www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be

2015AnnuAl report

An

nu

Al repo

rt IlVo 2015

ILVOInstitute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research

Publisher Joris Relaes

Coordination Nancy De Vooght Greet Riebbels SofieVandendriessche Ellen Claeys

Translation Miriam Levenson

Photographs ILVOCover 2015 was “the year of the soil”

Lay-out Nancy De Vooght

To order

by e-mail ilvo@ilvo.vlaanderen.beby telephone +32 9 272 25 00by mail Burg. Van Gansberghelaan 92 9820 Merelbeke Belgium reference “Annual report 2015”

For information, questions or suggestions

T +32 9 272 25 00 F +32 9 272 25 01 ilvo@ilvo.vlaanderen.be www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be

Follow ILVO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InstituutVoorLandbouwEnVisserijonderzoekFollow ILVO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ILVOvlaanderen

ILVO’s MissionILVO is an independent scientific research institution and service provider of theGovernmentofFlanders.ILVOworkscollaborativelytopromotesustainableagriculture,fisheriesandagro-foodproductioninFlanders,Belgium,Europeandtheworld.

ILVO’s VisionWorking inaproactive,objectiveandethicalway, ILVO researchesnewandexistingtrajectoriesofoptimisationandincreasedsustainabilityfortheactorsinagriculture,fisheriesandtheagro-foodchainaswellasforthebroaderruralenvironment. Indoingso,ILVOengagesindialoguewithpolicymakers,itsstakeholders,andsocietyonaregularbasis;thiscommitmentispartofILVO’sintentiontofulfilanexemplaryrole.

Two reports for the price of one

ThereportinginthisannualreportcoversbothpartsofILVO,thegovernment-fundedpart(ILVO-VO)andthefundsgatheredunderILVO’sOwnCapitalfund,knownasILVO-EV inDutch. ILVO-VO isan internal independentorganisationof theGovernmentofFlanders,whileILVO-OwnCapital(ILVO-OCorILVO-EVinDutch)managesgrantmonies,royalties,productrevenuesandotherincomestreams.Eachofthesetwoentitieshavetheirownbudgets,governingcommittees,audits,and legallyseparateemployees. Inpractice,however,thesetwoorganisationsworkasone:theysharethesamemissionandILVO-VOpersonnelworkalongsideILVO-EVpersonnel,withnoexternallydistinguishabledifferences.

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Introduction 7

reseArch 2015 9

Bio-economy & closed-loop systems 10

Futuremiscanthusvarietiesmoretolerantofchillingandfrost? 11

ValorizationofbyproductsfromtheBelgianfisheriesandfishprocessingindustries 12

Quarantinenematodesinresiduesduringpotatoandvegetableprocessing 13

Soil & water 14

Howdograssescopewithdroughtstress? 15

Soilmanagement,fertilizationandsoilmicrobiology:insearchofaneasyindicatorforsoilquality 17

Fertiplus:usingbiocharand/orcompostasasoilimprover 18

Plant production 20

IntegratedcontroloftheinvasiveleafminerTuta absoluta intomatocultivationinFlanders 22

Longhorns of the genus Monochamusasvectorofthepinewiltnematode 23

Non-chemicalcontrolofcystnematodes 25

Animal production 26

ThetimeisripeforintegratedaquacultureinFlanders 27

Dysenteryinpigs:optimizingdetectionandtreatment 28

Omega-3doesn’tnecessarilymakeagoodegg 29

Rumendegradabilityofmaizestarchincreaseswithlongerensilingtime 30

Clawqualityinpigs:thelinkwithzinc 31

Thermalstressforoutdoorcattle:negativeeffectsonwelfareandmilkproduction 33

Healthy & high-quality food 34

ProcessingofpangasiusinVietnam:roomformicrobiologicalqualityimprovement 36

Innovationandcollaboration:foodindustryspeedsalong 39

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Precision Agriculture 40

Imagingofpesticidespraysusinghighspeedcameratechniques 41

Newlydevelopedairflowsensorfornaturallyventilatedanimalhousing 43

Innovativetechniquestoreducedustdriftfrompesticideseeddressingduringsowing 44

Candairyfarmscutcostsbyaimingforahigherresourceefficiency? 45

Social Sciences 46

Culturalsustainabilityorasustainableculture? 47

Success,organicallygrown… 48

“Towardsamoresustainableagri-foodchain”isoutofthestartingblocks! 49

Anewlookatmodernagricultureandruraldevelopment 51

Environment & Biodiversity 52

MarinelitterinEurope:tryingtokeepourheadsabovewater 53

ILVO research about the ammonia problem 54

Newinsightsputfisherydiscardbanintoperspective 57

Added value & valorization 58

By-productsandwastefractionsfromtheagrofoodchainvalorizedasanimalfeed 59

BelgianandFlemishagricultureasanicheontheglobalmarket 60

Long-soughtbiomarkerforchronicstressinfishdiscovered 61 MAnAgeMent 2015 63

Managementontrack?Tablesandtrendsin2015 64

Funding:theshifttowardsOwnCapitalcontinues 64

Humancapital:shrinkingnumberofemployeesandhands-onHRmanagement 65

Scientificandsocialoutput:anotherframework,moreinternationalandmoreflexible 66

Infrastructure,EnvironmentandEmployeeHealth:theyearofthepigcampusandsustainablesmallerconstructionprojects 69

ILVOisecologicallyresponsibleandresponsivetohumanneed 71

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Dearreader,

Thisannualreportgivesyouatasteofthewiderangeof activities performed at ILVO in the last year.Weshinethespotlightonseveralprojects–bothresearchandservice-related–andproudlyreportthatmanyofouractivitieshavestruckachordinthemediaaswell.Alloftheseaccomplishmentsaretheworkofthe600+enthusiastic ILVO employees. I hereby sincerely thank themforalltheydo.

DuringTheYearoftheSoil,agreatdealofattentionwent to thehealthof this crucialproduction factorforFlemishagriculture.ILVOalsoshowcasedoursoilresearch during a very successful seminar and thepublication of an amusing yet serious New Year’s letter,“The10commandmentsforsustainableuseofthe soil.”

TheILVObuildingsandinfrastructureareundergoingacontinualprocessofmodernization.Thenewsowandfattening pig barns were opened together with theMinisterofEducation.InresponsetoadirectrequestfromtheMinisterofAgriculture,FisheriesandNatureand several farmers’ organizations, an experimentalbarn formeat cattle was created in the context ofPAS,theFlemishammoniareductionplan.

ThepurchaseofILVO’sowndrone,whichisusedforthe new ILVO research platform on smart sensors (I-Sense),provesILVO’scommitmenttoSmartFarming.WhenILVOresearchersaddtheelementoftheclimateproblem, they speak authoritatively about ClimateSmart Agriculture. Moreandmorefoodprocessingcompanieshavefoundtheir way to the Food Pilot, a joint ILVO-FlandersFOODventure.Thispilotplantforthefoodindustry

is performing pioneering work in the valorizationof waste streams, a particularly relevant issue forthefisheriessector inthewakeofthenewby-catch“landingobligation”.

ILVOiscontributingtothesocialdebateaboutopenspace,agricultureandruralareasinthePilotProjectsonProductiveLandscapestogetherwiththeatelieroftheFlemishBuildingMasterandthepioneeringILVOwork thatexposedthehiddenurbanizationofruralareas.

Youwill undoubtedlynotice that in addition to themajorityofILVOresearchfocusingoncostreductionfor agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and foodprocessingcompanies,anumberofresearchprojectsarefocusingonhowtocreateaddedvalueforFlemishagriculturalproducts.

EnjoyyourreadingandwehopetoseeyouatoneofourmanyILVOactivities!

Joris Relaes

ILVOwillopenitsdoorsduringtheOpenBusinessDayinFlandersonSunday,October2nd,2016

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ReseaRch 2015

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BIo-econoMy & closed-loop systeMs

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Theme bio-economy & closed-loop systems

Future miscanthus varieties more tolerant of chilling and frost?

Miscanthus x giganteusisawoody,perennialgrassthatproduceshighyieldsofbiomasswithlimitedinputsoffertilizer,pesticidesandlabor.ThisnativetosouthernJapanmaysufferfromcoldstressinEurope.Newmiscanthusvarietiesareneededthatcombineenhancedcoldtolerancewithahighyieldandgoodqualitybiomass.ThereforeILVO,islookingforgenotypeswithgreatercoldtoleranceinacollectionofover100miscanthusgenotypesprovidedbyEuropeanbreeders.Protocolshavebeendeveloped toscreencold tolerance on a large scale. In field trials and experiments in growth chambersgenotypeswere foundwith a higher tolerance to frost stress and better growth atthe low temperatures in early spring. Thesegenotypes canbeusedbybreeders forbreeding new cold tolerant varieties whichwillmake the cultivation ofmiscanthusmoreprofitable.

Organic: here and abroad

OnSunday27th andMonday28th

September,thefirstBioXpo(anorganictradeshow)wasorganizedinBrussels.AscoordinatorandmemberoftheNetwork for Research on Organic Farming(NOBL)ILVOanditspartnerswithintheFlemishknowledgenetworkfororganicagricultureandfood(CCBTandBiobedrijfsforum)setupastandtohighlightresearchandknowledgeabout organic. ILVO research was also presentedduringtheworkshops.TheCORE-OrganicERA-NetisanetworkfinancedbyEuropewhosegoalistoimprovethequality,relevanceanduseofresourcesbyEuropeanresearchersworkingonorganicfoodandagriculture.Thiswillbedoneviacoordinationoftheresearchandfostering international partnerships. ILVO,anactivepartnerinthenetwork,helps to grow the impact of these effortsovertheinternationalborders.

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Valorization of byproducts from the Belgian fisheries and fish processing industries

Tighterregulationsareconfrontingthefisheriesandfishprocessingindustrieswiththechallengeofdecreasingwasteproductionandincreasingtheutilizationofbyproducts.InordertodeterminetheopportunitiesandbottlenecksforbothsectorsinBelgium,amultidisciplinaryconsortiumwasassembled,withILVO,eCoast,KULAK,UGentandVIVESasmembers.Byproductvalorizationopportunitiesweredeterminedbycharacterizingthedifferenttypesofbyproducts,pinpointingvaluablecomponents,performingasocio-economicanalysisandexperimentingwithsmall-scaleprocessingtechniques.Intotal,80%oftheunwantedbycatchfromtheBelgianfishingfleetconsistsof:plaice,dab,sole,whiting,bib, lesser-spotteddogfishandmonkfish.Homogenizationexperimentswereperformedonseveralmatrices(meat,head,skin,boneandviscera)ofthesespeciesinorder toprepare the samples for further analysis. Chemical characterizationwasthenperformedonthematricestoidentifyvaluablecomponents.FishsilagewasalsoproducedtodeterminethepossibilityofproducingafishmealsubstituteusingwholeBelgianbycatch.ExperimentsindicatedthatitwaspossibletoproduceafishsilageofpH<4.5using2.5%formicacid(w/w).Thenutritionalandchemicalaspectsofthefishsilagearestilltobedetermined.

‘Upcycling’ of agro-food by-products and waste fractions

In early 2015, the ERA-NET SUSFOOD projectSUNNIVA,entitled“Sustainablefoodproductionthrough quality optimized raw materialproduction and processing technologiesfor premium quality vegetable productsand generated by-products” started. In thisEuropean research projects the focus is onthe improvement of the sustainability of the entire foodproductionchain, fromharvest toconsumption.ForFlanders,DCM-KULandBNDTelersvereniging-ILVOparticipateintheproject.ILVOisworkingtowardsimprovedvalorizationof all vegetable biomass produced. The focusisontargetedcharacterizationoftheavailable,underutilizedbiomassfractionsandinnovativeprocessingintorawmaterials,ingredientsandendproductsforthefoodindustry.

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Quarantine nematodes in residues during potato and vegetable processing

The potato cyst nematodes (Globodera spp.) and root-knot nematodesMeloidogynechitwoodiandM.fallaxarequarantinenematodes(“q-nematodes”)thatcanbefoundinpotatoandvegetablegrowingareas.TheFODprojectNEMASPREADinvestigatedwhatcouldbedonetopreventspreadoftheseq-nematodesviatheresiduesofthepotatoandvegetableprocessingindustry.Withouttreatment,theycansurviveforalongtimeinwashwaterandwastesoil.Heatingatatemperatureofatleast60°Cfor1hourwasfoundtobesufficienttokillmorethan98%ofM.fallaxandM.chitwoodi.Inundationofresidualsoilyieldedgoodresultswhenorganicmaterial(freshorsteamedpotatopeelingsandgreenwastefromleeks)wasmixedwiththesoil,with99.5%mortalityofGloboderaspp.andM.fallax after 4 weeks. For M.chitwoodi6weeksinundationwasrequiredtoobtain99.5%mortality.Besidespreventionandawareness,carefulhandlingofresiduesalsocertainlyhelpstopreventfurtherspreadofq-nematodes.

