Within ENDURE - RA1. Optimising and reducing pesticide use "Potato case" study was used to demonstrate the relevance, effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of new control strategies in different agro-ecological contexts across Europe:

• 1. List of ungoing projects in Poland on late and early blight wasuploaded on http://www.euroblight.net/ under "related projects"

Potato is an important crop in Polish agriculture. About 11.2 mln tones of potato were produced on 570 thousands of ha in 2007.

            Late blight (LB) is an important disease in potatoes. In Poland yield losses resulting from P. infestans infection were estimated in a range of 20-25% (Pietkiewicz 1989).

In the years 1999-2003 the yield losses were higher and ranged from 22 to 57% (Kapsa 2004).

Early blight (EB) is an increasing problem in Poland. Observations carried out in the years 1998-2006 revealed that EB occurrence on potato crop is common in most production areas, on 86% of observed fields. The first symptoms of EB are observed at the end of May or the beginning of June. High regional losses caused by EB can be observed in susceptible cultivars. The losses, depending on the year, range from 6 to 45%.

Research studies relevant to Integrated Control Strategies of potato conducted by researchers of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute (IHAR) from two centers at Bonin and Młochów are:

• Resistance of potato to LB:
• Resistance evaluation: field trials are carried out to estimate resistance of new registered varieties to P. infestans and the reaction for fungicide treatment (annually about 40 varieties). Recommendations based on these results will be published.
• Reduction of fungicide application in resistant potato cultivars: In years 2001-2003 experimental trials were conducted on the reduction of fungicide application in resistant cultivars, and the results were presented on conference organized by IHAR-PIB in Zakopane (2007).
• Stability of resistance to LB of Polish potato cultivars: due to changes in virulence of P. infestans isolates stability of resistance to LB of potato plants is tested in non-protected field conditions and tuber resistance in laboratory conditions. Results of these studies are published on EUCABLIGHT website http://www.eucablight.org/.
• Studies on new tetraploid sources of resistance to P. infestans: searching for resistance to LB in order to obtain resistant parental clones for breeders.
• Introduction of resistance genes to P. infestans from Solanum michoacanum into cultivated potato S. tuberosum and development of PCR markers for their selection: Wild species of Solanum are used as a source of resistance in breeding resistant potato cultivars. S. michoacanum is a new source of resistance, which can be used as a donor of resistance by somatic hybridization.
• Monitoring of P. infestans population in Poland: P. infestans isolates are collected each year in collaboration with Voivodeship Inspectorates of Plant Inspectorate of Plant Health and Seed Inspection from different locations in Poland. These isolates are characterized for virulence, mating type, resistance to metalaxyl, type of mitochondrial DNA and variation using molecular markers. The results are published in the database on EUCABLIGHT website http://www.eucablight.org/ presented at conferences, workshops, published as scientific papers and in popular agricultural journals.
• Maintenance of the collection of P. infestans isolates: More than 400 P. infestans isolates are maintained as pure cultures in the Collection of Potato Pathogens at IHAR-PIB Młochów. Isolates are used for screening for resistance to LB of potato clones. They are free of charge for scientific purposes and they are used by other researchers in Poland and abroad.
• Decision Support Systems: wide education for farmers are implemented by research workers from IHAR-PIB Bonin and Młochów (lectures, trainings, instructions, articles in popular agriculture journals).
• NegFry is implemented in field experiments in a few agricultural institutes (IHAR-PIB - Bonin, IUNG - Pulawy, IOR-PIB - Poznań) and fields of Protection Services since 2001. The model supplies information about the optimum time to spray and the type of fungicide to use. A starting date of the protection is accessible for all farmers in the Internet http://www.dss.iung.pulawy.pl/
• Fungicides: Each year efficacy of new fungicides and fungicide programs are assessed in field trials in 4 different locations. The results of these trials are used in discussions with farmers and comparisons are made between the trial results and their spraying schedules regarding efficacy, costs and environmental side-effects.
• Time of first symptoms of LB in the field: field studies were conducted at IHAR-PIB Bonin in years 1996-2007 in which time of the occurrence and incidence level of LB was scored. The earliest symptoms were observed 42 days after planting - in 2001, and latest 111 days after planting - in 2006.

  International collaboration - IHAR-PIB's scientists actively participate in:

• The EUCABLIGHT - project has collated, harmonised and disseminated methods for the phenotypic and genotypic characterisation of the pathogen and for host resistance. In addition, existing and newly generated data has been collected using a data entry tool specifically designed for the purpose. This data is held in databases, facilitating analysis of the pooled data on a European scale.
• The EU.NET.ICP network - a harmonised protocol was developed to validate DSS for control of LB in different European Countries. Also the fungicide characteristics (to be included in the DSS) are rated according to harmonised protocols for testing the effectiveness and mode of action.

Modeling has already been extensively used to design and assess  new cropping systems or impacts of policies on the sustainability of farming systems. Testing integrated crop management strategies through conventional experiments is heavy and often inappropriate to cope with the whole range of interactions. To overcome those limitations, modeling has become a major field of investigation to assess the impacts of new crop protection strategies.

