Plant Science

Keywords: field crop husbandry, horticulture, forestry, greenery, scientific research.

We offer services and know-how:

- chemical analysis of soil, peat and organic manure;

- laboratory analysis of the physical parameters of soil;

- chemical analysis of plant material;

- counselling for the application of the results of the analyses.

Analyses are made both for carrying out scientific research and for giving practical managing advice.

Based on the analyses of the chemical and physical parameters of soil we offer counselling for example for:

- compiling fertilisation plans;

- assessing soil suitability and

- planning land use.

Keywords: horticulture, fruits, berries, vegetables, ornamentals.

Cultivar comparison experiments, optimization of fertilization and irrigation of edible crops and ornamentals, leaf analyses, determination of fruit taste-related parameters, fruit firmness, fruit postharvest quality.

Keywords: planters of commercial orchards, producers and processors, home gardeners, horticultural enthusiasts, bioactive composition, functional food, natural cosmetics, natural plant protection products, producers and processors of plant raw materials.

Training and consulting services:

• Selection of apple and pear tree varieties (conventional and organic cultivation), establishment and maintenance of plantations.

• New varieties of stone fruit crops, selection of pollination partners, solving difficulties encountered during cultivation (including organic cultivation).

• Variety selection of berry crops, introduction of old varieties of the genetic resource collection, cultivation from planting to harvest and learning about diseases and pests.

• In addition, we offer planting material of berry and fruit crops.

• Product development and pilot-scale processing service for producers and processors of plant raw materials to bring food and non-food products with high added value to the market.

• Biochemical analyses of raw materials and finished products, nutritional information, packaging requirements.

• Cooperation and consultation on the field of support measures. 

Keywords: nature conservation board, farmers, tourism, beekeepers, schools, kindergartens.

Training and counselling for:

- the foundation of organic apiary;

- using honey bees, bumble bees and solitary bees to increase the efficiency of crop pollination;

- using honey bee and bumble bee colonies for pollination in greenhouse conditions;

- promoting the abundance of bumble bees and solitary bees in farmland to improve the pollination of crops;

- conservation of bumble bee species;

- using honey bee and bumble bee commercial hives as teaching material in outdoor studies at schools and tourism farms.

The offered knowledge will help to increase the yields and quality of the entomophilic crops (e.g. Fabaceae and Crucifera), fruits and berries.

Keywords: counselling services for farmers and horticultural companies, societies and private persons.

Counselling and training

We provide high-quality know-how on pest identification and their biology.

Recommendations for pest control (plant extracts, botanical and synthetic insecticides).

Keywords: organic and conventional farming, herbicides, weed control in organic farming. 

Advice:

- Chemical and mechanical weed control;

- weed prevention and weed control options in organic farming;

- herbicide selection and dose optimisation.

Keywords: organic and conventional farming, crop rotation.

Counselling for:

• growing green manure crops and the choice of technology (undersowings, pure sowings, cover crops), their impact on the balance of nutrients and humus;
• preparation of crop rotations, incorporating green manures into crop rotations and compilation of humus balance for crop rotations.

We carry out research projects in collaboration with organic and conventional producers, where we study suitability of cover crops (catch crops) and their impact on soil properties.

Keywords: Horticulture, field crops, plant diseases, biopesticide testing.

Training and counselling 

We provide high-quality know-how for main horticultural and field crops.

Laboratory analyses

We conduct laboratory analyses to identify primary horticultural and field crop diseases from plant tissue and soil.

We conduct laboratory and field trials testing the effectiveness of biopesticides in suppressing plant pathogens.

Keywords: sweet potato, oilseed plants, agrotechnology, pathogens.

We advise:

- in the field of growing novel crops suitable for Estonian weather conditions (for example, sweet potatoes, oilseed plants such as hemp and millet) and pathogens;

- potato diseases and their control.

Keywords: plant science, microscopic imaging, plant anatomy, adaptation to climate change.

We analyse the anatomy of soft plant tissues:

            - taking a sample of tissue and fixing it;

            - embedding the sample into resin LR white;

- making semithin (1-2 µm) and ultrathin (70-110 nm) sections with ultramicrotome (Leica EM UC7);

- photographing semithin sections under light microscope (Nikon Eclipse 2000);

- photographing ultrathin sections under transmission electron microscope (TEM);

            - preparation of slides for scanning electron microscopy (SEM);

            - taking SEM photos of samples;

            - image analysis of photos and measurement of objects.

The service is useful for illustrating a wide range of research in both scientific and popular publications. Image analysis allows the assessment of the influence of climatic factors on the internal structure of the plant and, in combination with other plant physiology studies, the assessment of the adaptability of the plant to changing climates.

Keywords: plant production, field crops, biomass, plant stress, adaptation to climate change, volatile organic compound analysis.

Research:

Plant production depends on a number of climate-related factors. Adaptation of the plant to climate change and stress is assessed by determining the chemical compounds volatilized or contained in the plant by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry or in combination with photosynthesis and anatomy studies.

We analyse photosynthetic efficiency and stress responses in plants grown in the open air (field or forest) or under controlled indoor conditions (plant chambers) under different temperature, humidity, light, carbon dioxide and ozone concentration regimes and under different fertilizer doses. When appropriate, studies on abiotic stress factors will be combined with studies on biotic stress factors such as pests or pathogens.

We make recommendations:

- on plants adaptation to climate change; 

- on plant stress, photosynthesis and volatile compounds;

- in plant biomass/yield efficiency assessment;

- in interpretation of analytical results.

Cooperation:

We also carry out projects in cooperation with growers to study, for example, the effect of a fertilizer on the biotic stressors. 

Keywords: pests, natural enemies of pests, parasitoids, biocontrol, ecosystem services, conservative biological control, landscape elements in agroecosystems  

Training and counseling for 

Environmentally sustainable pest control measures  

Identification of beneficial insects, their biology and promotion methods 

Promotion of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes and associated support measures 

Establishement of landscape elements and their impact on biodiversity in agricultural landscapes 

Enhancement of pest control and pollination services in fields through landscape elements 

Increasing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes  

Keywords: horticulture, agriculture, pest insects, pollinators, pesticides.  

Laboratory Studies and risk assessment 

We conduct laboratory experiments to clarify the impact of various plant protection products on both beneficial and pest insects. Where possible, we provide assessments based on the literature.