News & Events

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NEWS

In the March issue of Fruits, vegetables and flowers you will find the opinion article entitled “The role of InnovPlantProtect in Organic Farming: Paths to sustainable and efficient solutions”, in which the executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), António Saraiva, reveals how our CoLAB is contributing to the success of organic farming.

“By boosting research, collaboration and knowledge sharing, InPP is helping to solve the central challenges of this practice [organic farming], allowing it to expand and enhancing the supply of agricultural products to consumers. The solutions developed by InPP make organic farming a more viable option for producers,” says the executive director.

Read the full article and find out how we are shaping the future of agriculture.

We thank Frutas, legumes e flores magazine for its recognition and reiterate our commitment to the agriculture of the future.

Imagine a future where drones and artificial intelligence work together to protect your vineyards. That's what the AI4Leafhopper project is making a reality!

Manisha Sirsat, a researcher on the AI4Leafhopper team, has developed two artificial intelligence models that analyze the aerial images captured by our latest generation drone... and these models make it possible:

  • geolocation of each vine
  • to know if there are vine failures
  • quickly identify “sick” vines”
  • optimize the application of treatments

The result? Growers can have a detailed view of the health of their vineyards, detect problems early and make more informed decisions.

Find out all about it here.

AI4Leafhopper is a project led by InPP and funded by the ICAERUS Horizon Europe program, which began in April 2024 and ended on April 30 with a final meeting involving the six European projects approved in the 1st edition of the ICAERUS program's PULL applications. The project team presented the AI-based models for detecting and monitoring the impact of the green leafhopper on vineyards.

The AI4Leafhopper project, InnovPlantProtect used a state-of-the-art drone to monitor the impact of the green leafhopper in the vineyards of our partners Reynolds Wine Growers and João Portugal Ramos. Although the results show that this advanced technology is more effective at detecting attacks at advanced stages, we are excited about the potential of this tool to provide valuable data for the management of this harmful insect.

We believe that with more research, we can refine our solution to detect early attacks and prevent significant damage to vineyards. Transforming the monitoring of this pest is where we want to go, always with the aim of protecting vineyards and guaranteeing the quality of production for winegrowers.

Over the next few days we'll be revealing everything that the AI4Leafhopper project is making a reality and how drones and artificial intelligence are working together to create a more sustainable future for viticulture. Stay tuned!

Find out all about it here.

AI4Leafhopper, funded by the ICAERUS Horizon Europe program, which began in April 2024, is now in its final stages. The development phase of the project, which took place in the field, is now over and the final stage is to present the solutions developed by our team on Portuguese soil to the market.

EVENTS

The information campaign on “Technologies and Innovations in Potato Production” takes place this Wednesday October 30th, at the INIAV Auditorium in Elvas. The event, organized by Porbatata, with the support of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), will be attended by several researchers from the collaborative laboratory (CoLAB) who will present and discuss the latest technological innovations and solutions aimed at optimizing the productivity and sustainability of potato cultivation, as well as the presence of the company Ceres Imaging.

With innovative monitoring and control solutions Ceres AI will contribute an advanced vision of the future of potato production, helping the sector to face the challenges more efficiently.

The action aims to explore the themes of biotechnological breeding, resistance to and monitoring and control of pests and diseases. The program will feature presentations by Pedro Fevereiro, CoLAB's executive director, Cláudia Rato da Silva, researcher, and Ilaria Marengo and Ricardo Ramiro, department directors.

The initiative is aimed at professionals in the production, processing and marketing of agricultural products and will be a unique opportunity to learn about the latest trends and challenges impacting the sector.

The initiative is co-financed by the PDR2020.

If you haven't registered yet, check out the full program and make sure you're there here.

We're counting on your presence!

In Vida Rural magazine, an article entitled “Revolutionizing agriculture with sustainable innovation and advanced technology” features interviews with InnovPlantProtect (InPP) researcher Nuno Faria, the director of the Pest and Disease Monitoring and Diagnosis department, iLaria Marengo, and the executive director of the collaborative laboratory, Pedro Fevereiro, and highlights the work carried out by CoLAB, as well as the AI4LeafHopper project.

“The focus of the project was to integrate advanced technology, such as drones and risk prediction models based on artificial intelligence, to monitor and prevent damage caused by the [green leafhopper] pest in vineyards in advance,” explains iLaria Marengo.

Regarding the results achieved in Portugal so far by AI4LeafHopper, the department director reveals: “We've already put the drone into flight and tested our forecasting model with this year's data.” The project began in April and has been divided into three phases. It is currently in the development phase, and in the final stage the aim is to present the developed solutions to the market, benefiting not only the participating producers, but potentially others in the Mediterranean region and beyond.

Read the full article in the file below.

The AI4Leafhopper project, led by InPP and in partnership with Reynolds Wine Growers and João Portugal Ramos, was one of the six winners of the 1st edition of the PULL applications of the ICAERUS Horizon Europe program, in the “Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Challenges” category.

Are you curious about this project? Find out all the details here.