RootdamagecausedbyMeloidogynechitwoodi

Bio-economy: from fossil to bio-based

Thetransitionfromafossil-fuelbasedeconomytoabiobasedeconomycreates opportunities for the Flemish agricultureandfisheriessectorsandtheagri-foodbusinesses.ILVOwishesto help this transition by implementing fourresearchaxes.Thetransitiontothebio-economyrequirescompletelyrethinkingthesocio-technologicalsystem.Newinstitutionalorganizationsareformed,infrastructureschange,andpoliciesmustbeadjusted.Inthefirstresearchaxis,theprocessesarerequiredforthissysteminnovationaredeveloped,organizedandfollowedup.Thebio-economyresultsinahigherdemandforbiomassandapressureonnaturalresources.Inasecondresearchaxis,processessuchasplanproduction

or the processing of biomass waste streamsareanalyzedviaasustainabilityanalysis. Closing the nutrient loops is an essential issue here.Inathirdaxis,ILVOresearchesthegrowingdemandforbiomass:thepotentialofspecificcropsinthebioeconomy. Research focuses on diversificationofcrops,geneticresearchandcropoptimization.Notonlyplantproductionbutinsectsandalgaeproductionalsocomeintothepicture.Thelastresearchaxisconcernstheoptimalprocessingoflocallyproducedbiomass(waste)streams,takingthecascadeprincipleintoaccount.Thisresearch strategy takes form as various researchprojects,bothnationalandinternational.

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Theme wateR & soil

How do grasses cope with drought stress?

Droughttoleranceisamajorchallengeforgrassbreeding.InterestindroughttoleranceisnowrisinginEurope,becausedroughtperiodsareexpectedtoincreaseasaresultofclimatechange.Thecurrentdominantforagegrassspecies(especiallyLoliumspp.)providehighyieldsofnutritiousforage,butaresusceptibletodrought.Festucagrassesaremore resistant to drought, but are less digestible. Interspecific crosses betweenFestucaand Lolium grassesmaycombinethedesiredcharacteristicsofbothgenerainso-calledFestuloliumgrasses.Festuca,LoliumandFestuloliumgrasseswereexposedtodroughttreatmentsinpotsin a greenhouse and in fields under amobile rainout shelter to induce controlleddroughtconditions.Onceestablished,tallfescue(Festucaarundinacea)performedbestduringdrought periods,while Italian ryegrass (Loliummultiflorum)had thehighestproduction under drought conditions during youth growth in pots and during thefirstmowingyear in thefield.Droughtclearlyaffectedyield, foragequalityand thevariousphysiological(photosynthesis,transpiration)andphytochemicalmeasurements(proline,flavonoidsandphenolicacids).Theresultsgavemoreinsightintothetolerancestrategiesthatgrassesuseduringdroughtperiods.

The 10 commandments for healthy soils:

1. Thou shalt love your soil above all else2. Thoushaltdescendfromthytractor andmeettheground3. Thoushaltknowandrespectthelaw ofeatandbeeaten4. Thou shalt never forget organic material5. Thou shalt only work the soil when it isdryenough6. Thoushaltneverapplytoomuch pressure on the soil 7. Thoushallrequestregularsoiltesting8. Thoushallnotfertilizemorethan needed9. Thou shalt always cover thy soils10. Thou shall rotate thy cropsInshort,inthisaptandoriginalway,ILVOsoilexpertscallforattentiontoorganicmatter,soilcompaction,fertilization,analysis,covercrops,andcrop rotation.

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Valorization of digestate

Digestate, a valuable byproduct of anaerobicdigestion,isrichinorganicmatterandnutrients.It has great potential as a soil improver andorganic fertilizer, but the composition andpropertiesofdigestatediffergreatlyfromtheinput materials and the digestion process inthe biogas plant. These differences create agapbetween the biogas plants anddigestateend-users. The objective of the DIMA projectistoclosethatgapbyadaptingthedigestateprocessing to create more standardizedproducts than can be applied as ecologicalsustainable fertilizers and soil improvers. ThisIWT-VIS project is coordinated by Vlaco withILVOaspartner,togetherwithOWS,Ecca,SoilServiceofBelgium,DLV,MASandXIO. How can farmers combat soil erosion

while maintaining yield and quality?

Since2015-2016,non-inversiontillagetechniqueshavebeenstronglyencouragedforsoil tillageandcropmanagementonfieldsthatarehighlysusceptibletosoilerosion.ILVOhasteamedupwiththeProvincialCentreforVegetables(PCG)andInagrointheGOMEROSprojecttosearchfor techniques thatmaximally inhibit erosionatthesourcewhileguaranteeingtheyieldandquality of vegetable and maize crops. Fouryears of field experiments will be conductedinthehillyregionsofFlanders.Thetreatmentsin the field trials are then discussed in smallfarmer groups called “erosion cafés”. Thisproject is financed by IWT, Boerenbond, ABS,Steeno,Packo,Vegebe,BND,VegrasandIngro.Forresearchresultsandmoreinformation,seewww.gomeros.be

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PTO lab

ILVO’slaboratoryforplant,soilandsubstratesisnowrecognizedbyLNE-ALBONforsoilanalysis(subdomainsoilprotection)inadditiontotheBELAC-accreditationforplantandsoilanalysisandtherecognitionbytheManureBankdivisionofVLMforsoilanalysis.TheLNE-ALBONrecognitionwasgrantedpermanently in February 2015.

Soil improvement through compost, non-inversion tillage, and the KnowSoil tool

AttheAgribextradeshowinDecember,ILVOpresentedtheresultsofthemulti-yearfieldexperimentBOPACTinthecontextoftheYearoftheSoil.ILVOshowedhowsoilqualityimprovedafterapplyingfarmcompostandnon-inversiontillageoveraperiodoffiveyears.KnowSoil,ausefultoolforagriculturalsoils,wasalsodemonstrated.

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Soil management, fertilization and soil microbiology: in search of an easy indicator for soil quality

Microbialactivityplaysavitalroleinmanysoilfunctions.Notonlydomicrobeshelptodecomposeorganicmatterandhelpplantsacquireandassimilatenutrients,theyalsoaffect soil structureanddisease suppressivenessof the soil. Themembersofajoint project (ILVO, CCBT, Inagro, PCG, pcFruit and Proefcentrum Pamel) have beenlookingforaneasymethodtomeasuremicrobialactivity insoil.Soilwas incubatedinasugarsolutiontosimulatetheactivationofsoilmicro-organismsthatcomeintpcontactwithrootexudates.Whenweincubatethesoilinasolutionwithoutsugars,weonlycountthebacteriathatfeedonundecomposedorganicmaterial.Usingthistest(Rusch, 1968),nodifferenceswere foundbetween soilmanagementand fertilizationtreatments.However,wedidfindacorrelationbetweenthereadingsofthistestandimportantchemicalsoilindicators,suchasorganiccarbonand“hot-water-extractablecarbon”(HWC).Moreover,HWCwasalsocorrelatedwithseveralfunctionalgroupsofthesoilfoodwebasdeterminedwithphospholipidsfattyacid(PLFA)analysis.ThePLFAmethoddiddifferentiatebetweensoilmanagementtreatmentsconductedinmulti-yearfieldexperiments.

Left: saline solutionRight: sugar solutionFoam(right)indicatesbacterialactivity

Watchthevideo:http://www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be/EN/Press-and-Media/VideoBiochardoesnotworkmagiconEuropeansoils!

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Fertiplus: using biochar and/or compost as a soil improver

The aim of the European project Fertiplus (www.fertiplus.eu) was to identifytechnologies and strategies to convert urban and farmorganicwaste into valuableand safe products for agriculture such as biochar (a carbon-richmaterial obtainedfrom thermochemical conversion of biomass), compost or a combination of both.WithintheFertiplusproject,ILVOdeterminedtheeffectsofthoseproductsbymeansofcomposting,potandfieldtrials.Addingbiocharatthestartofthecompostingprocessincreasedefficiencyand reducednutrient lossesandgreenhousegasemissions.Pottrialsshowedthattheadditionofbiocharandcomposttosoilreduceddiseasepressureinstrawberryandpotato,respectively.Underfieldconditions,however,biochardidnotmeetexpectations.Althoughasinglebiocharapplicationclearlycontributedtocarbonsequestrationinthesoil,hardlyanyeffectsonoverallsoilqualitywerereported.Inthefield,therepeatedapplicationofcompostemergedasthebeststrategyforincreasingsoilorganiccarboncontentandsoilqualityintheshorttermwithoutincreasingtherisk for nutrient leaching.

Can the new roller-crimper optimize use of cover crops in organic farming?

The use of the new “roller-crimper” tool fordestroyingcovercropsisbeingexploredinthecontextoforganicvegetablecroppingsystems.TheEuropeanSOILVEGproject,acollaborationbetween ILVO, Ghent University, Inagro andtheEuropeanprojectpartners,isinvestigatinghowthisinnovativeterminationtechniquecanenhance the agro-ecological value of covercrops.Thisnewpracticemayresultinincreaseddisease suppressiveness, reduced use of fossilfuelenergy, improvedgeneralsoilqualityandreduced nutrient losses and greenhouse gasemissions. These effects will be investigatedduring two years on multiple locations. Theyield and product quality of the cultivatedvegetableswillalsobeconsidered.Theprojectis fundedby theDepartment Agriculture andFisheries in the frame of the CORE Organic Plus ERA-NET.

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Applying legumes to fulfill European “greening” policy: focus on dairy farms with a narrow crop rotation

In the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP),legume feed crops such as lucerne, clover,field bean and peas get a new chance tocontribute. These crops fix nitrogen in thesoil and can be used to either partially orcompletelyfillintheEcologicalAttentionArea(EAA) on an agricultural firm. On assignmentfrom the Flemish Department of Agricultural andFisheries,some(demonstration)trialswereplantedat ILVOandUniversityCollegeGhent,aswellasatextensioncentersacrossFlanders.The partners Inagro and Hooibeekhoeve (inGeel)havetheresponsibilitytostudyhowthesecropscanbeappliedintherationofdairyandmeatcattleonavarietyoffarms(organicandconventional).Postersabouttheseleguminouscrops and informative meetings are used totranslatetheknowledgegainedintopractice.

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ILVO encourages and assists stakeholders to implement agroforestry

Designingandimplementingasuccessfulagroforestrysystemdoesn’thappenbyitself:in-depthknowledgeandpracticalexperience,helpfarmersmake the right choices. What is the righttreespeciesforthedesiredobjectiveandsoilconditions?Whichorientationanddistancebetweenthetreesfitbestfortheintercropandmachinery?Whataretheappropriatesoilprotectionmeasures?Andwhataboutthecomplexadministrativeandlegalaspects?ILVOandthepartnersoftheproject“AgroforestryinFlanders”,offerfreesupporttofarmersandmoderatethecontactswithother agencies. Contact us at info@agroforestryvlaanderen.beandwww.agroforestryvlaanderen.be.

ILVO rolled them flat!

DuringtheMachineryFieldDaysinOudenaarde,ILVOintroducedanewtypeofagriculturalequipment,the“roller-crimper”,asanalternativeforchemical or intensive mechanical destructionofcovercrops.TheroleofcovercropshasbeenencouragedbygovernmentalrulesregardingtheManureActionPlanandCAP.Therollercrimpercrushesandflattensthecovercropduringthefloweringstage.Thenextcropissownorplantedthroughout the mulch layer without additionaltillage.ILVOwilllookatthepotentialofthistechniqueinanorganic vegetable cropping system.

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plAnt productIon

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Sector-wide integrated control of wireworms

Wireworms, the soil-dwelling larvae of clickbeetles (Elateridae), are currently regarded asoneofthemostdamagingsoilinsectpestsintheagricultural sector. Due to their polyphagous feeding behavior and their long life cycle,thesebeetlelarvaearedifficulttocontrol.Thegoalof thisnew IWT-LAproject is todevelopa multi-crop wireworm compendium for thegrower,basedonthreeIPMpillars(monitoringof the crop, threshold levels as decision toolfor pest control and preferably non-chemicalcontrol techniques as stated in the EU-directiveonintegratedpestmanagement).Thiscompendiumwillbe integrated inanexistingonline tool of the Agricultural Application Platformandshouldgivethefarmermorecloutin controlling wireworms in both integratedandorganicallygrowncrops.

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Collections of diseases and pests on plants

Internationalplanttradeisincreasingtremendously.Thisisassociatedwithhigh risk of importing plant pests andpathogens,someofwhicharequarantineorganismsfortheEU.Butclimate change is affecting the ability of plant pests to survive in regions other than those of their origin. There is an urgentneedforreferencematerialtoenablereliablediagnosisanddetectionof these harmful organisms. The main outputsoftheFP7-Qcollectprojectare an inventory of collections within Europethatharborreferencematerial,guidelinestoenhancecollectionqualityandaccess,andinstallingcollectionnetworks for Plant Health. Diagnostic Center for Plants

reaches new high

Thenumberofplantsamplesanalyzedby the ILVO Diagnostic Centre for Plants rose in 2015 by 15% to over 7000. The pressure was particularly highinthemycology(fungaldiseases)section.TheDCPisanexpertisecenterforthevarioustypesofdiseasesandpests(fungi,bacteria,viruses,insects,nematodes,etc.).Theresearchersdevelopnewandmoreeffectivedetectionmethodsandworktobetterunderstandnewpathogens.

