Organic pioneer battles scourge of Greek olive trees

Olive growers on the Greek island of Kithira have launched arevolutionary pilot scheme to fight the olive fruit fly, a scourge for one of the country's key exports, using purely organic methods. Spearheading the project is a 38-year-old agronomist and organic pioneer, Elena Mageirou, who has helped the island's growers treat 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) of olive groves with a product derived from the mushroom, combined with ordinary molasses.

If successful, the pilot scheme could help solve a major headache for olive growers -- the olive fruit fly was responsible for wiping out at least a quarter of Greece's total production of olive oil in 2002-2003. The fly, which originated in the Mediterranean but has spread to other regions, causes damage to an estimated 15 percent of olive crops worldwide.

source: http://www.wiccanweb.ca/article-7578.html