Bioacademy 2006 - Workshop vegetables
Garant: Radomil Hradil, Camphill Ceske Kopisty
This year’s Bioacademy included a seminar focusing on cultivation and sale of organic vegetables. Mr. Martin Lichtenhahn from the Swiss FiBL Institute talked about general principles of crop rotation, nutrition and protection of plants in organic vegetable production. He emphasized the importance of disease prevention - mostly by a carefully planned of crop-rotation - and described practical examples. Swiss vegetable growers have gained good experience in including 20 - 25% clover-grass in the crop rotation. At first, it may seem a waste of precious land, but from a long-term view it results in the formation of fertile soil and good, healthy vegetables. Mr. Lichtenhahn introduced nutrient needs of individual species of vegetables even in various stages of growth and showed practical possibilities of planning and providing nutrients during vegetation period. In plant protection he focused on some particular diseases and pests, such as Alternaria leaf spot of carrots and Psila rosae etc. He also mentioned research dealing with growing flowering herbs round vegetable plots - attacks of cabbage and other brassicaes by some serious pests were this way reduced to a minimum.
Anne Kirsten Loes from the Norwegian Bioforsk Research Institute reviewed experiments on the use of clover-grass mulch in vegetable growing. Her speech was most attractive especially for gardeners: experimental mulching proved an effective anti-weed measure and at the same time an important fertilizing factor as it significantly increased yield due to transfer of nutrients from the mulch into the soil.
Roswitha Six from Bio-Austria advisory organisation focused her contribution on practical aspects of potato and lettuce growing. Regarding potatoes the discussion dealt mainly with selection of varieties, possibilities for prevention against potato mould and control of Colorado beetle, as well as with proper ways of storing potatoes.
Mrs. Six’s colleague from Bio-Austria, Ernst Trettler, explained the possibilities in sale of organic vegetables according to experience in Austria. Austrian growers have an advantage in the reliability of their customers: an Austrian customer prefers Austrian goods even if more expensive. And something quite unprecedented: home-produced organic food is even preferred by some retail chains such as Rewe.
Marek Štěrba introduced his parent’s farm in Deblín in the Tišnov region. The farm is mainly interesting for its unrestrained development of their commercial activities relating to organic vegetables: Nowadays the Štěrba family buy vegetables not only within the Czech Republic but also abroad and supply Czech supermarkets. This is very logistically demanding - including cleaning, sorting and packing vegetables. The Štěrbas have handled such a task very well.Doc. Kristina Petříková from MZLU Brno concluded the seminar with a summary of tasks for research in the field of organic vegetable-growing.
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