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In viticulture, every little decision has an impact: on the soil, on the health of the plants and on the quality of the grapes that form the basis of the wine that reaches our table. The future of viticulture may depend on a single biosolution. Or a hundred. In VINNY, an ambitious European project of which InPP is a part, researchers from ten countries are looking for bioactives capable of curbing vine diseases - and, at the same time, reducing dependence on synthetic agrochemicals. What's at stake is not just science: it's the sustainability of this industry.

The aim of the VINNY project is simple but transformative: develop and implement effective, sustainable solutions and adaptable to the needs of winegrowers in various European countries, creating environmentally friendly biopesticides and biofertilizers, and advanced nano-encapsulation technologies, to reduce dependence on conventional chemicals and promote a healthier ecosystem and a better environment and a circular viticulture.

And at the heart of this mission is an essential cog in the wheel: the daily work of the researchers who search for answers invisible to the human eye - as is the case with Tiago Amaro, a researcher at InPP.

Image credits: VINNY Project

Searching for the Guardians of the Vine

The road to these new biosolutions begins in the field, with the vine. The initial work of Tiago Amaro, started in September 2024 and focuses on identifying and isolating microorganisms naturally present in the vines themselves, in samples received from partners in Portugal, Spain, Austria and Denmark.

From grapes, sticks or woody fragments, small microscopic worlds arrive in the laboratory that may contain the natural weapons needed to fighting three major threats to the vineyard, with a direct impact on farm profitability:
- A gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) and blue mold (Penicillium expansum): Fungi that cause post-harvest diseases, In the case of wine grapes, this affects the quality of the wine and makes it completely impossible to sell table grapes.
- The vine tumors: Caused by bacteria Allorhizobium vitis, This disease affects the plant in the field, causing leaf fall and reduced grape production.

Tiago Amaro, InnovPlantProtect researcher, identifying and isolating bacteria as part of the VINNY project. Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira

After isolating the microorganisms, Tiago dedicated himself to creating libraries of bacteria. What is a ‘Bacteria Library’? In the context of the investigation, a bacteria library is an organized and catalogued collection of bacteria isolated from different sources. It allows scientists to test each strain of bacteria against specific pathogens, constituting a vast catalog of potential biological ‘superheroes’ for plant protection.

This rigorous screening, which has already led to the analysis of more than 190 bacteria of this library is the first line of defense. The team selects the best candidates with the potential to be used as biological control agents against the diseases under study.

The Power of European Collaboration

What if the solution to protecting Portuguese vineyards is hidden in a Danish grape? Or in a bacterium isolated in Spain? One of the most exciting aspects of the project is its truly collaborative dimension, where researchers from ten countries are working in parallel, sharing answers, challenges and microorganisms in search of effective biosolutions for the whole of Europe.

“All the solutions found will be shared, all the solutions will be tested by all the partners and it will be possible to build a ‘library of solutions’ against the various vine diseases“ emphasizes researcher Tiago Amaro.

The sharing of bacteria and extracts from different ecosystems (Portugal, Spain, Denmark and Austria) is crucial. An effective bacterium in Denmark could be the key to protecting Portuguese vineyards, and vice versa. This exchange of biological solutions, one of the innovative pillars of the project, makes it possible to exploit the microbial biodiversity beyond national borders. InPP has the fundamental role of testing, in grapes, the solutions discovered by our team as well as by other national and European partners.

This diversity of tests is a bet on the future: microorganisms that don't prove effective against vine diseases could be the solution for pathologies in other crops.

Left photo: Tiago Amaro, InPP researcher, observing a grapevine leaf, the target crop of the VINNY project, Right photo: Potted grapevine plants in the InPP greenhouse, ready to test the solutions found by the various VINNY partners. Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira

The Real Test: From the Lab to the Field

After selection in the laboratory, the next step - the formulation of the most promising bacteria - will be carried out in Portugal and Spain, at the University of Minho and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. But it is in the field-testing phase that the greatest challenge of plant protection science lies, because even brilliant results in the laboratory can fail in the field. Formulation is the process that turns a bacterium into a product - stable, applicable and compatible with the farmer's needs.

Tiago Amaro emphasizes necessary resilience:

• Field Uncertainty: Often, promising solutions in the laboratory or greenhouse are not as effective when applied in the field, due to environmental variables (climate, soil, etc.).
• The Time Factor: Diseases such as Allorhizobium vitis may take a long time to develop, or the infection may not be relevant in certain years, which makes it difficult to obtain robust conclusions.
• The Agricultural Cycle: It is necessary to test the formulation in the field during three to five consecutive years, and recording all the variations observed. With only one harvest a year, this process requires patience and persistence.

In total, from the discovery of a promising bacterium to the creation of a formulated product, proven to be effective and ready for the market, it can take around 10 years - a real test of any scientist's resilience.

Customized solutions: the new requirement of modern agriculture

The final challenge is to ensure that the tests are relevant to the producer's reality. The current trend in the agricultural sector is the search for customized solutions, adapted to the specific conditions of the farms: “There has to be a solution for every field and every farmer”, says the researcher.

This personalized approach requires more science, more rigor and more local knowledge - exactly what VINNY seeks to build.

A Europe united by science and the vine

InPP is part of this consortium, made up of 19 partners from ten countries, The project is led by the University of Minho and funded by the Horizon Europe program.

Together, they seek to answer a question that could shape the future of European viticulture: Will it be possible to find effective biosolutions for all partner countries?

The answer is still being written - in laboratories, in experimental vineyards, in fields in different climates and geographies.
And it's made up of small discoveries, many frustrations and a huge commitment to science.

Because protecting the vineyard of the future is not just a technical ambition.
It is a cultural, economic and environmental commitment.
And VINNY is helping to design that future - one microorganism at a time.