24 November 2021 - Corporate
It is now possible to manage olive fruit flies and reduce damage to olive groves. A partnership between the SALOV Group and CNR-EBE has discovered a system capable of helping to defend olive trees from fruit flies, simplifying and safeguarding the work of farmers in the field.
The SALOV Group announces the latest milestone in its commitment to protecting olive growing and the production of high-quality oil as part of the World Olive Tree Day (26 November). An innovative prototype of a trap capable of defending the olive tree from the fruit fly, an insect considered to be the most serious threat to the plant, has been finalised following a study carried out a Villa Filippo Berio in partnership with CNR-IBE. Once it has captured the insects, the trap sends sample images to a central monitoring station. The aim: to implement a system capable of automatically recognising the captures and identifying the insects in order to monitor the real-time situation relating to the evolution of the fly population and provide farmers with valuable information for reducing damage.
24 November 2021 - Corporate
It is now possible to manage olive fruit flies and reduce damage to olive groves. A partnership between the SALOV Group and CNR-EBE has discovered a system capable of helping to defend olive trees from fruit flies, simplifying and safeguarding the work of farmers in the field.
Massarosa, November 2021 – To mark the World Olive Tree Day (26 November) proclaimed by UNESCO in 2019, the SALOV Group, a company that has always been concerned with sustainability and aware of the importance of research, with a consolidated net turnover of approximately €335 million and 120 litres sold in 2020, reiterates its commitment to protecting olive trees and preserving their permanent value, by announcing an important result in the fight against olive fruit flies which has been obtained after two years of partnership with CNR-IBE (National Research Council of Italy – Institute for BioEconomy).
The new technologies developed by agronomists at CNR have made it possible to experiment at the Villa Filippo Berio olive grove owned by SALOV, an innovative system of traps capable of remotely taking and sending high definition images to a single computer, sparing farmers from spending a great deal of time in the olive grove in order to monitor the situation. The prototype’s current level of development already makes it possible to monitor what is happening in olive fruit fly populations in olive growing regions.
“The olive fruit fly is one of the worst parasites of the olive tree and the damage it can cause is such that it seriously compromises both the production of olives and the quality of the oil. All modern defence strategies, which aim to reduce any environmental impact, require careful monitoring of the presence of the insect in order to intervene at the right time and only when necessary” explained Claudio Cantini – Senior Technologist at CNR. “The management of the presence of adult flies is normally carried out by setting up coloured traps around the olive groves which contain attractive substances that lure the insects and trap them, which allows an accurate count of the specimens and a study of the evolution of the harmful population over time. With the old methods, this process requires a lot of time and is therefore very costly. The studies carried out in partnership with the SALOV Group will enable us to revolutionise this monitoring process, making it quicker and more affordable, thereby having a positive impact on the entire olive oil industry, by implementing the ability to manage and combat this dangerous parasite.”
“I am particularly proud of the results produced by the partnership with CNR which were obtained from our farm at Villa Filippo Berio, which has now become a genuine open air research centre,” added Fabio Maccari – Chief Executive Officer of the SALOV Group. “Solutions for improving olive growing are being studied on the farm. Therefore, there is no better occasion than the World Olive Tree Day to remember the importance of research and sharing.”
SALOV SpA was founded in 1919 by Giovanni Silvestrini, a long-time business partner of brand founder Filippo Berio, and a group of entrepreneurs from Lucca. The company quickly became a standard bearer for Lucca around the world. SALOV is based in Massarosa, in the province of Lucca, and is one of the largest companies in the olive oil sector, with a consolidated net turnover of approximately €335 million and 120 million litres sold in 2020. It has been part of the Bright Food International Group since 2015.
The SALOV Group has always been present on the Italian market with the historic Sagra brand and in late 2019 launched Filippo Berio in Italy for the first time; a brand with over 150 years of history across the world and the current market leader in the USA, UK and Russia, as well as Belgium, Switzerland and Hong Kong.
Filippo Berio is present in Italy with a dedicated range capable of meeting the needs of an increasingly discerning consumer in terms of quality and, above all, traceability and sustainability. In fact, thanks to the Berio Method, each part of the production process is traceable and certified, starting from the field and the application of sustainable integrated production techniques.
