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IPA programme for cross-border collaboration 2007-2013
Priority axis 2: Enhancement of the environmental resources and cultural heritage of
the programme area
Masure 2.1: Promote and protect the environmental resources of the area
FOOD FOREST PARKS
PROJECT
SELECTION, PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF BALKAN FOOD
FOREST SPECIES
Проектот е ко-финансиран од Европската Унија и од националните фондови на земјите учеснички во ИПА програмата за
прекугранична соработка 2007 - 2013. Гледиштата изложени во оваа електронската публикација нужно не ги одразуваат
официјалните гледишта на Европската Комисија.
The project is co-financed by European Union and the National Funds of the Participating Countries in the IPA Programme for crossborder collaboration 2007 - 2013. The views expressed in this electronic publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the European
Commission.
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Project background
The project “Selection, Protection and Promotion of Balkan Food Forest Species – FOOD
FOREST PARKS” is part of the IPA Cross-Border Programme 2007 – 2013 aiming to strengthen
and provide sustainable economic and social development in the cross-border region of the two
participating countries. In the frame of the first call of this programme 20 projects from submitted
179 project applications were selected.
The project was implemented in collaboration between Faculty of Agriculture from Goce Delcev
University – Stip and the Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Plant Breeding from Aristotle University
– Thessaloniki.
Cross border cooperation policy is about establishing cross national links to enable joint
approaches to common problems and opportunities. The present Programme consisted of a set of
proposals for the involved parties under the terms of the cross border cooperation strand of the
European Territorial Cooperation for the period 2007-2013.
The overall strategic objective of the Programme focused on promoting sustainable economic
and social development in the border areas and assisting co-operation for addressing common
challenges in fields such as environment, natural and cultural heritage and public health.
The overall objective of the project “Selection, Protection and Promotion of Balkan Food Forest
Species – FOOD FOREST PARKS” was protection and promotion of autochthonous forest genetic
resources in the cross-border region. Through this project, both partners, with joint efforts,
supported integration projects in the Balkan region in the area of fundamental and applicative
research of forest populations with edible species. On one hand, forest plant heritage were
introduced to the public, and on the other hand this was the first step in the attempt to transform the
Balkan forest edible species market from exporting to importing, simultaneously protecting the
forest genetic resources in the cross-border area.
Specific objectives of the project

Selection of valuable fruiting plants in the crossborder region of the both participating
countries,

Conservation of these plants through Food Forest Parks (gene banks) in both countries,
with vegetative regeneration (laboratory methods, macropropagation) and plant pathogen
resistance,

Development of suitable laboratory methods (protocols) for cloning (macro-propagation)
and protection (pathogens) that can be used for large-scale reproduction of plants encouraging
entrepreneurship actions in the area of plant market so as to transform the Balkan forest fruit plant
market from importing to exporting.
Action partners
The partners of this Action were:

P1 (Overall Lead Partner – OLP1) – Special Account for Research Funds of Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Forestry and Natural Environment, Laboratory of Forest
Genetics and Plant Breeding