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Integrated control of the invasive leaf miner Tuta absoluta in tomato cultivation in Flanders

ILVO has studied the design of an integrated control system for the now-commontomatoleafminer,inaconsortiumwiththeResearchStationforVegetableProduction,thelaboratoryofAgrozoology(GhentUniversity)andtheResearchCentreHoogstraten.Laboratory tests showed that this exotic moth can survive up to two weeks ingreenhouseswithout anyhost plants, implying that lowpest densities are certainlyneededat theendof thecultivationperiod.At thismomentwealsoknowthat thecontrolofthispestwiththepredatorybugM. pygmaeusshouldbeundertakenshortlyafter planting. This bug prefers to eat the eggs of T. absoluta: leaf miner larvae by the predatorwasinsufficient.Laboratorytestsshowedthatinsectparasiticnematodescanbe particularly effective in the management of the leaf miner. The promising laboratory resultsaredifficult totransfer intopractice; furtherresearchconcerningapplicationtechniquesandconditionsisneeded.Incaseofinsufficientbiological,mechanicaland/or physical control of T. absoluta,chemicalpesticidescanofferasolution.Thenumberoftreatmentsisnowreducedtoaminimumandthepossibleside-effectsonbeneficialorganismswerestudied.

Flying “fire”-fighters rescue fruit trees

Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora)isaneconomicthreattofruitproductioninFlanders,causingextensivedamageonappleandpear.Infectionoccurs through the flowers, leading often todeathofthetreeafteronlyafewweeks.ILVOaims to apply biological control organisms (BCOs) carried on bumblebees to protect theblossoms from infection. Usually BCOs areappliedbyspraying,butthisonlytreatsopenblossoms, not flowers that are still closedat the time of spraying. Delivery of BCOs via bumblebees may result in the trees receiving a continuous supply of BCOs throughout the bloomingperiod.

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Longhorns of the genus Monochamus as vector of the pine wilt nematode

ItislikelythatthequarantinepinewoodnematodeBursaphelenchusxylophilus will be introducedintoBelgiuminthenearfutureviaimportedtimberandwoodproducts.Thisspeciescancausecatastrophicdamagetolocalpinestandsandforests.Thenematodereliesonthepresenceofsuitablevectorsor“carriers”foritsdispersal,suchaslonghornbeetlesofthegenusMonochamus.Little isknownabouttheoccurrence,populationdensitiesandgeographicaldistributionofthesevectorsinBelgium.Duringathree-yearmonitoringsurvey,only7MonochamusindividualswereobservedinBelgium.ThisimpliesthatthevectoreitheroccursinextremelylownumbersacrossBelgiumorthattheyareintroducedintoBelgiumthroughinternationaltrade.Usingamodifiedtrappingtechnique,theintroducedvectorsaswellasthepinewoodnematodestheycouldbecarrying,canrapidlybedetectedinthefuture.TheknowledgegainedinthisprojecthascontributedtothedevelopmentofbothanannualmonitoringprogramforBelgiumandanationalcontingencyplantobeimplementedwhenavectorwithorwithoutpinewoodnematodesisdetected.

Experimental harvester for marigolds

Marigoldisaninnovativecropwithgreat potential for various possible uses.Forexample,theoilextractedfromtheflowerscanbeusedincosmeticsandpharmaceuticals.Beforethiscropcanbedevelopedfurther,machinesmustbedevelopedforharvestingtheflowers.ILVOdemonstratedaprototypemechanicalharvesterwhichcutsofftheflowersandcollects them. Although this machine wasdevelopedtoharvestchamomile,italsoworkswellinmarigold.Furtheroptimizationoftheflowerharvestershouldenableustoimprovequalityandyield.

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Which soy variety will work in Flanders?

In2014and2015,ILVOstudiedseveralvarietiesofsoy.Researchersstrovetodeterminewhichvarieties will perform best under Flemishconditions. In two locations (Merelbeke enGeel),14varietieswerecompared.Thegrowingseasonof2014hadaverywetmonthofAugustand cleardifferences in tendency to fall overwereobservedandsusceptibilitytothefungaldisease Sclerotinia. In 2015 the summer was hotanddry,whichresulted indrierbeansatharvest.On average, across both years and the twolocations, the 14 varieties together yieldedapproximately 3 tons/ha and they were 19%water.Futureresearchwillfocusonoptimizingagronomy techniques to raise both yield andproteincontent,ultimatelyarrivingatafeasiblecrop for the Flemish farmer.

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Plant breeders from around the world united in Melle and Gent

In2015,ILVOorganizedtheEUCARPIAcongress for the Ornamentals section andtheFodderCropsandAmenityGrasses section. As many as 345 researchersandbreedersfromover25differentnationalitieswereguestsatILVOandvisitedourlaboratoryfacilitiesandtestfields.EUCARPIAorthe European Association for Research onPlantBreedingaimstopromotescientificandtechnicalco-operationinthefieldofplantbreedingindifferentcropsinordertofosteritsfurtherdevelopment.Toachievethispurpose,EUCARPIAorganizesregularmeetingstodiscussgeneralorspecificproblemsfromallfieldsofplantbreedingandgenetic research.

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Non-chemical control of cyst nematodes

Potatocystnematodes(Globoderaspp.)causeyieldlossesinpotato.Theysurviveascysts in the soil in between two potato crops. These survival structures enable the spreadofthesenematodes,astheyarealsopresentinwastesoilandcantravelwithharvestedpotatotubers.Weexaminedwhichtreatmentscankilleggsinsidecysts,thusreducingcystsurvival.Amendingfieldsoilwithpigandcattleslurry,aswellaswithnitrogenfertilizerandvarious composts, resulted in decreased cyst viability (6-25%). This resulted in 86%fewercystsafterapotatocropping.Surprisingly, incorporationofbiocharweakenedtheeffectoftheseamendments. Inaddition,wefoundthatgrowersofearlypotatovarietiescanreducecystnumbersinthefieldbyharvestingveryearly(earlyJune),sothatthenematodecycleisinterruptedintime.We also found that killing cysts present in tare soil, a waste product for potatoprocessors,canbeperformedbyinundating(flooding)soilmixedwithleekandpotatoresidues.Thistechniqueresultedin100%mortalityofcystcontentafter4weeks.

Watchthevideo:http://www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be/EN/Press-and-Media/VideoLegumesneedspecificbacteriainordertotakenitrogenoutofthesoil

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AnIMAl productIon

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The time is ripe for integrated aquaculture in Flanders

Flandershastheknowledge,theroomandthemarkettofarmaquacultureproductsinan integratedand sustainableway,according to recent research results from theAquaValueproject.Elevenprojectpartners,includingILVO,researchedthepotentialof,andpossibleroadblocksfor,integratedaquacultureinFlandersandintheNorthSea.The study revealed opportunities for Flemish entrepreneurs and research instituteswithinandoutsideofFlanders.Additionally,thereisstillroomtoincreasetheamountofaquaculturethatconsumerseataswellasdiversificationoftheproductsthemselves.Thepartnerssuggestfourfeasiblepilotprojects:amarinemulti-specieshatchery,anopenfishfarmatsea,amussel-andseaweedfarmbetweenwindmillsandacoastaldefenseprojectfeaturingharvestablebio-builders.Tobeabletorealizethepotentialthere,fundingisneededforappliedresearchforthetechnicalandbiologicalaspectsofintegratedaquacultureaswellassupportforstart-ups.

Alternative rabbit housing

In2014,Belgianlegislationwaspublishedonagradual switch from individual cage housingtoparkhousingofrabbits.Existingfarmsandnewly interested breeders will be assisted byILVOusingdemosandfieldtrialstoachievethismore sustainable form of rabbit production.FlandersAnimalCareServicewillmonitor thehealthstatusoftherabbitsduringtheproject.

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Dysentery in pigs: optimizing detection and treatment

Brachyspira, the cause of dysentery in pigs, has a major economic impact on pigfarmsinFlanders.AnIWTprojectfocusedonimproveddetectionofthispathogenandtreatmentofthedisease.Currenttreatmentsarebasedonthecurativeandpreventiveuse of antimicrobial compounds, but this has led to a high level of antimicrobialresistance in Brachyspira isolates. Certain medium-chain fatty acids and essential oils may be promising, as in vitroresearchhasshownthatthesecompoundscan inhibitthegrowthof Brachyspira. In animalexperiments,however,thiseffectwasratherlimitedbutcanprobablybefurtheroptimizedviatheformulationofthesecompounds.Acidifyingthegastro-intestinaltractalsoseemspromising-experimentsinasimulationmodelwhichmimicsthepig’scecumshowedthat loweringthepHaffects thegrowthofBrachyspira.Animalexperimentshavedemonstratedthatchangesinthemicrobiotamayplayanimportantroleinthedevelopmentofdysentery,thusitmaybeimportanttominimizesuchchanges.

ILVO opens the barn doors

In2015about2000interestedvisitorscametothenewdairyresearchbarn.ILVOresearcherswelcomed72groupsfromBelgiumandabroad.Duringatourofthebarn,expertsgaveallofthevisitorsinformationabouttheset-upofthebarnandtheextensiveresearchpossibilitiesfordifferentstakeholderssuchasdairyfarmers,supplyindustriesandprocessingindustrieswithinthedairychain.Thehighlightwasthedairyevening market on June 3rd,wheremorethan20researcherstalkedwith200dairyfarmersaboutbothcompletedandongoingILVOresearch.

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Theme animal pRoduction

Omega-3 doesn’t necessarily make a good egg

Forefficientbroilerproduction,theinteractionbetweennutritionofthebreederandthe quality of the offspring is of importance. A possible feeding strategy is to addomega-3fattyacidstothedietofbroilerbreeders.ILVO research has shown that maternal dietary n-3 fatty acids changed the yolkcompositionbutthisdidnotresult instrongerday-oldchicks.Thematernaldietaryomega-3fattyacidsweretransferredtotheoffspring:theyolk,residualyolkandliveroftheprogenywereenrichedinlong-chainomega-3fattyacids,reflectingthebreeder’sdietarysupplementation.Althoughthetransitionofthefattyacidstotheoffspringwasclearlydemonstrated,noeffectsonembryonicdevelopmentandhealthoftheoffspringwerefound.

Sinking into zink…exploring dysbacteriosis in broilers

Zinc is a nutritional component with an important function for the gut health of broilers.Zinccanpreventoxidativestressintheintestinalepithelium if it isgiven in sufficientamountsandinaneasily-absorbedform.Ifnot,theriskforoxidativestressandenteritiscausedby dysbacteriosis increases. To determine theeffects on inflammation processes of zincpreparations as a broiler feed additive, ILVOandGhentUniversityhavestartedanew,four-yearresearchproject.Thefirstresearchresultsareexpectedduring2017.

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Rumen degradability of maize starch increases with longer ensiling time

Goodmilkproductiondepends inparton includinga largeportionofgrains inthedairycows’diet,withthemaincomponentofthosegrainsbeingstarch.Starchisforthemostpartdegradedintherumen,leadingtoformationofmainlypropionicacidand in somecases lacticacid; it ispartlydigested in the small intestineasglucose.Propionicacidandglucosearebothprecursorsof lactose (milksugar).Corn (maize)starchisgenerallyslowertodegradeintherumenthanstarchfromwheatorbarley.Asaconsequencethereislessriskforrumenacidosiswhenusingcorninthediet.Itisalsoknownthatthedegradationofcornslowsdownmorethelater(drier)theplantisharvested.RecentresearchbyILVOandGhentUniversityCollegehavealsoshownthatthelongermaizeisensiled,themorestarchisdegradedintherumen.ItappearsthatrumenbypassofstarchfromcornsilageaswellasfromCCMdecreasesby1.3%pointspermonthofensiling,resultinginahigherriskforrumenacidosisandalowermilkproduction.Theadvantageofmaizeovertheothergrainsthusdisappearsafteroneyear in the silo.

Pig Information Counter and ILVO share latest research results at symposium

Whichformshouldfeedbe?Whenshouldimmunocastrationhappen?Howcanfarmersevaluatebreedingvalue?On June 4th farmers got answers to thesequestionsandmoreatajointILVOandPigInformationCountersymposium about recent research results.Concreteresultsandpracticalinformationweredirectlyusableforthemanypigfarmerswhoattended.Thelargenumberofattendantsillustrates the relevance of this type of research for the pig value chain. All presentationsandmainfindingscanbeconsulted(inDutch)atwww.varkensloket.be .

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Claw quality in pigs: the link with zinc

Zincisgoodforourfingernailsandforpig’sclawsaswell,accordingtotheresultsofdoctoralresearchofILVO-GhentUniversityresearchMiriamvanRiet.Sheperformedastudyof24weanedpigletsand131sowsthatwerealldividedamonggroupsthatreceivedeitheracontrolfeedorazinc-enrichedfeed.Thesowswerealsodividedbetweenpenswithdifferenttypesofflooring,specificallyeitherabareconcretefloororarubber-coveredfloor.Inthecontrolpiglets,itappearedthatafter5weeksthatthezincconcentrationintheirbloodplasmawasclearlylowerthantheexperimentalgroup, and their horngrowthandwearof the clawswereboth lower. In the sows,thezincconcentrationinthefeedhadnoapparenteffectonthemetallothionene(aproteinthatbindszinc)concentrationsintheserumandontheconcentrationsofzincinthebloodplasma,liver,boneandhorn.Theamountofzincgiveninfeedappearedtobelessimportantforclawqualitythanthetypeofflooringused.Intermsoftheeffectofzincontheclawquality,theresearchersays,“Inthisstudywecouldshowapositiveeffectofzincsupplementationonclawqualityinpiglets.Insowsthiseffectwaslessclear.”Thesepreliminaryresultsshowmoreprogressinclawqualitybyadjustingfloortype.ThiswillbefurtherstudiedatGhentUniversity.

