On September 18, the executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), António Saraiva, the director of the New Biopesticides Department, Cristina Azevedo, and researcher Luís Grilo attended the Open Day “The Cereals of Baixo Mondego”, promoted by the Centro Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Centro), at the Bico da Barca Experimental Unit in Montemor-o-Velho.
The event highlighted the latest innovations from the Coimbra Innovation Hub, from new technologies applied to maize and rice, to fertilization strategies, protection and the use of biostimulants on these key crops in the Baixo Mondego region.
Our team also monitored trials with biofungicides, including the product I21, developed with our collaborative laboratory to combat pyriculariosis in two rice varieties, which is being patented.
In an interview with Voice of the Countryside, Cristina Azevedo shared the work we have been doing in the area of biosolutions.
Maize continues to be the Portugal's most important arable crop, The sector has a significant impact on food safety and the national agri-food industry. Involving thousands of producers and generating tens of millions of euros a year, the sector is currently facing increasingly complex phytosanitary challenges.
Among already known pests and emerging diseases, there are risks ranging from cartridge caterpillar until Maize Rugose Dwarfism Virus (MRDV), The presence of this virus is increasing in Portugal. This virus, transmitted by the corn leafhopper, can seriously compromise production and is found in the climate change increasingly favorable conditions for its spread.
However, it's not just MRDV that's worrying. There are new threats that require vigilance, such as the coleopter Diabrotica virgifera or the MDMV virus (Maize Dwarf Mosaic Virus), already detected in neighboring countries, and also toxic weeds, such as the winter fig (Datura stramonium), which in addition to impacting productivity pose public health risks.
Faced with this reality, the answer is integrated and sustainable strategies, matching:
crop rotation and good agricultural practices;
careful use of insecticides to avoid resistance and environmental impacts;
resistant or tolerant varieties, where available;
research and technological innovation, including new digital tools for early detection.
As the InnovPlantProtect researcher points out, Nuno Faria, in the article entitled “The main emerging pests and diseases of the maize crop in Portugal”, available in the August edition of Voz do Campo magazine: “The phytosanitary panorama of maize in Portugal requires continuous vigilance, investment in research and the application of integrated and sustainable strategies capable of responding to an increasingly dynamic and unpredictable reality.”
To find out more about the main current risks and mitigation measures, read the full article published in the August issue of Voz do Campo magazine (pages 88-89), available on newsstands and online.
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) is pleased to announce the publication of an international patent application (PCT) for a strain of Bacillus velezensis with application as a plant biostimulant. This innovation represents a significant milestone in our research, with a direct impact on sustainable agriculture and crop resilience in the face of climate and environmental challenges.
A natural and effective solution
The biostimulant developed by our team has been carefully studied and tested on different vegetable crops, such as tomatoes and lettuce, and on cereals, such as rice. The results obtained demonstrate the potential of this technology:
Greater development in the early stages of crops, This promotes more vigorous and healthy starts.
Increased productivity, This is evidenced by greater fresh biomass in lettuce and greater fruit production in tomatoes.
Proven molecular responses, with analyses confirming the activation of genes associated with plant responses to different types of abiotic stress.
These results reinforce the effectiveness of the Bacillus velezensis as a natural biostimulation tool, capable of boosting crop performance and contributing to more sustainable agriculture.
From the lab to the field
This patent is another step in InPP's commitment to developing innovative, sustainable biotechnological solutions with industrial applicability. The aim is clear: to support farmers and companies in the sector in meeting the challenges of crop productivity, quality and resilience, in an era when agriculture needs sustainable, high-impact responses.
We are looking for strategic partnerships
We are currently looking for new partnerships with companies and entities in the agricultural sector to take this technology from the laboratory to the field. We believe that collaboration is the key to turning scientific innovation into practical solutions that benefit the entire agricultural value chain.
If you're interested in learning more about this technology or exploring opportunities for collaboration, talk to us. Together we can drive a more productive, resilient and sustainable agriculture.
Innovate together. Protect better.
Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira (Photos from left to right: Sandra Caeiro and Rui Figueiras, researchers from the Specific Crop Protection Department and Inês Mexia, researcher from the Formulations and Process Development Department.
(Updated, 21/3/2022) The sustainability team of the InnovPlantProtect, InPP Greeners, will plant 19 almond trees with students from the Alcáçova Primary School, The World Tree Day 2022 event, which was scheduled to take place today, has had to be postponed due to weather conditions. The event, scheduled for today, March 21, had to be postponed due to weather conditions and will be held on a new date to be announced.
The trees will be donated by Bolschare and the initiative has the support of Elvas City Council, In addition to the land, the company also provides the necessary planting material and technical support staff. The event will be attended by Councillor Hermenegildo Rodrigues.
At 9.30 a.m., a total of 57 pupils from three classes in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades of the Alcáçova Primary School, part of the Elvas School Group 1, will join InnovPlantProtect (InPP) volunteers and members of the Municipality on the ground to plant the almond trees in the area surrounding the so-called “Amoreira arches” in Rossio de São Francisco.
With this action, InPP Greeners want to make elementary school pupils aware of the importance of trees for life. The almond trees were chosen because not only are they part of the work being carried out by InPP, but they are also of great economic interest to the region and are very beautiful landscape trees.
Bolschare is a family-run company based in Elvas that specializes in planting various crops.
The InPP Greeners are InnovPlantProtect's (InPP) sustainability team, created at the end of 2021 to share knowledge and good practices that lead to the creation of more sustainable laboratories and institutions, as well as promoting the adoption of more sustainable behaviors by all citizens.
The president of Elvas City Council (CME), José Rondão Almeida, visited today for the first time the facilities of the InnovPlantProtect (InPP), at the Elvense center of the INIAV - National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research. The mayor was accompanied by InPP's executive director, Pedro Fevereiro, and the director of INIAV's Elvas Center, Benvindo Maçãs.
The purpose of the visit was to introduce the mayor to the collaborative laboratory (CoLAB), at a time when the team is moving into the definitive premises, whose construction work is almost finished. Rondão Almeida considered the new space “very functional” and wanted to find out about the people who work at the InPP: how many there are, where they come from and what roles they play.
Pedro Fevereiro, Benvindo Maçãs and Rondão Almeida; the mayor with project manager Carla Moreira; Rondão Almeida and the executive director of InPP
InnovPlantProtect has a total of 39 members, 33 researchers and 6 administrative staff, from Elvas, various other parts of Portugal and abroad, from countries such as Guatemala, India, Iran, Italy and Brazil, among others.
The president of the CME, which is a founding member of the InPP, expressed his satisfaction with what he had seen and what it could represent in terms of contributing to the development of the Alentejo, considering the CoLAB “a good challenge” that the local authority has embraced together with INIAV and other institutions.
The most unprotected and fragile populations, those who have the most difficulty accessing food, are the ones who will feel the impact of the potential food crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine the most, Pedro Fevereiro said today on the morning program of the Ukrainian Television. Antena 1, to which he was invited.
In a live interview with journalist Eduarda Maio, the executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP) also expressed concern about the transformation of agriculture in Europe towards a more sustainable model. Although the decisions have already been made, Pedro Fevereiro believes that there will be an impact when they are implemented, not only from an environmental point of view, but also from a social and economic one.
The director of the InPP argued that the current crisis, coupled with the previous one caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, is very worrying and that we are “forgetting other issues that are fundamental”, such as efforts to mitigate climate change and reduce the increase in the planet's average temperature, which are now even economically constrained.
Listen here in full to the 10am slot on Antena 1, with Pedro Fevereiro's full statements.
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