P2 (Lead Partner – LP2) - Goce Delcev University – Stip, Faculty of Agriculture
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the biggest University of the Balkan Peninsula. The
laboratory of Forest Genetics and Plant Breeding, established in 1975, is the oldest in Greece in
the field and its activities are well known in its sector. The OLP1 coordinator, Prof. d-r Apostolos
Scaltsoyiannes is Director of the laboratory and the scientific representative of the University for the
Agreement on green development at Balkans. During the last two decades, he participated as the
main researcher in more than 20 national and European research projects. He was coordinator at 9
research projects. He is specialized on forest genetics, genetic variation of forest populations and
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vegetative propagation (cloning) of forest trees. He has published over 100 scientific papers on the
above fields.
Goce Delcev University in Stip is a state university, ranked in the second place of state
universities in the country. As new institution of higher education, which constantly follows the
interests Goce Delcev University integrates twelve faculties and three artistic academies organized.
The lectures are conducted in education centers that are dispersed in twelve cities in the country.
Over 19.000 students have already recognised Goce Delcev University in Stip as an excellent
opportunity for their academic development.
The coordinator of LP2, Prof. d-r Sasa Mitrev is phytopathologist and his main research work is
connected to phytoplasmas and bacteria diseases in different agricultural crops and species. Prof.
Mitrev has published more than 100 research papers in domestic and international journals and
has been involved in more than 20 projects as project leader, coordinator or researcher. Beside his
research and teaching arrangements, he has been a manager/director of several institutions,
including being rector of Goce Delcev University since its establishment in 2007 until now.
The project was successfully implemented by the join efforts and collaboration of the project
teams of both partners.
Location of activities
1)
Selections of food forest species was conducted from natural and artificial populations
from participating countries and the local markets.
2)
Protection was based on the establishment of food forest parks in universities properties
in both countries.
3)
The protocols of plant regeneration were developed by OLP1 and plant pathogen
resistance was researched in the laboratories of LP2.
4)
Advanced technology exchange was realised by the exchange of students or associates
of the universities.
5)
New investments are expected in the field of production and marketing of food forest
material not only in the geographic locations involved in the project but in the two counties in
general.
Completed activities
The following infrastructural and institutional activities were implemented within the project
“Selection, Protection and Promotion of Balkan Food Forest Species – FOOD FOREST PARKS”:
-
Development of a complete study for landscape design;
-
Research activities for soil analysis, phytopathological research and research connected
to development of in vitro protocols for micropropagation of several food forest species;
-
Collection of ingenious food forest species from several locations in the country;
-
Production of visibility and publicity material:
o
entries for project realisation in national daily newspapers and national and local TV;
o
bilingual leaflet;
o
bilingual brochure;
o
bilingual electronic bulletin;
-
Establishment and arrangement of the arboretum (food forest park):
o
Construction of info kiosk;
o
Construction and placement of decorative fences in the park;
o
Establishment of irrigation system;
o
Establishment of visitor lane;
o
Purchase of plants;
o
Preparation of arboretum surface area for planting of the plant material;
o
Planting of the plant material;
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o
Reconstruction of greenhouse.
- Working meetings with the project team from the Laboratory of Forest Genetic and Plant
Breeding from Aristotle University – Thessaloniki.
Working meetings between partner project teams
In the frame of the project four meetings with representatives from the Laboratory of Forest
Genetics and Plant Breeding from the Aristotle University – Thessaloniki were held. During these
meetings discussions were held about the project activities and results, the effective realization, as
well as about the cross-border impact in the field of protection and promotion of forest resources.
There were also discussions about the complementary characteristics of both regions, as well as
about the capacities and possibilities of both institutions for future research and applicative
collaboration.
Results and outcomes
Development of study for landscape design
In the frame of the project a production of detailed study for landscape design of the park
was foreseen. For the purposes of the research related to the development of the study, experts in
various areas were engaged. The study, in printed and electronic form, consists of several parts
such as: architectonic plan, electro-technical project, construction project and project for irrigation
system. With this comprehensive project several solutions have been presented for the practical
and aesthetic components of the park and it is extension to the infrastructure facilities established
by the previous project “Integrated Selection, Protection and Promotion of Balkan Forest Genetic
Resources with Aesthetic Valuе – ISOPROP FORGEN” which complete the infrastructure of the 3
ha area arboretum.
Research for conservation and protection of species
This activity carried out complex research considering the soil quality, plant protection
and in vitro micropropagation research. The research connected to soil analyses and plant
protection were conducted in the Laboratory for Plant and Environmental Protection at the Faculty
of Agriculture within GDU which it is accredited for the standard MKC EN ISO/IEC 17025:2006. The
research for in vitro micropropagation were conducted in the Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology at
the Faculty of Agriculture within GDU.
All laboratory research was supported with provision of part of the laboratory equipment
and laboratory consumables conducted in the frame of the project.
An analysis of the soil from the park was necessary for evaluation of its quality from the aspect
of pH value, nutrition elements content (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and organic matter
content. For this purpose, several soil samples were collected from different parts of the park area,
and they were appropriately processed and analysed in the laboratory for several parameters.
Plant protection research was conducted at the Department of Plant and Environmental
Protection. The department exists more than 20 years and its scientific research interest is directed
towards field and laboratory analysis for diagnostic of pathogenical causes of crop diseases, as
well as establishment of the best protection of them; identification and determination of plant
diseases, pests and weeds; utilization of modern techniques and methods for diagnostics;
performance of tests for biological and chemical plant protection. One of the main goals of the
research work was knowledge transfer, interpretation of results, as well as application of plant
protection measures. For the project purposes testing and optimization of several methods and
protocols for plant protection research were conducted for numerous ingenious and commercial
food forest species. The methods covered conventional and contemporary molecular analyses in
the field of plant protection. In the frame of this activity a visit from junior researchers from the
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partner institution was paid because of know how experience and knowledge exchange and
adequate training of different methods.
As additional activity in the frame of the tests and optimization of several protocols for in vitro
micropropagaion of several ingenious and commercial food forest plant species were performed in
the Laboratory for Plant Biotechnology. The additional activities were performed in order the
research to be extended and complement to the complementary research in the partner institution.
Establishment and arrangement of the botanical garden (FOOD FOREST PARK)
The establishment of the park in the Teaching Centre Strumica within Goce Delcev Univeristy –
Stip involved undertaking of construction and bio-melioration measures for creation of urban green
oasis for active and passive rest time in floristically rich garden, with utilization of natural materials,
integrated in the natural ambience, without distressing the existing environment.
In the frame of foreseen activities, firstly construction and placement of decorative fences in
total length of 800 m were performed. One of the most important elements for endurance of the
plant material was the irrigation system with length of over 250 m, which provided irrigation water to
all plants and secured their growth and development.
In order to provide access and enjoyment of the visitors in the park, visitor lanes of 200 m2were
made from natural materials. For the purpose of the park, over 2000 ingenious and commercial
species with food forest characteristics were provided. Before plants plantation, preparation of the
ground was performed, and the plants were planted according to the previously made plan, while
part of them was grown in the nursery and the greenhouse as starting material for further
propagation and assessment to their resistance or susceptibility to diseases and pests.
In order to properly inform visitors an info kiosk was constructed, where all information related to
the goals and objectives of the project are displayed on an info-board.
Within the project a greenhouse was reconstructed (replacement of glasses, water-supply
system, electrical installation, surface correction) where the plants used as starting material for
plant protection research and micropropagation were kept.
Promotion of project activities
During the project implementation several TV and newspaper entries were complied.
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