Demonstration project focuses on the importance of feed spillage on pig farms

Feedconversionisamaindeterminantoftheprofitabilityofapigfarm.Efficientuseoffeedis thus a key issue. But a great deal of feedis lost in the trajectory between production,storage, transport from the siloand the feedtrough.Andofcourse,thepigsthemselvesspillsome of their feedwhile eating. For optimalfeed conversion,notonly factors suchas theanimals’ genetics, their gender and the feedcompositionshouldbeexamined,butalsoanyotherfactorsthataffecttheuseoffeedon-farm.Specifically, simple adjustments to the feedtroughssuchasheight,ortheformofthefeedcanmake a difference. In the demonstrationproject “Reductionof feedusageas a key toprofitablepigproduction”,ILVOworkstogetherwithPVLBocholt,KULeuven,GhentUniversityand Vives to pique the pig farmers’ attentionfor this issue through interactive workshops.

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Watchthevideo:http://www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be/EN/Press-and-Media/VideoIntensivedairyfarminginthepost-quotaera

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Thermal stress for outdoor cattle: negative effects on welfare and milk production

Dairyandbeefcattleandwildbovinesinnaturereservesallbenefitfromshelterunderextremeweatherconditions.ThiswastheclearconclusionofILVO-UGentresearcherEvaVanLaer’sdoctoralthesis.Dairyandbeefcattleexposedtoheatnotonlyexperiencephysicaldiscomfort,forexampleasexhibitedbypanting,butindairycowsthemilkproductionmaydropby1literperday.Forcattleinnaturereserves,artificialshelterisrecommendedifthenaturalvegetationdoesnotofferadequateprotectionagainstharsh weather conditions. This study has yielded new insights about the thermalcomfortof cattle in temperate climates. Even in temperate climates, extremely coldandhotweather conditions can anddooccur. A thoroughly validatedmethodhasbeendevelopedforscoringthedegreeofheatstressincattle.Recommendationsformitigating heat stress in cattle have been listed and disseminated. Climate changemodels predict more frequent peaks in temperature such that farmers and natureconservationistswillbeincreasinglyexpectedtoprotecttheanimalsundertheircarefromheatwavesandotherextremeweather.

Vaccination of pigs against Salmonella Typhimurium under field conditions

TheultimategoalofthenewprojectSUSALVACis to produce slaughter pigs that constituteonly a minor risk for Salmonella Typhimurium transfer to humans. The project aims atproviding scientifically based advice on theeffect of vaccination under field conditionswith a commercially live but attenuatedSalmonella Typhimurium vaccine (Salmoporc,IDT Biologika) on sows and/or piglets.Additionally, its eventual implementation in anational control program will be thoroughly investigated.Theresearchrunsuntiltheendof2017andwillbeconductedbyaconsortiumledbyGhentUniversity,with theparticipationofILVO,CODAandDGZ.TheassignmentofILVOisto type the Salmonella Typhimuriumstrains,toinvestigate the effect of vaccination on strain level as well as the persistence of the vaccine strain.

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heAlthy & hIgh-quAlIty food

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FAVV @ ILVO

ILVOandFAVV(Belgium’sFederalAgencyforSafetyoftheFoodChain)bothwishtobuildontheirlonghistory of cooperation by starting new projectsandassignments.Withthisideainmind,nearly15staffmembersofFAVVvisitedILVOattheendofSeptember.WithaguidedtourthroughthedifferentlabsoftheFoodPilot,theanalyticalpossibilitiesandresearchtopicsinrelationtofoodandthefoodproductionchainwerepresented.TheirvisitcontinuedwithatouroftheproductionhallsoftheFoodPilotandachosenpresentationorvisitinrelationtocropprotection,theresearchonplantproduction,thenewdairyandpigstablesandtheresearchoncultivating insects. Now the FAVV has a very clear picture of how to apply ILVO’s focusinresearchandservicesinfuturecollaborations.

It’s not a miracle - just good food drying technology

TheFoodPilothasrecentlybuiltanewinnovativefooddryer,theDry-On-Water™.Thistechnology,thefirstofitskindinEurope,isarobustandenergy-efficientthinfilmdryingtechnologyinwhichthemoistproductisappliedasathinlayeronatransparentplasticconveyerbelt.Thebeltrotatesoverasealedhot water bath that supplies the energy to the dryingproduct.Thefinishedproduct,usuallyintheformofdryflakes,iseasilyscrapedfromthebelt.Becausethistechnologydriesfoodproductsatrelativelylowtemperatures,thelossofitsfunctionality,taste,odorandcolorareminimized.ThepossibleapplicationsarenowbeingstudiedinacollectiveFlanders’FOODresearchprojectnamedINNODRYaswellasbyseveralindividualcompanies.

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Processing of pangasius in Vietnam: room for microbiological quality improvement

Vietnamesepangasiusispopular:Belgiumimportsapproximately9000tonsoffrozenpangasius each year for a total value of 20 billion euros. AGhentUniversity/ILVOstudyhasrevealedthatVietnamesepangasiuscancontainlargeamountsofbacteria.Onasmallsamplingsurveyofdefrostedpangasius(fillets,portionsandsteaks)importedinBelgium,hightotalcolonycountsfrom104toamaximumof105 germspergramwerefound.Thisishighbutstillwithinthelimits.Eighteendifferentbacterial specieswere found. The same species, togetherwith 20 others, were alsofoundinaparallel investigation inVietnamat largeandsmallpangasiusprocessingunits.ThenumbersofEnterobacteriaceaevariedbetween50to 104germspergram,withthehighestcountfoundonfiletsofaspecificbrand.Thesecountscanbelinkedtothehygieneconditionsforprocessingofthefish.Theresultsofthismicrobiologicalinvestigationareawake-upcallforthepangasiussector.

Deco Proteste (Consumer Reports, Portugal) on the Food Pilot’s service

I am writing to thank you for all the help given in the elaboration of this test.Thesupportofagoodlabisinfactessentialinourworkandithasalways been like this with your lab.

IwishyouagooddayDulceRicardoEstudosdeAlimentaçãoeSaúde

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NRL Allergens Symposium

On September 17th,2015theBelgianNationalReferenceLabonAllergens,aconsortiumwithFAVV,CERGroupeandILVOorganizedaninternationalsymposiumtitled‘FoodAllergens:Regulation,ManagementandDetection’. The symposium took place in Brussels with 240 partcipants. It broughtstakeholdersfromvariousanglessuchaspolicymakers,doctors,userassociationsandgovernmentstogethertodiscusstheissuesoffoodallergens.Scientistsandresearchinstitutions came in contact with each other through a program of lectures interspersedwithpostersessions.Throughsomeoftheposters,boththe activities of the NRL on Allergens asongoingresearchprojectsofthepartnerswereexplainedwithintheNRL.

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Plaice… in a box or a tub?

ApilotprojectwasstartedintheFlemishFishAuctionstotransportplaiceintubsinsteadofthetraditionalfishboxes,attherequestofthemajorbuyersofplaice.Tubsarelargeplasticbinsintowhichthefishisstoredinchilledwaterwithalayeroficeontop.Thissimplifiesthelogisticsprocessinthefurtherprocessingchain.Toguaranteethequalityandfoodsafetyofthesefish,ILVOinvestigatestheoptimumstorageconditionsoffishinthesetubsincollaborationwiththeauctionsandthefishbuyers.Thisisdonebyfollow-upofthecoldchaininvariouslocationsinthetubsandonthebasisofashelflifeexperiment.

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Food Pilot process innovation for anti-waste, high-quality pear juice now launched in commercial circuit

ThepearandappleproducersMarkandErikNickmansfromHalen(Limburg)seeamarketfortheoxygen-freepressingofappleandpearjuiceusingtheVaqulicTMprocedure.ThefoodtechnologistsfromtheFoodPilothaveoptimizedthatprocedure,thenFruitbedrijfNickmansthendevelopedtheirjuicesinthepilothalloftheFoodPilot.ThefirstbatchofmixedappleandpearjuicehasnowbeenlaunchedunderthenamePUURSAP.TestsattheFoodPilotandtheprofessional ILVO taste panel allow for theverdictthatthisisanultimatelyhigh-qualityjuice,whichisverycomparabletofreshjuiceintermsoftaste,turbidity,amountofantioxidantsandnutrients.Intermsofvalorizingwastestreamsinfruitproduction,thisis great news: the fruits that were not beautifulenoughtobemarketedarenolongersimplycompostedbutcannowbeusedtocreateavaluableproduct.

The Food Pilot: the go-to center for the food industry

TheFoodPilot,anapplicationandanalysiscenterforthefoodindustry,providespilot

testingfornewproducts,foodanalysesandscientificadvice.TheFoodPilotisnowafrequentlyvisitedandveryaccessible point of contact for the foodindustry.Usingatailoredandintegratedapproach,FoodPilotstaffprovideexpertandscientificguidancetocompaniesduringtheirprocessorproductinnovations.In20157,600foodanalysesand353pilottestsweredone.Intotal,105differentcompaniesinvariousfoodsectors,includingingredients(17%),dairy(16%),vegetableproducts(15%),andmeatandfish(9%).

Watchthevideo:http://www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be/EN/Press-and-Media/VideoExtensivetaste-testing:anexpertpanelattheFoodPilot

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From idea to product: case studies from the Food Pilot

TheFoodPilotprovidestailoredhelpforagro-foodcompaniestoimprovetheirproductsandprocesses.Somecompaniesstartlookingforagoodidea,otherstotestarecipeoraprocess.Oftentheyendinsuccess,likethestart-upofajuiceproductionlineatthefruitfarmerNickmans,anewconceptandadaptedproductionlinefortthe‘patébonbon’ofPolca,anoptimizedproductionprocessandpackagingfortheinsectburgerofBenSBugS,theinclusionofapasteurizationprocessforasoupwithalongershelf-lifeofSoepmie,andtheacquiringofthecheesecraftandthedevelopmentoftheworld’sbestGoudacheese,theFlandriencheesefromTriporteur.

Allersens: Toward simultaneous detection of allergens in processed food products

Currentdetectionmethods(ELISA,PCR,etc.)forfoodallergenssuchasmilk,egg,peanutandtreenuts,aregenerallysensitiveandspecific.Nevertheless,ELISAandPCRresultsoftenshowhighvariabilitiesandatthesametimemissthenecessaryrobustnessinordertobeasolidroutineapplication.Oneofthereasonsforthisobservationaremodificationsoftheallergenthathappenduringprocessingofrawmaterialstofoodproducts.TheAllersensprojectaimstousemassspectrophotometry to tackle this problem of processingmodifications.Areferencemethodwillbedevelopedwithintheproject,allowingustodetermineallergensinprocessedfoodproducts.

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Number of ISO 17025 accredited food analyses still rising

In2015,ILVOcelebratedthe20thanniversary of having ISO 17025 accreditedfoodanalyses(BELACTEST-033).In1995theformerDairyInstituteinMellewasoneoftheveryfirstISOaccreditedlaboratoriesinBelgium.Whenlaunchedwith25differentanalysesonmilkandmilkproducts,theactualscope,20yearslater,includes82analyticalmethodsonallkindsoffoodtypes.Fivelaboratories(Chromatography,Physics-Chemistry,Screeningantibiotics,FoodMicrobiologyandGMOs)havereceivedmorethan14,000samplesandhaveperformedapproximately40,000analysesperformed;in2012,thisindicatesarisefrom 40% since 2012. The analyses are alsoperformedwithattentiontotheenvironment thanks to an ISO 14001 environmentalcertification.Traceability,deliveryofcorrectresults,supportwithinterpretationofresults,andcustomersatisfactionarethestrengthsandfocusof these services.

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Innovation and collaboration: food industry speeds along

For last three years, the Food Pilot intensified its close interaction with the foodbusiness: they listenedtotheneedsfor innovation,andanetworkofavailablepilotinfrastructureswas identified.No less than300pilotmachinesavailable inFlanderswere inventoried and can be consulted online (www.foodpilot.be). The Food Piloteliminatedthebarriertowardsservicesuppliers,organizedworkshopsaboutinnovativethemesandstartedmanyinnovationtrajectories.Inordertofurtherpromotethisformofopen innovation, theFoodPilotorganizedanetworkevent.Businesstestimonialsillustratedthe importanceofpilottests,theaddedvalueofopeninnovationandofthe benefit of collaboratingwith third parties. Thiswas situatedwithin the projectFOODINOFRA, supported by ‘Agentschap Ondernemen’, and performed by FeviaVlaanderen, Flanders’ FOOD and ILVO. During this project, 143 company visits wereconducted as well. Every single company said that they were innovating in one ormoreproducts,processesor concepts. Thechallenges turned tobe situatedaroundinnovativetechnologies,products,safety/qualityofproducts,odorandflavor,shelf-lifeofproductsandvalorizationofsidestreams.

