Achieving the European Green “Deal” of Sustainable Grass Forage Production and Landscaping Using Fungal Endophytes

Dariusz Pańka, Małgorzata Jeske, Aleksander Łukanowski, Piotr Prus, Katarzyna Szwarc and Jean de Dieu Muhire
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Dariusz Pańka: Department of Biology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, UTP University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz, 7 Kaliskiego St., 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Małgorzata Jeske: Department of Biology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, UTP University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz, 7 Kaliskiego St., 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Aleksander Łukanowski: Department of Biology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, UTP University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz, 7 Kaliskiego St., 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Piotr Prus: Laboratory of Economics and Agribusiness Advisory, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, UTP University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz, 430 Fordońska St., 85-790 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Katarzyna Szwarc: Plant Breeding Company Grunwald Ltd. Group IHAR, Bartążek, 10-687 Olsztyn, Poland
Jean de Dieu Muhire: Plant Breeding Company Grunwald Ltd. Group IHAR, Bartążek, 10-687 Olsztyn, Poland

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: The European Green Deal is the EU’s latest growth strategy and action plan, which will meet the challenges concerning climate change and environmental degradation. The components of the Green Deal which are intended to prevent biodiversity loss, to reduce pollution level, and to improve food quality are: The Farm to Fork Strategy and Biodiversity Strategy. Their main aims include: Reducing the application of pesticides by 50% by 2030, reducing nutrients loss by 50% while preserving soil fertility, reducing the application of mineral fertilizers by a minimum of 20% by 2030, as well as supporting the development of organic farming to reach 25% of all the arable land in the EU. These aims are very ambitious and they pose a serious challenge. Can the European Green Deal provide an opportunity for fungal grass endophytes? This paper presented different aspects in which endophytes of the Epichloë genus affect colonized plants, as well as their possible applications in biological grass protection and in improving the performance properties of different grass biotopes. Literature was reviewed to provide evidence of how fungal endophytes might be used to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal strategy, in accordance with the principles of sustainable agriculture.

Keywords: sustainable grasses production; perennial ryegrass; Epichloë; Farm to Fork (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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