consumers and the community we belong to.”
The project, which will last at least 3 years and initially involve 6 major partner companies Joinfruioperating in the Cuneese area, provides for the active participation of the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology of the’University of Turin: “Our team has a long tradition of research into the biology of symbiotic associations between plants and microorganisms. explain the Prof. Alessandra Salvioli of Fossalunga – know-how that we will literally deploy participating at activity by sampling, analysing the rhizosphere microbiota and providing assistance for the application of microbial inoculants and their follow-up. Among the many planned experimental activities, the latest DNA sequencing-based techniques will be applied to analyse the biodiversity of orchard soils and, through collaboration with colleagues specialising in entomology, beneficial insects will be monitored.
He concludes Sergio Capaldo: “It is extremely important to return to studying soil to understand the secrets of life and to objectively assess quality and sustainability. ‘Go where the earth takes you’ is fundamental, because we must listen to the soil’s vocation and not force nature. Tomorrow’s agriculture can be a tremendous economic, environmental, and social resource. Being a virtuous farmer must be: cool.”
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