Nicotine in mushrooms – where can it be coming from?

Inrecentyears,nicotinehasbeenoccasionallydetectedincultivatedmushroomsundercertaincircumstances,yetitisstillunclearwherethisnicotine is coming from. Does it originate fromcontaminatedgrowthsubstrate?Or is itpossiblethatmushroomscanproducenicotinethemselves? To answer these questions, ILVOhas created a new analyticalmethod for thequantificationofnicotine (and itsprecursors)in mushrooms. This method will be used toassess the levelofnicotineand itsprecursorsin mushrooms grown, treated and storedaccording to common practice. In addition,we will examine whether nicotine-enrichedor contaminated growth substrate can bethe cause for the presence of nicotine in mushrooms.

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Imaging of pesticide sprays using high speed camera techniques

Twohighspeedimageacquisitiontechniquesweredevelopedbasedonsingledropletexperimentsusingapiezoelectricdropletgenerator.Thesetechniquescanbeusedtoeithermeasuremacro spray characteristics like spray angle, spray shape and liquidsheetlengthortomeasuremicrospraycharacteristicslikedropletsizeandvelocity.ResultsofthesemeasurementswerecomparedwithexistingtechniquessuchasthePhaseDopplerParticleAnalyzer.Bothtechniqueswereusedtomeasuretheeffectofnozzletype,sizeandpositiononbothmacroandmicrospraycharacteristics.These advanced imaging techniques allow spray characteristics to be measured ina detailed, non-intrusive way. They allow a better evaluation of spray applicationtechniquesandcanbeusedtodevelopnewprototypes.Thisresearchcontributestoamoreefficientuseofplantprotectionproducts.

ILVO blogs. Will precision agriculture will be smart…or not?

Whatcandronesandbyextension,allprecision agriculture technology such asautonomousvehiclesorrobots,orclosesensingtechniquesreallybringtothefarmer?InhisblogproposedILVO’sAgrictulturalEngineeringScientificDirector Jürgen Vangeyte the following: “Dronesare“nicetohave”andbeautifulmapsarefun,buttheyhavenodirectvalue to the farmer himself. To become morerelevant,precisionagriculturetechnologymustbesmartmostofall,or at least a lot smarter.” The mass of datacollectedbyadroneshouldbeintelligentlyinterpretedandperfectlyintegratedwithotherrelevantandhistoricalinformationinaconvenient,modularandopenfarmmanagementsystem that supports the farmer in his farm management. Farmers wants to knowwhatheshoulddowithallthisinformationandalsowhenorwhere.SoshouldIfertilizemoreorless?ShouldIsowclosertogetherornot?ShouldIirrigatemoreorless?Wherearediseasedplantsorweeds,andhow can I treat them most selectively orremovethem?Smarttechnologyprovidesthoseanswersandrealizesthoseanswerslaterinthefield.Itoffersarealcostadvantage,thussurpassingthegadgetlevel.Thatisnowexactlyprecisionagriculture2.0,alsocalled‘SmartFarming’.

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ISense: ILVO’s platform on sensor technology

Despite the enormous potential of sensor technologyandICT,thepracticalimplementationofthesetechnologiesinagriculture,fisheriesandfoodtechnologyarestilllimited.Researchdoesnot get translated into concrete innovations.The fast evolution of sensor technology is makingitdifficulttostayontopofalloftherecent, relevant developments in the varioussectorsanddisciplines.Inaddition,knowledgeaboutsensorsand thedemand forsensors isspreadovervariousresearchareas.Technologydevelopersareoftennotawareofthevariousproblemsneedingsolutions,andtheenormousmarketpotentialoftheirdevelopmentsintheagro-food complex. ISense is ILVO’s answer totheseneeds.

TheIsenseapproachgoesbeyondsimplybeingmultidisciplinaryandcreatesopportunitiesbyapplying technologies from one sector to solve

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problems in a (completely) different sector.Concretely, we see these technologies fromother sectors being applied in three initialcases:

Biosensor: By transferring technology from themedicalandpharmaceuticalindustries,wehopetodevelopbiosensors

Precision Livestock Farming (PLF):By implementing Ultra Wide Band (UWB)technology, already being used in logistics,health care andhelp services, for positioningin the pork industry and developmentof inexpensive gas sensors for emissionsmeasurements in pig barns.

Precision Crop Farming (PCF): UAV technology was first developed formilitary use. By adopting this technology asa platform for innovative imaging sensors,several applications become possible for use in precision agriculture.

AKnowledgeandInnovationPlatform(KIP)willcreateapoolofexpertiseonsensortechnologyintheagricultural,fisheriesandfoodprocessingsectors. From these case studies, valorizationof the sensors/technologies will then be able to start. More info at Isense.farm or isense.vlaanderen.

ILVO’s new Dust Lab

ILVOhasestablishedaDustLabtostudytheproblemofdustdriftfrompesticideseeddressingduringsowing.MeasuringtechniquesliketheHeubachdustmeter,anindividualsowingelement,asonicsifter,etc.areavailabletomeasuredustgenerationanddustcharacteristics(e.g.particlesizedistribution)frompesticidetreatedseeds.

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Newly developed airflow sensor for naturally ventilated animal housing

Gasesproduced inanimalhouses, suchasNH3andCO2,areharmful totheanimalsandfarmersandhavenegativeeffectsontheenvironment.Indoorclimatecontrol,andespeciallyemissioncontrol,arecrucialtoensureahealthyclimateinsideandoutsideanimalhouses.Butcontrollingin-andoutdoorairqualityrequiresareliablemeasuringtechniquefortheairflowrate.During the last four years ILVO and Ghent University have developed an accuratemeasuringtechniqueinasmallnaturallyventilatedtestfacility.Thismethodusesa3Dvelocity sensor thatautomaticallymovesacrossa rectangularvent, yieldingdetailedvelocityprofilesthataretranslatedintoairflowrateswithanaccuracyof±20%.Wearenowscalingupthesensorforapplicationinacommercialdairybarn.

A GPS on individual chickens?

Forseveralyears,ILVOhasbeenstudyingthebehavioroffree-rangebroiler chickens. Risk factors for suboptimaluseofthefree-rangeareahavebeenidentified,suchasweatherconditionsandlackofshelter.However,personality traits such as fearfulness orexplorationmotivationcouldalsoplayarole.Therefore,asystemwastestedin2015tomonitorthepositionofindividualchickens.Bygivingthemabackpackcontainingasensor,theirpositioncanberegisteredeveryminute.Thismakesitpossibletostudyfree-rangebehaviorandrelatethattopersonality,animalwelfareandthemeatqualityoftheindividualchicken.

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MoniCow: sensors for monitoring and localizing cows

InthenewMonicow-project,ILVOwillcollaboratewithiMinds,KULeuven,theindustryanddairyproducerstodevelopanenergy-efficient,real-timewirelesssystemtodetectandlocalizecowsthatneedtreatmentorcare.Thesystemwillbebasedonloggingandcombiningmultiple sensor parameters such as bodytemperature,activity,feeding&drinkingbehaviorandlocation.Thesystem,attachedtothecollarofcow,willbechargedwirelesslyandiscomplementedwithauser-friendlyapp. The function of the app is to help thefarmerorthevettolocalizethecowthatneedsattention.Atechnical-economicanalysisandmarketingstudywillenabletheindustrialpartnerstocommercializetheproof-of-concept.

Innovative techniques to reduce dust drift from pesticide seed dressing during sowing

Usinganintegratedexperimentalandmodelingapproach,ILVOandKULeuvenestimatedtheimportanceofdustdriftfrompesticideseeddressingduringsowing.Thisprojectresultedinadaptationsto,andabetteruseof,existingsowingtechniques;developmentofnewsowingtechniques;dustdriftreducingmeasuresandrecommendationsfortheseeddrillingprocess;simulationsoftwaretoevaluateandoptimizethesowingprocesswith regard to dust drift and data;measuring techniques; and simulation softwareto evaluate the dust drift risk as a function of seed quality, sowing technique andenvironmentalconditions.

www.spuithulp.be helps when choosing product and spray technique

The online tool www.spuithulp.be is interactiveanduser-friendly,andhelpsfarmersmakecorrectchoicesregardingtheproductused,widthofthebufferzoneandthespraytechnique(typeofsprayer,typeandsizeofthenozzle,pressureanddrivingspeed)infunctionofthepestneedingtobecontrolled.The online tool offers a concrete solutionforthepracticalquestionsthatfarmers have.

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Can dairy farms cut costs by aiming for a higher resource efficiency?

Feed - purchased and grown on-farm - is responsible for the majority of naturalresourcesconsumedthroughoutthemilkproduction.ThisisshownbytheresultsoftheELCAproject,aGhentUniversity/ILVOprojectsupportedbyIWT.Because resourceefficiency, inaddition tomitigatingclimatechange, is increasinglybecomingatoppriorityininternationalpolicy,thisprojectexaminedfeedconsumptionon dairy farms. Benchmarking of 103 Flemish specialized dairy farms showed thatsubstantial natural resource savings are possible by changing farm management. Moreover,byaimingforahigherresourceefficiency,farmerscansimultaneouslycutcosts.Anaveragepotentialcostsavingof11centsperearnedeurowascalculated.Furtherresearchisrequiredtorevealhowaspecificfarmercanbestchangehisownfarm management.

Agrobody-mediated crop protection

ILVO,incollaborationwithAgroSavfeandKULeuven,participatedintheresearchonandthedevelopmentofcropprotectionproductsbasedonAgrobodyTM-technologyagainstfungaldiseasesofpotatoesandtomatoes.AgrobodiesTMcanbegeneratedforvirtuallyanytarget,whichtheybindtowithhighaffinityandspecificity.Inthisway,AgrobodyTM-basedcropprotectionproductsenabletargeteddeliveryandretentionoftheactiveingredientatornearitssiteofaction.Asaconsequence,theseproductscangetimprovedperformance,theirdosageandapplicationfrequenciesdecreaseandtheirimpactonhumansandenvironmentdrops.

Smart Young Engineer

Jarissa Maselyne (ILVO’s Agricultural Engineeringgroup)received,togetherwith7otheryoungengineers,adiplomaofrecognitionfor‘outstandingengineeringskillsandvaluablecontributionandengagementtoelevateourindustriesintoaninnovatedanddigitizedfuture’.Thisawardwasgiven by the Committee for European ConstructionEquipment(CECE)andthe European Agricultural Machinery Association(CEMA)ontheir2015summit. Jarissa is working on a smart early warning system for improvement ofthewelfareandperformanceofindividualfatteningpigstogetherwiththeKULeuven(MeBioSdivision),supportedbyIWTfinancing.

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Theme social sciences

Cultural sustainability or a sustainable culture?

Sustainabilityisnotafixedconcept:itsmeaningissubjecttonegotiationanddiscussionandiscontinuouslyenrichedbasedonnewinsights.Recently,theabsenceof‘culture’inthecommonsustainabilityframeworkshasbeendiscussed.Therefore,ILVOco-organizedafour-yearlonginterdisciplinaryconsultationaboutthetopic: what is the role andmeaning of culture in sustainability? This internationalnetworkmadeexplicitthreeperspectivesin‘cultureinsustainability’. (1) Culture is an autonomous, fourth pillar of sustainability, as is for instanceacknowledgedin‘culturalheritage’. (2)Culturemediatesthe implementationofsustainabilityprinciples inaspecificcontext. For instance, increasing regional identity (as an expression of culture) canenhancesustainableregionaldevelopment. (3) Culturedeeplytransformsthewaythatasocietydealswithsustainability,andconsistentlysteersthepracticesofpeopletowardsmoresustainability.This, of course, is reflected in research priorities of research institutes or in policyorientation.Theseperspectivesarevaluableinitself,butalsoincludeagradienttowardmoresustainabilityandcomplexity.

ILVOco-organizedaninternationalconferenceonthethemeof“cultureandsustainability”

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Advantages and stumbling blocks in the transition to small-scale fisheries

Small-scale fisheries have a number ofadvantages such as less use of fossil fuels,and an added value when emphasizing thelocally-caught and sustainable nature of thecatch. In addition, the further developmentof small-scale fisheries fits within the policyvisionatEuropeanandnationallevel.Butstill,it is not so easy for a recreationalfishermanin Belgium to switch to being a small-scalecommercial fishing operation. Thus ILVO,together with VLIZ, started a study of howthesefishermencantransitionintosmall-scalecommercialfishing.This cancome frombothrecreationalfisherswiththeirownboataswellas existing commercial fisheries whowish toworkonasmallerscale.Paralleltothis,amoreappropriate national legal framework couldattract handline fishermenwho are currentlyoperating under a Dutch flag, so they couldoperate under the Belgian flag in the future.ILVOandVLIZareexploringwhatthepotentialis from the recreational fisheries, what theprofitabilitycanbeofasmall-scalecommercialfishery, andwhich stumblingblocks currentlywouldgetinthewayofsuchatransition.

newpRoject Success, organically grown…

Whether organic farming is successful or not is a farm specific question, one thatcannotbeexpressedonlybyanalysisoffarmeconomicormanagementrelateddata.Itisnotevenalwayseasytoputintowords.‘Organicfarminginthepicture’aimedtogainabetterunderstandingofthesuccessfactorsforawell-performingorganicfarmingsystem.Toachievethisgoal,atransdisciplinaryandsystemsapproachwasdevelopedandimplementedinthreesectors(vegetable-arableproduction,beefcattlesector,anddairyfarming).The overall farming system, which links determinative factors for a well-balancedfarmingsystem,wasrevealedforeachsector.Wherepossible,thiswasfurtherspecifiedbyexplainingthiswithfarmspecificdata.Theresultswerediscussedwithfarmerstounderstandthemwithinthecontextofindividualfarms.Despitethegreatdiversityamongfarmsintheorganicsector,thereappeartobemanycommonconcernsandproblems.Howindividualfarmsdealwiththem,oftendependson farm- and even farmer-related characteristics. Exchanging experiences betweenfarmerscanrevealnewinsightstotakewhileconsideringthecontinueddevelopmentofindividualorganicfarmingsystems.

