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

On the day October 23rd InnovPlantProtect (InPP) took part in the 1st Congress of the InsectERA Mobilizing Agenda, The event took place at the Estoril School of Hospitality and Tourism (ESHTE) in Estoril.

The pioneering event in Portugal, which in this first edition was under the theme “Insects as a tool for sustainability”, had more than 200 participants, 16 speakers, 2 round tables and 50 scientific posters.

Image credits: InsectERA Mobilizing Agenda

The researchers, Leonor Martins and Luís Grilo, the director of the Specific Crop Protection department, Sandra Correia, the innovation manager Paulo Madeira and the executive director Pedro Fevereiro, represented CoLAB elvense at the congress which brought together experts and industry leaders to debate the challenges, opportunities and potential of a new bioindustrial sector - insects as bioindustrial tools for sustainability.

The congress also featured speeches by João Teixeira Leite, Mayor of Santarém, and Carlos Carreiras, Mayor of Cascais, highlighting the role of local policies in sustainability. Luís Marques Mendes was also present with a reflection on the future of the bioindustry.

Image credits: InsectERA Mobilizing Agenda

In between sessions, there were also presentations of scientific posters. Our team, which is part of the InFRASS axis led by the InPP, presented a poster entitled “Assessing the impact of frass on plant and soil health”.

Image credits: InnovPlantProtect and InsectERA Mobilizing Agenda

Find out more about the agenda and its initiatives here.

“InPP has been developing new services according to the needs and purposes of our clients. There has been a progressive increase in demand for our services, the cost of which can be deducted from companies” corporate income tax, thanks to the SIFIDE label, which InPP holds," says Pedro Fevereiro, executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP).

In an interview with Caderno País Positivo, a thematic supplement published as part of the weekly newspaper Sol on October 18, the executive director explains the services we have available for farmers and companies in the agricultural sector, the solutions that have already been patented and how CoLAB incorporates R&D into its solutions in order to present increasingly innovative products, as well as the new projects in which our team is involved and which use by-products to create new sustainable solutions.

Read the full interview in the file below.