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Giuseppe Greco

  • Biodiversity Journal, 6 (1): 147-160 - MONOGRAPH

    Giuseppe Greco
    Pest management of citrus fruits in Sicily (Italy) through interventions of biological control. The example of the biofactory of Ramacca, Catania
    Proceedings of the 2nd International Congress “Speciation and Taxonomy”, May 16th-18th 2014, Cefalù-Castelbuono (Italy)

    ABSTRACT
    Since 2007, in Sicily, plant health protection against citrus mealybugs is taking place through the Biofactory of Ramacca, in the Plain of Catania, a property of the Institute for Agricultural Development of the Sicilian Region (i.e. Ente per lo Sviluppo Agricolo, E.S.A.). The Biofactory is unique being aimed to produce industrial quantities of auxiliary insects and is a center of European interest because it is fully organized to provide means of biological fight imposed by the Directive 128/2009/EC, which requires, from 1 January 2014, farms to comply with the application of general principles of integrated pest management. In this paper we examine structural features of the Biofactory, breeding techniques empoyed and results obtained in the period 2007–2013, which allowed many companies, from 200 to 360 (i.e. 20% –35% of the regional surface operating in organic citrus production) to be able to employ biological weapons against pest insects. We analyze dynamics and results of production deriving from the approval and adoption, by the owner (E.S.A.), of a new "discipline" that governs the assignment of insects to farmers at a very low price to balance E.S.A.'s purposes, which is both to ensure adequate performance in order to pursue institutional support to agriculture and, considering the Insitute’s economic nature, to partially cover the production costs incurred to ensure the service. The continuity of the project is assured by the ongoing program for the period 2013–2020 with an enlargement of the array of entomological production aimed at intercepting the needs of new productions (i.e. greenhouse horticulture, vines, ornamental and fruit trees).