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Hidden urbanization of the countryside

ThedoctoralresearchofAnnaVerhoeve,entitled“Thetakeoverofagriculturalbuildingsandagriculturallandbynon-agriculturaleconomicactivities:thecaseofFlanders”showsthatagricultural areas are increasingly being usedfornon-agriculturaleconomicactivities.Duringtheresearchnon-agricultural businesses represent 64%ofallcompanieswithintheagriculturalarea.TheofficialstatisticsunderestimatethediversityoflanduseintheFlemishcountryside.Theactuallanduseinthecountrysideismorethanjustagriculture,forestandnature:agrarianbuildingsareincreasinglyhousing other economic activities. Further,85%ofthenon-agriculturaleconomicactivitiesdon’tconformtothe current spatial planning regulations. This stealthy change in autonomous landusepresentsbothresearchandpolicy with a big challenge.

“Towards a more sustainable agri-food chain” is out of the starting blocks!

ThemainsectorfederationsoftheFlemishagro-foodchain(Boerenbond,ABS,Fevia,Bemefa, Unizo and Comeos), have been working in the past two years on seedinga transformation to amore sustainable agro-food chain. ILVO performed a systemanalysis,describingthecurrentstateoftheagro-foodchain,andprovidedguidancetodevelopastrategicandactionplantosupportamoresustainableagro-foodchain.Afollow-upproject‘TowardsasustainabletransformationoftheFlemishagriculturalandfoodsystem.Actorsinaction’,startedonNovember12015,wherethesectorfederationswill now turn these results into concrete action. Theprojectwillfocusentirelyonchangeintheworkingfieldbycreatingexperimentalspaces for agro-food businesses. This will be achieved through providing financialsupport for ‘action labs’. Besides the financial support, the action lab partners willreceiveopportunitiestolearnfromtheirownandothers’experiences.ILVOresearchersareresponsibleforguidanceoncontentandprocessfacilitation.MinisterofAgriculture,FisheriesandNatureSchauvliegehasprovided€100,000tolaunchvariousactionlabs.

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Education as a leverage for agroecology in Flanders?

Agroecology is gaining importance as an alternative for sustainable development offood production and consumption. Becauseagroecology requires specific knowledge andskills, education could functionasa lever forscaling it up in Flemish agriculture. But to what extent do current (agro-) educationalactivities in Flanders offer agroecology asa valuable alternative? ILVO answers thisquestion in a project commissioned by theFlemish Department of Environment, Natureand Energy. First, we define agroecology andthecompetenciesrequiredforitspractitioners.We use this information to screen agricultural educational activities. These screeningsshouldrevealshortcomingsandopportunitiesthat can later be translated into policyrecommendations.

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A new look at modern agriculture and rural development

AresearchprojectintheframeworkoftheERA-netRURAGRIcalled“Rethink”hasunitedresearchersfrom14countriestostudythelinkbetweenmodernizationofagriculture,ruraldevelopmentandtheresilienceofagriculturalsystems.Theresearcherswantedtoknowhowagricultureandruraldevelopmentareconnectedandwhethertheycancontributetoaresilientandprosperousruralareaintimesofchange(e.g.,increasingscarcityofnaturalresourcesanddramaticchangesinproductionsystemsandlifestyle).Fourteenexamplesofinnovativedevelopmentstrategies,allgearedtopositivesynergiesbetween sustainable agriculture and rural development,were analyzedaccording tofouroverarchingconcepts:resilience,governance,prosperity,andknowledge/learning.ILVOtookontheconceptofgovernance.TheILVOresearchrevealedthatthesometimescontradictory regulations from various levels of government and a lack of sense ofownership over a project by the local actors canoften creates stumbling blocks toinnovation.Informalnetworks,leadership,transparencyandtrustappeartobecruciallyimportantforsuccessofinnovativepartnershipsbetweenagricultureandotherlocalactors.

IMAGO: toolbox for territorial rural development

How can the diversity of rural developmentprocessesbecoordinatedandharmonized?Andhowcancooperationbetweenactors involvedin rural development be enabled? How canproject coordinators develop and implementavisionandstrategyforthepreservationanddevelopmentoftheregionanditsopenspace?The IMAGOproject looksforanswerstotheseand other questions and aims to develop atoolbox that supports project coordinatorsof territorial rural development processes.Through action research in two regions in Flanders, we aim to translate theoreticalconcepts into practical tools, ready to use inruraldevelopmentprojects.

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enVIronMent & BIodIVersIty

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Marine litter in Europe: trying to keep our heads above water

Plasticlitteratseaisaproblemthatisgaininginimportanceworldwide.InaEuropeancontext,theproblemwasexaminedcloselyintheCleanSeaproject,withILVObeingtheFlemishpartner.Thisintensiveresearchonthepreventionandspreadofmarinelitter,andthebiologicalandsocio-economicconsequencesinEurope,showedthatallofthestudiedseas,coastalareas,canalsandlakesarepollutedwithplastic.Thiscanbeeitherlarge,visibleobjectsorminisculebutwidelyabundantmicroplastics.Theresearchersstudiedhowtheplasticwasteintheenvironmentisbrokenintosmallerfragments,buttheyalsoresearchedhowtodegradetheplasticusingbacteria.Theresultsofthisstudyonenvironmentaleffectsshowthatmicroplasticsandplasticobjectsimpacttheentirefoodchain,frommicroalgaetofishandbirds.Last,theprojectpartnersrevealedgapsintheregulationsonmarinelitterinEuropebasedonlawsineffect,availablereports,researchandworkshopswithstakeholdersandtheyformulatedsuggestionstoimprovethewastemanagementpolicy.Thisprojecthashadanimportantcontributiontotheknowledgeaboutplasticlitteratseaandthesearchforasolutiontotheproblem,bothintermsofdegradingthewastealreadypresentandpreventingnewwavesofplasticpollution.

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ILVO research about the ammonia problem

Thenitrogendepositionsfromindustry,traffic,householdsandfarmingarethreateningthe future of various types of habitats and species. The Government of FlandersthereforeapprovedanAmmoniaReductionPlan(PAS)inApriloflastyear.To help the agricultural sector to play its part in meeting the required ammoniareductions,ILVOfirstperformedaliteraturestudyandthenidentifiedaseriesofmeasurestoreducetheamountofammoniaemittedfromanimalhousing.Infurtherwork,ILVOiscontributingtoPASbycontinuinganumberofongoingprojects(suchastheILVO-Ghent University partnership project MELKNAM as well as building an experimentalset-upformeatcattleinemissionscontainers)andsendinginnewprojectproposals.TheseprojectsfocusondevelopingnewreductionstrategiesaswellasnewemissionsmeasurementtechniquesandsharingPAS-relatedinformationwiththesector.Atfirsttheemphasiswasondairycows,pigsandmeatcattle,butnowstepsarebeingtakentoincludepoultryandotheranimalsinthisresearch.Lastbutnotleast, ILVOandthePolicyAreafortheEnvironment,NatureandEnergywork together toperformreference tasks focusingon farmemissions, low-emissionanimalhousing,givingbuildingpermitsandreportingontheenvironmentaleffects.

Skin ulcerations of flatfish in the North Sea: what are they? What do they do? And most importantly: what is causing them?

The increasing prevalence of skin ulcers in flatfish poses an emerging ecological threattowildlifepopulationsbutalsoconstitutesaneconomicalhazardtothefishingindustry.Theunderlyingetiology is complexand isnotyetelucidated. Possible factors are temperaturefluctuations, pollution, the presence ofbiotoxins,fisheryandthepresenceofharmfulmicroorganisms.Basedonmonitoringdataatsea,thepossibleinvolvementofcharacteristicsof the individual fish, environmental- andhuman-related factors will be investigated.Experimental studies will be designed basedonthesefindingstogainbetterinsightsintheetiologyandimpactofskinulcersinflatfish.

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Exampleofanulceronadab(Limandalimanda)caught on 23rdSeptember 2015

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SEFINS: Attention for invasive exotic species in estuaries

As part of the European SEFINS project,ILVOworkedtoraisepublicconsciousnessaboutexoticspeciesthatcanhaveundesiredeffectsonestuaries,suchasthatoftheRiverScheldt.Estuariesareopensystemsinfluencedbyrivers,theseaandthesurroundingland.Theyareoftendenselypopulatedandusedforindustry,whichmakesthem a point of entry for commercial andcargoshipsaswellasaprimelocationforadiversityofrecreationalandfisheriesactivities.Suchactivitiesoftenresultinexoticspeciesfindingtheirwayintotheestuary,whichsometimesleadstorealinvasionsandimportant effects on the ecological balance.Inanattempttoendtheseinvasions,oneofthegoalsofthisprojectwastoinformestuaryusersaboutthewaysexoticspeciescangetintroducedandspread,howtocombatthemandtheidentityoftheinvasivespecies.

Sustainable phosphorus use in Flanders

WhataretheidealphosphoruslevelsinFlemishsoils to ensure optimal crop yields whileminimizing lossestotheenvironment? Inthiscollaborative project, ILVO, the Soil Service ofBelgium and KU Leuven will choose the besttest(s) that reflect phosphorus availabilityfor the crop and the risk for environmentallosses. Target values for phosphorus in soil willbedeterminedbasedonfieldandcolumnexperiments. Additional investigations offertilizationdosesandtechniqueswillhelptosupportsustainablephosphorusfertilizationofFlemish soils.

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Belgian fisheries will improve protection of threatened sharks and rays

Intheirroutinefishingtrips,Belgianfishermencan come across more than 30 types of sharks andrays.Several typesofsharksandraysaredifficult todistinguish fromoneanother, butthis is important information because some sharksandraysarethreatenedwithextinction.Natuurpunt,ILVOandVLIZ(theFlemishInsitutefortheSea)havecreatedahandyfolderwithdeterminationcardsandmapstohelpBelgianfishersfigureoutwhethertheyhaveaccidentallycaught or landed a threatened species. EveryBelgian fishing boat gets the folder with thedeterminationcardsandthemaps,alongwiththe staff of the fish auctions in Ostend andZeebrugge. At school, fishers in training andprofessional education learn how to tell thevariousspeciesapart.Inthisway,reliabledataabout the state of the various stocks can be obtained,andthreatenedspeciescanbebetterprotected.

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Watchthevideo:http://www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be/EN/Press-and-Media/VideoHowmanyflatfishsurviveafterbeingreturnedtothesea?

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International design studio: ‘Climate adaptation in the Kempen’

From August 27 to September 3 ILVOandtheUniversityofAntwerporganizedthesummerschool‘ShiftingClimate,ReshapingUrbanLandscapes’.During8daysstudentssoughtfromallovertheworldtolandscapestrategiesforclimateadaptation.Theywentlooking for creative answers to the questions“HowcanwemaketheregionLommel-Overspeltresilienttotheconsequencesofclimatechange?Andwhaterolecanagricultureandopenspaceplayinit?”Thestudentswereassistedbyinternationaldesigners,includingHenriBava,FlorianBoerandCeesvanderVeeken.

New insights put fishery discard ban into perspective

OncetheEuropeanbanonfisherydiscardsbanhasbeenphasedincompletely,bothpositiveandnegativeecologicaleffectsaretobeexpected,accordingtothedoctoralresearchofJochenDepestele(GhentUniversity/ILVO).Thebanondiscardsmeansthatallfish,includingthosetoosmalltobeeconomicallyimportantandthosefishforwhichthefishershavealreadyuseduptheirquota,aretobebroughtonlandinsteadofthrownbackintothesea(eitheraliveordead).ResearcherDepestelepredictsthatthispolicy-drivenpressuretodevelopmoreselectivefisheriestechniqueswill lead todecrease inmortalityofyoungfishandother seacreatures.Butthelandingobligationalsomeansthattheyoungfishwhomighthaveotherwisesurvivedlongenoughtospawnwillnolongerhaveachanceanymore.Furthermore,thecurrentfeedingpatternofseabirdsandfoodresourcesforbenthicscavengerscouldchangedramatically.Using observations, case studies, experiments and modeling, this is the first studyto shed lighton the fateofdiscarded sea creatures. That knowledge could lead toadjustmentsinthefisheriespolicy.

