Best4Soil is a European network of practitioners, for sharing knowledge-ready
for practice, on prevention and control of soil borne diseases. A thematic network,
created for the promotion and dissemination of existing knowledge, about the best
practices for maintaining soil health, which include crop rotation, compost and
vermicompost, green manures and cover crop, biofumigation, (bio)solarization, and
anaerobic soil disinfestation. To this end, a series of freely accessible materials
published in 22 European languages have been produced and are available on the
website www.best4soil.eu. Among these materials are open access video tutorials,
factsheets, pictures and blogs. Also, two online innovative Decision Support Tools based
on two specific databases for plant parasitic nematodes and soilborne pathogens have
been developed. These tools provide information on the host status and damage
sensitivity of 70 crops for 32 nematode species and 138 soilborne pathogens. Based on
this information, these tools make it easy to determine the optimal sequence to grow
the different crops. The tools are currently available in 22 languages. Each nematodecrop and pathogen-crop combination will get a background page (WIKI) with
additional information, including control measures. The working method for the
nematode scheme and the pathogen scheme is the same, and it is based on the concept
of Wageningen UR | Field crops – www.aaltjesschema.nl. For three years, more than 250
information and training activities dealing with the promoted practices, as well as with
the correct use of the Decision Support tools, have been carried out in 20 European
countries, with the participation of advisors, growers, researchers, educators, and
students, interested on soil health and plant protection.