A tough nut to crack? Natural dynamics of antagonist communities of a nut tree pest insect in food forests

Humanity is currently at a crossroads due to the combined need for
increased food availability and the urge to deal with major
environmental crises. In this respect, rationally designed food forests
have emerged as promising resilient and diversified food production
systems that contribute to overall ecosystem restoration by providing
habitat for a rich biodiversity. Hazelnuts have received particular
attention as staple food in this context due to their high nutritional
value, and because hazels are native trees in Flanders that fit the
aim of nature restoration. But conventional hazelnut monocultures
use pesticides and fertilizers that are harmful to human health and
the environment. Food forests have been proposed as ideal “living
labs” to explore alternative, agroecological, nature-based solutions.
However, it is as yet insufficiently understood how pests behave in
such self-sustaining food ecosystems. This project will characterize
which entomopathogen and predator communities of nut weevils
(Curculio nucum), a serious pest in hazelnut plantations, establish
over time in food forests. Next, we will perform experiments to
investigate whether a synergistic effect of these stressors is able to
affect this pest at various stages of its life cycle. Finally, we will
compare nut infestation rate in food forests to that in plantations. We
hypothesize that our project can provide an important step towards
proof of concept for self-sustaining agroecosystems in Europe.