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When eating becomes more difficult…

TasteandsmellcandiminishwithageandparticularlyincertainspecificdiseasessuchasParkinson’sdiseaseandMS.Intheelderly,swallowingandchewingproblemsalsooccur,causingmalnutritionandposingareal risk. ILVO performs research in thisareacollaborationwithdietitiansandhealthcare.ILVOandtheFoodPilothaveprovidedtechnologicalandanalyticalcooperationandsupportfor Parkinson’s patients. This initiative aimstocreatetastyfoodinfunctionofchewingandswallowingproblems,smellandtasteloss,anditproducedacookbookcalled“Wheneatingbecomesmoredifficult...”ILVOcontinuesitsresearch in this area.

By-products and waste fractions from the agrofood chain valorized as animal feed

In2012,ILVOandseveralEuropeanpartnersstartedNOSHAN,anFP7project.Thecentralresearch questionwas, “Which processes can be used to turn available by-productsandwastefractionsfromtheagrofoodchainintorawmaterialsoradditivesforfeedproduction?”Initially a diverse set of currently underutilized biomass fractions (especially fromthe fruit, vegetableanddairy industries)wasanalyzed indetail tobuildadatabaseof potential feed ingredients. ILVO played an important role in evaluating differentprocessing technologies to convert the highly perishable fractions into stable bulk ingredientsandfunctionaladditives.WhenpigsandbroilerswerefedwiththedifferentNOSHANfeedsdevelopedwithintheproject,theyperformedatleastaswellasthosefedastandarddiet.Themeatproductsderivedfromthoseanimalsalsotastedmorethangoodenough,accordingtoatastetrialperformedatILVO’sTasteLab.Conclusion?Thesestabilizedagrofoodfractionsobtainedfromwasteandby-productscancontributetoimprovingthesustainabilityofanimalproduction.

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Belgian and Flemish agriculture as a niche on the global market

Fromtheop-edwrittenbyJorisRelaesinDeTijd, Sept 7 2015

Apparentlytheagriculturalmarketswillcontinuetoproducemoresupplythandemand.Inthateconomicenvironment,competingpurelyonpriceisiseitherextremelydifficultorsimplynotanoptionforFlemishproducerssellingonaglobalmarket.Thenwhatshouldtheydo?Totaketheideaofnicheproducts,suchaslocalproducts,bio-orspeciallylabeledproducts,astepfurther.Theiruniquecharacteristicsgeneratevalueandmeetthedemandsofaratherlimitedpublic.Can’tweextendthis ideatoallofFlemishagriculture?Ourproducts intheirwholecanbepositionedasanicheontheglobalmarket.Whataboutthestoryof‘BelgianchocolatesandBelgianbeers’?Whenweput theentireweightof theagri-foodchainbehind sucha story,we canagainofferabrighterfuturetothethousandsoffamiliesandcompaniesthatworkinagricultureandfoodproduction.

TOSHI®: a new series of azaleas

FiveyearsaftertheAIKO®,aseriesofazaleaswithbeautifuldoubleflowers,ILVOandthegrowers’associationAzanovaarereadytolaunchthenewToshi®azaleas.Toshi®azaleashavesingleflowersinattractivecolorsthatstandoutfortheirlong-lastingbloomsin the living room. They are available in white(Berlin),red(Paris)andsoftpink(London).

Ornamentals strategy 2020

ILVO is part of the working group calledFloricultureStrategy2020,whichwasfoundedasaninitiativeof the Flemish government. The aim is to outline policy suggestions togetherwiththekeyfiguresfromthefloriculturalsector,namelyexpertsandrepresentativesofprofessionalorganizations.ThefutureoftheFlemishfloriculturemustbeensured.Thisgrouphasdraftedavisiontextandplanofaction.Sevenimportantthemesweredefined:space,staff,innovation,research&education,familycharacteroftheproductionchain,andprofessionalism. More information at www.sierteeltstrategie2020.org.

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Flemish fisheries and the fish processing industry: how (in)dependent are they?

TheFlemishfisheryhasbeenthroughadifficultperiodandisexpectedtofacemorechallengesin the future. Many initiatives and researchprojects have been set up to provide newopportunities, but few of them have focusedon the destinationof the product.WhobuysFlemishfish?Whataretheirreasonsforbuyingthese products? What commercial activitiesare they used for? And to what extent doesthe Flemish fish stay in Belgium? These andother questions are the main focus of theVERWERKVIS-projectatILVO.ILVO aims to study the characteristics of thelandings and volumes that typify the Belgianfisheryandassesstowhatextenttheysatisfythedemandoflocalfishmongers,tradersandtheendconsumer.Thismarketawarenesscanhelp define innovative local fish processingoptions that make locally sourced fisheryproducts more attractive to local buyers.Additionally, better collaboration within thesupply chain can create a better connection betweenlocalsupplyanddemand.

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Long-sought biomarker for chronic stress in fish discovered

During researchat ILVOandGhentUniversityabiomarker for chronic stress infishhasbeendiscovered.Glucocorticoids(specificallycortisol)inafishscalegiveafullandreliablepictureofthefish’sstresshistory.Incontrast,cortisolmeasuredinbloodplasmawasnotagoodbiomarkerforchronicstressbecausethatbiomarkercanonlygiveasnapshotofthethestressreactionatoneparticularmoment.Butwhenglucocorticoidsarequantifiedinthescaleofthesamefish,itispossibletoreconstructallofthetimeswhenstresswaspresentaswellasthedegreeofseverityofthatstress,saysresearcherJohan Aerts.Thisbiomarkernowmakesitpossibletorelaterecurrentorconstantstressinfishwiththemanynegativeeffectsofstressonhealth,growthandreproduction.Thebiomarkerwillcontributetomonitoringthegeneralhealthstatusoffishinthewild.Itisexpectedtoplayacrucialroleinthedevelopmentofmoresustainableaquaculture,toensuretheperformanceoffishinpublicaquariaandinscientificresearchaswell.Furthermore,thisbiomarkermakesmoreprofoundscientificinsightpossibleintheareasofstressandbonephysiology.

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manaGement on tRack? tables and tRends in 2015

Funding: the shift towards Own Capital continues

2015isthefirstyearsinceILVOwascreatedthatthestructuralgrantfromtheFlemishGovernment was less than 40% of the total operating budget. The proportionsarenow62% incomefromproject funding (adhocassignmentsandcompetitiveresearch)versus38%fundingfromtheGovernmentofFlanders. Takenote:as ithasalwaysbeenandasagreedwithoursupervisinggovernmentbody, these figures represent all of ILVO (ILVO Own Capital and ILVO FlemishGovernment).ThelatteriscalledILVOGovt(beinganInternalIndependentAgencywithoutcorporatepersonality,anIAAoftheGovernmentofFlanders)andILVOOwnCapital.Both legallyseparateentitieshavetheirownbudget,theirownemployeeroster andmanagement committees, but they work together tomeet the samegoals.WhereILVOGovtismainlysupportedbythestructuralgrant,theILVOOCisflexible and garners resources through competitive research within Belgium andinternationally,fromcompaniesandpaidserviceprovision.

Foralongtime,ILVOGovtandILVOOCproportionwasabout50/50.In2013thatstartedtoshiftto43%/57%,in201440%/60%,andnow38%/62%.TheshiftcanbeexplainedsimplybythesuccessoftheOwnCapital,whichcouldevencompensateforsomeofthecost-savingsrequiredbytheGovernmentofFlanders.

Basic funding from Govt of Flanders 38 %Ag & Fisheries Policy Area

Endowment from Govt of Flanders 13 %Ag & Fisheries

Policy Areas of the Govt of Flanders 4 %

IWT 11 %

Federal government agencies 10 %

EU 5 %

Private sector 9 %

Business Unit 11 %

38 %

4 %

10 %

5 %

9 %

11 %

13 %

11 %

} Projectfunding(researchassignmentsandcompetitiveresearch)

} Structuralfunding38 %

62 %

Division of ILVO operational resources 2015

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Human capital: shrinking number of employees and hands-on HR management

Attheendof2015,ILVOcounted22feweremployeesthanthepreviousyear.InFull-timeEquivalents(FTEs),wenowhave562.5employeesstrivingtodeliverthesameambitiousresultsasbefore.Theshrinkingnumberofemployees,parallelwiththeabovestoryabouttheproportionofincomefromthegovernmentandOwnCapital,was largelyrealizedwithin thegovernmentalcontingent (-14employees) thantheOwnCapitalgroup(-8employees).Budgetcutsandamoredifficultfinancialpositionat the governmental clients ofOwnCapital (fewer adhoc research assignments)requiredILVOmanagementtotightenitsbeltintermsofpersonnelandothercosts.

ThisyearwasaturningpointforHumanResourcesmanagement:duringthelast4years,HRhasbeenworkinghardtoachievetheoperationalHRgoalsof2015interms of 1)operationalcapability, 2)knowledge-sharingandcollaborationand 3)leadershipandcoaching,anditwastheyearthatthenewHRpolicyplan2016-19waswritten.InthisnewHRplan,wechosetofocuson 1)anopencultureandworkingonthe5ILVOvalues (i.e.,WorkingTogether,ExemplaryFunction,Positivity,Professionalism andProactivity), 2)sustainabilitywithafocusonstressandburn-outand 3)preparingILVOforapossiblenewpromotionandremunerationpolicy.

Future plans for HR include building up a contact point for all employees (notjustthemanagers)andforabroaderrangeofservices(notjustthestandardandpracticalquestions,butalsoadviceaboutpromotions,theimportanceoftraining,andevenpersonalcoaching.The background goal stays unchanged, namely to keep the very high employeesatisfactionscore(93%verysatisfiedin2014).ThehighpointforPersonnelin2015wastheHReventon‘Leadershipandcoaching’withthreeexternaltopspeakers.ILVOorganizedthateventforallmanagerstogetherwiththefourotherscientificinstitutionsoftheGovernmentofFlanders.

(2015:ShrinkingnumberofILVO-personnel)

Number of Employees FTE Govt OC total Govt OC total

31/12/2015 260 347 607 231.6 330.9 562.5The year before 274 355 629 241 339 580Decrease of ... -14 -8 -22 -9.6 -8.1 -12.5

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Scientific and social output: another framework, more international and more flexible

Intermsoforganizationalmanagementandscientificcoordination,2015wasayearoftransition.TheclassicmanagementagreementbetweenILVOanditssupervisinggovernment, which has always provided security and structure, has ended as asystem.Fromnowon,governmentorganizationssuchasILVOhavetomakeuptheirownbusinessplan.TheelementsofthisplanwillbetakenupintothenewFlanders-widemonitoringtoolcalled‘Traject’sothesupervisinggovernmentcanclearlytrackwhether every agency, every administrative department and every governmentalbodyisontrack.ILVOsailedthroughallofthestepstofitintothisnewmanagementframework.

Alsoin2015ILVOfollowedtheinternalplantooptimizeseveralprocesses.InternaltransparencyandeconomiesofscalewereachievedbyconsolidatingandoptimizingILVObookkeeping and creating a new series of overarching contracts for severaltypes of purchases.Therisk-analysisofILVO’sprocessesandprocessregistrationhasonceagainbeenbroughtuptodate.Workwiththeannualsetsofoperationalgoals(whichflowfromthestrategicgoal-settingandSWOTs)hasbecomeroutineandremainsuseful:theoperationalgoalsfrom2015weremetwithoutflaw.AttheannualStrategicSeminar,operationalgoalsfor2016wereselected.

TheBelgiangovernmentalauditingagency‘Rekenhof’performedanin-depthauditofILVOin2015.Thisresultedinareportentitled“ILVO:giveandtakebetweentheagencyandtheOwnCapital”.Basedonthisexamination,theMinisterhasconfirmedthatthetwolegalILVOentities(IAAandOC)dofallwithinthecurrentlegallimitsandshouldthereforestriveformaximalcollaborationtoachieveILVO’sgoals,whichtakestheformofjointfinancialreporting,nowandinthefuture.Thedecision-makingprocessesandperogativeswithintheunitswere,wherepossibleand easily done,written in amore explicit fashion. The ILVOBoard ofDirectorsthusstartedmeetingregularlyeverytwoweeksandarepresentativefromHRandfinanceswereaddedtotheregularvotingmembers.ThisfacilitatesstrictmonitoringoftherequiredbudgetcutsofILVOGovtasdescribedabove.

Thescientificandsocialoutput–resultsoftheresearchprojectsandservicesandtheentirereasonforILVO’sexistence–willbemoredirectlymonitoredfromnowon thanks to the newmanagement framework (Traject vs. the old ManagementAgreement).ThecomplexcalculationofPerformance Indicators isa thingof thepast.Wenolongerhavetocalculatethe“weightedindexfornumberofspeeches”the “number of scientific publications”, the “number of popularized articles”, the“number of technical recommendations”, the “number of reference tasks”, the“numberofservicesprovided”, the “numberofMSc/PhDpromotorships”, thesumof which in 2014 was 4950. Determining the cause of a possible rise or fall in each of these numbers was tremendously difficult. Of course, the disadvantage of asimplifiedoutputevaluationisthatthisyearnocomparisonwillbepossiblewiththe last 8 years.