This framework will favour the design of innovative and efficient crop protection strategies even if they may not yet be economically viable, technically feasible, or socially acceptable in order to find out what would be the conditions for they applicability (regulations, economic incentives etc). Only such a pro-active approach will make it feasible o explore truly new solutions.

• Design of innovative candidate crop protection strategies, based on emerging knowledge and technologies,
• Ex ante description of their characteristics and behavior in terms o sustainability and its various components (technical, environmental, ecological, economic and social); both quantitative models and expertise will be used,
• Ex ante assessment of their overall performances under various contexts and scenarios through a multi-criteria hierarchical analysis,
• Testing of the most promising ones through long term experimentation and/or transfer to practice.

Experiment on spring wheat has been conducted in 2008 on 4 fields, each in different crop system.

1. Intensive management (20ha field in Radzików, variety Raweta)
2. Integrated management with no chemicals (0,65ha field in Radzików, variety Raweta)
3. Integrated management with possible use of chemicals (6,3ha field in Kawęczyn belonging to Research Centre for Cultivar Testing, variety Grywa)
4. Organic management (3,24ha field in Gogole Wielkie Certificated Organic Production Farm, variety Nawra).

The purpose of the task are issues related to production and consumption of food without pesticide residues produced environment-friendly methods. Social assessment relate to the analysis in which extent of the supermarkets requirements affect both consumers and producers.

Objectives:
1. Organization of the food network in Poland (in particular supermarkets) and their impact on producers practices,

• § the implementation of changes related to the reduction of pesticides,
• § organization of production in order to reduce costs,
• § introduction of quality systems at the stage of production, distribution and sales,
• § influence on the promotion of healthy food.

2. The changes in the consumption context,

• § improve the quality of fruit from the consumers' point of view,
• § impact of consumer preferences on the size of sales,
• § development of consumption of processed fruit,
• § ways of informing consumers.

3. A comparison of polish research results to the situation in the western EU countries.

The scope of work under this theme relates mainly to the apples, the most widespread fruit in our country.

Tools and methods: quantitative and qualitative research through questionnaires and interviews with all market participants, monitoring of fruit on the Warsaw market, drawing up working paper and reports.

• § 30.01.2009 in Paris a presentation on the impact of supermarkets on the Polish potatoes production.
• § 3-4.06.2009 in Paris a work paper was presented on the results of work on supermarket demand's impact on the polish fruit production. Participation in workshop regarding to 1 and 4 task.

Cooperation with INRA in the realisation of task 1 in Poland. RA 3.51 - Governance and the structuration of research and extension systems.

• An organization of work plan during a visit to Poland of Marc Barbier, Ph. D. (15 - 21.04.2009).

• pyramiding of non-specific and major resistance genes to yellow rust and leaf rust in wheat using molecular markers.
  
• Wheat x Puccinia pathosystem:
  Pavon 76 'S' line with partial additive adult plant resistance locus Yr29 to yellow rust will be tested in preliminary experiments held in Denmark (spring 2008). Next, adult plant testing at least in one location (France and/or Denmark) will be established in spring 2009 year. In course of the experiments at least level of disease control will be assessed when exposed to different pathogen isolates.
• Wheat x Mycosphaerella pathosystem:
  In Liwilla wheat cultivar several QTLs associated with resistance to Mycospahaerella graminicola
  have been detected. QTLs located on chromosomes 7A and 1B are effective both at seedling and adult plant stage. Each of these QTLs explained phenotypic variation in range 20-30%. We would like to assess selection pressure on defined pathogen population exert by different combinations of quantitative resistance loci.

Participation in RA4.4 workshop during ENDURE Kick-off Meeting, 21-23.02.2007, INRA Sophia-Antipolis, France. Participation in RA4.4 workshop during ENDURE Annual Meeting 14-15.11.2007, INRA Versailles, France. Gathering data and conducting research on the development and characterisation of novel sources of germplasm for pest resistance, coupled with studies on genetics of powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis) and leaf rust (Puccinia recondita), as new pathogens on triticale in Poland. It included 4 major subjects:

1. Study of incidence and geographical distribution patterns of B. graminis and P. recondita on

triticale and wheat in Poland - especially concerning new, emerging virulences in population

of these pathogens.

2. Virulence study of isolates (pathogenicity) of B. graminis and P. recondita collected on wheat  and

            triticale.

3. Identification and characterisation of wheat and triticale germplasm with effective resistance against

population of B. graminis and P. recondita on wheat and triticale in Poland and Europe.

The main goal of the ENDURE RA4.5 Working Group in the first 18 moths was develop Weed Traits Database (WTDB). The WTDB is an open database residing on Internet. It provides information about weed traits and parameters for the species most important to European agriculture.

The participation of IHAR in the first 18 months:

• provided input to the Weed Traits Database: participation in 3 workshops, in which were discussed: design of a Weed Traits Database (WTDB), construction and implementation of the WTDB. Provided input to developing WTDB through the phases of design, implementation and filling in of data for 2 species of weeds: Galinsoga parviflora and Avena fatua. Data manly came from literature, but also from unpublished material and research conducted in IHAR.
• expert knowledge for the weed-modelling tool