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Basedonaqualitativeevaluation,wedaretocall2015amoreinternationalyearthatwasmorestakeholder-drivenandwithamorefuture-orientedandflexibleresearcheffort.AyearwheretheoutreachandpublicattentionforILVOresultsandserviceprovisionhaveonceagainincreased.Theknowledgegeneratedherehasledtoeitheran measurably higher number of measurable innovations in the economic sectors or hasstimulatedsuchinnovations.The researchcoordination teamat ILVOhas realizedmore thanever in2015 justhowfastthesocialenvironmentsurroundingresearchinstitutes’workintheareasofagriculture,fisheries, foodand rural environments. Such fast changes requiresflexibility and vision. Supported and guided by the ILVO values – Partnership,ExemplaryFunction,Positivity,ProfessionalismandProactivity–ILVOworkedhardin 2015 to develop awell-founded vision of the future and to build on existinginternalandexternalpartnerships.

Becausepartnershipsarecrucialtoscientificresearch,ILVOcontinuestoseekoutandbuildonpartnershipswithotherknowledgecenters.ILVOisstillaloyalpartnerwithinAgrolinkFlanders,whichhasenjoyedasuccessfulfirstyearfilledwithwell-attendedworkshopsand itsfirstHorizon2020project.More thanever,bundlingexpertisewithin Flanders has becomemore important, as better partnerships ensure thatscientificfindingscanbetranslatedmoreeffectivelyandmorequicklytoconcreteinnovations.Inthisareaaswell,2015becameanimportantmilestonethroughthecreationofastrategicalliancewith theFlemish Institute forBiotechnology (VIB).Renowned,closebyandwithagreatdealofcomplementaryexpertise.Alogicalandpromising alliance that we enthusiastically support.

WithinILVO,thetrans-andmultidisciplinarygroupsformingaroundlargerchallengeshasearneditsstripes.In2015suchagroupformedaroundPAS(ammoniareduction).The4existingplatforms(GeneSysforvalorizationofwastestreams,Genomicsformolecularpopulation research,Meet@ILVO forhigh-resolutionmass spectrometryand the latestnewcomer, I-Sense,agroup forprecisionagriculture in cattleandplanthusbandry)havemadearemarkable,fastimpact.Forexample,I-Sensecameintothespotlightduringtheagtradeshow“Agribex”.

ThepopularizedcommunicationaboutILVO-researchcontinuestoscorehighmarks.The trade journalists,aswellasprintandaudio-visualmassmedia, comenearlyevery week to spontaneously ask if we have any news. The communication team takeseveryopportunitytospreadthelatestILVOnews.Onaverageoncemonthly,anILVOsubjectfillsseveralpagesoftradepressinaregularin-depthfeature.

2015wasasuccessfulresearchyearinmanyareas,andwewillcontinueonthispathin2016.Withanopenandpositiveattitude,wewillcontinuetoworkonthesolidscientificsupportforasustainable,economicallyprofitable,agro-foodandfisheriessectorinFlanders.

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Animalcampus–Fieldlanewithdrainageinstallednexttothedairybarn

To assist with the traffic associated with corn silage and emptying themanurepit,afieldlanewasinstallednexttothedairybarn.Thelanewasinstalledusinggranulatedcementrecuperatedfromrecycledcementwaste.Thesehaveadrainagefunctionsothatexcesswatercansinkintothesoilandmaintainthegroundwaterlayers.The dairy barn is lower than the fields surrounding it, so an embankment wasinstalled.Underandnexttothelane,drainagepipeswereinstalledtobeabletopumpextrawaterasneeded.Asandyareawasalsoinstalledoutsidetoallowlamecowstogooutside.

Before After

Infrastructure, Environment and Employee Health: the year of the pig campus and sustainable smaller construction projects

Besidesseveralsmallerbutnotunimportantprojects,alarge,newresearchcomplexwas built: the Pig Campus. In this brand new experimental barn, researchers,technicians,andstudentsfromILVO,GhentUniversityandUniversityCollegeGhentwill all deliverwork relevant for the Flemish pig production industry. This is norun-of-themillpigbarn:ithasenrichedpens,afeedsystem,afoilbasintocontainmanure,animalweighing,electricity,waterandventilation.Ergonomicaspectsweretakenintoaccountandadoubleair-washingsystemwasinstalled.

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Renovationpowderarea

The Food Sciences powder area got a new epoxy floor, ceiling, water drain andthewallswerealsopaintedwithepoxypaint.The labnextto itwasdivided intonewcoolingcellsandarenovatedlabsection.Whenchoosingthecoolingcells,weadheredtothelatestregulationsregardingtheimpactofcoolingmaterialsontheozonelayer.

Seedtriageplantgetsahigh-poweredvacuumcleaner

Unpackingorpouringgrassseedsisadustybusiness.Toprotecttheworkers’healthandsafety,ahigh-poweredvacuumwasinstalled.Theinstallationprotectsagainstnoisepollution,dangerofexplosion,andminimizesenergyuse.

Before After

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Energy savings in the future

Attheendof2015, ILVOsignedapartnershipagreementwiththeFlemishEnergyCompany.Whenwedoathoroughenergyauditandseearealpotentialforenergysavings,thispartnershipwilllookforaprivatecompanythatmaywanttoinvestinenergy-savingmeasuresatILVO.

ILVO is ecologically responsible and responsive to human need

The sustainability plan is one pillar of ILVO’s function as an example to others.Besides landscape integration, biodiversity and environmental questions, ILVOalsopaysattentiontomanureprocessing,soilcompaction,energyandwateruse,pesticideuse,andanecologically-responsiblepurchasingpolicy.This year an entire “Sustainability Day” was open for all personnel. Every employee gotthechancetoparticipateinoneof13hands-onactivities,frompruningwoodyborderstobuildingbirdhousestopickinguplittertobuildingbeehotels.Anaddedbonuswastheopportunityforinter-unitcollegialityandteambuilding.SyriawasalsoontheILVOagendathisyear,asamotionofsolidaritywithaSyrianemployeeandallSyrians,boththoseinSyriaandtherefugees.ILVOsupportedthesolidarity action entitled “Together for Syria” via the sale of cheese, plants, leekpowderandfruitjuices.AlltheproductshadbeendevelopedeitheratILVOorinpartnership with ILVO.

new roof

Theseedtriageunitalsogotanewrooftoreplacetheoldasbestos-ladenroofing.The asbestos roofing was removed with all necessary attention to safety and anew insulatedsandwich-plate roofwasbuilt. Fire safetywasupgradedandextrawindowsandalightercolorontheinsideoftheroofbrighteneduptheworkarea.Theworker’scomforthasbeensignificantlyimpactedbytheinsulationandsunlight.

Before After

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Administrator General

ILVO

Technology & Food ScienceSocial Sciences Plant SciencesAnimal Sciences

KristiaanVanLaeckeUnitHead

XUnitHead

Bart SonckUnitHead

Lieve HermanUnitHead

Martine Maes ScientificDirectorCrop Protection

Johan Van WaesScientificDirectorCropHusbandryandEnvironment

Johan Van HuylenbroeckScientificDirectorAppliedGeneticsandBreeding

IsabelRoldán-RuizScientificDirectorGrowthandDevelopment

Marc De LooseScientificDirectorProductQualityandInnovation

MarcHeyndrickxScientificDirectorFoodSafety

Jürgen VangeyteScientificDirectorAgricultural Engineering

Sam De CampeneereScientificDirectorAnimalHusbandry

LudwigLauwersScientificDirectorAgriculturalandFarmDevelopment

Joris RelaesadministratorGeneral

Hans PoletScientificDirectorAquaticEnvironmentandQualityFisheriesandAquaticProduction

XScientificDirectorRural Development

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Own Capital (OC) Management Council

Members from ILVO:•JorisRelaes, ExecutiveDirector,Chair•KristiaanVanLaecke, UnitHead•BartSonck, UnitHead•LieveHerman, UnitHead• Greet Riebbels Advisorcommunication•KatrienDeBruyn Financialcoordinator

LeadingrepresentativefromtheDepartmentofAgricultureandFisheries,SecretaryGeneral:Jules Van Liefferinge

Representative of the Flemish Minister of Science andTechnology:WimWinderickx

RepresentativeofSALV(StrategicAdvisoryCouncilforAgricultureandFisheries):GeorgesVanKeerberghen

Representativeoffinancialinspection:StefaanGhesquiere,inspector-general

ExternalguestmemberoftheDepartmentofAgricultureandFisheries:ElsMestdach,advisor

Guestmember:LudwigLauwers,ILVO

Advisory Comittee

Full members:JorisRelaes,ILVOMarcDeLoose,ILVO-T&VKristiaanVanLaecke,ILVO-PlantCathyPlasman,ILVO-DierBartSonck,ILVO-DierLieveHerman,ILVO-T&VDirkVanGijseghem,DepartementLandbouwenVisserij-AMSElsLapage,DepartementLandbouwenVisserijMonicaHöfte,UGentDirkReheul,UGentGuidoVanHuylenbroeck,UGentMiekeUyttendaele,UGentAnnemieGeeraerd,KULeuvenNadineBuys,KULeuvenErikMathijs,KULeuvenWannesKeulemans,KULeuvenElsPrinsen,UniversiteitAntwerpenStevenDessein,PlantentuinMeiseYvanDejaegher,BEMEFABrigitteWallays,TerBekeGeorgesVanKeerberghen,BoerenbondHendrikVandamme,ABSMarijkeJordens,GroeneKringAnJamart,BioForumVlaanderen

Substitutes:

GreetRiebbels,ILVOJohanVanHuylenbroeck,ILVOPlantSciencesHansPolet,ILVOAnimalScienceIsabelRoldán-Ruiz,ILVOPlantSciencesLudwigLauwers,ILVOSocialSciencesSamDeCampeneere,ILVOAnimalScienceMarcHeyndrickx,ILVOTechnology&FoodScienceAnneVuylsteke,DepartementLandbouwenVisserij-AMSTsangTseyChow,DepartementLandbouwenVisserij-ADLOPeterBossier,GhentUniversityChristianStevens,GhentUniversityVeerleFievez,GhentUniversityKathySteppe,GhentUniversityJean-MarieAerts,K.U.LeuvenJohanBuyse,K.U.LeuvenLiesbetVranken,K.U.LeuvenChrisMichiels,K.U.LeuvenGeertAngenon,VUBRogerDijkmans,VITOBrunoGobin,PCSIsabelleCoucke,PackoInoxNVJorisVanOlmen,BoerenbondHendrikVandenHaute,ABSClaireBosch,FeviaKurtSannen,BioforumVlaanderen

AnnuAl report IlVo 2015

ILVO - Management

Burg. Van Gansberghelaan 929820 MerelbekeT +32 9 272 25 00F +32 9 272 25 01ilvo@ilvo.vlaanderen.be

Technology & Food scIence

Brusselsesteenweg 3709090 MelleT +32 9 272 30 00F +32 9 272 30 01T&V@ilvo.vlaanderen.bewww.ilvo.vlaanderen.be/t&v

ProductQualityandInnovationResearch groupandAgricultural Engineering Research group

Burg.VanGansberghelaan115,box19820 MerelbekeT +32 9 272 28 00F +32 9 272 28 01T&V@ilvo.vlaanderen.be

FoodSafetyResearchgroup

Brusselsesteenweg 3709090 MelleT +32 9 272 30 00F +32 9 272 30 01T&V@ilvo.vlaanderen.be

AnIMAl scIences

Scheldeweg689090 MelleT+3292722600F+3292722601dier@ilvo.vlaanderen.bewww.ilvo.vlaanderen.be/dier

AnimalHusbandryResearchgroup

Scheldeweg689090 MelleBurg. Van Gansberghelaan 929820 MerelbekeT+3292722600F+3292722601dier@ilvo.vlaanderen.bewww.ilvo.vlaanderen.be/dier

AquaticEnvironmentandQualityResearch groupandFisheriesandAquaticProductionResearch group Ankerstraat 18400OostendeT+3259569875F+3259330629dier@ilvo.vlaanderen.be

SocIAl scIences

AgriculturalandFarmDevelopmentResearch groupandRural Development Research group

Burg.VanGansberghelaan115,box29820 MerelbekeT +32 9 272 23 40F +32 9 272 23 41l&m@ilvo.vlaanderen.bewww.ilvo.vlaanderen.be/l&m

PlAnt scIences

Caritasstraat 399090 MelleT +32 9 272 29 00F +32 9 272 29 01Plant@ilvo.vlaanderen.bewww.ilvo.vlaanderen.be/plant

AppliedGeneticsandBreedingResearchgroupandGrowthandDevelopmentResearch group

Caritasstraat 399090 MelleT +32 9 272 29 00F +32 9 272 29 01plant@ilvo.vlaanderen.be

Crop Protection Research group

Burg.VanGansberghelaan969820 MerelbekeT +32 9 272 24 00F +32 9 272 24 29plant@ilvo.vlaanderen.be

CropHusbandryandEnvironmentResearch group

Burg. Van Gansberghelaan 1099820 MerelbekeT +32 9 272 27 00F +32 9 272 27 01plant@ilvo.vlaanderen.be

An

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ILVOInstituteforAgriculturalandFisheriesResearchBurg. Van Gansberghelaan 929820 Merelbeke België

T +32 9 272 25 00 F +32 9 272 25 01 ilvo@ilvo.vlaanderen.bewww.ilvo.vlaanderen.be