genoma – InnovPlantProtect

NEWS

InPP takes another step towards intellectual protection for its biostimulant for agriculture

July 24, 2025
Blog, Highlight, News
Ines Ferreira

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.

“We're here to listen to the sector's problems”: InPP in the spotlight in Voz do Campo magazine

July 23, 2025
Blog, Highlight, News
Ines Ferreira

“We're here to listen to the sector's problems and find solutions together”. This was said by António Saraiva, executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), who attended the eighth edition of the National Olive Oil Congress, held in Campo Maior and featured in the July edition of Voz do Campo magazine.

In the interview, António Saraiva highlighted the importance of olive growing, one of the most representative crops in the Mediterranean, and pointed out some of the major challenges currently facing the sector:

A growing shortage of phytosanitary solutions: many tools are disappearing and effective alternatives are not always emerging.
The long road between research and application in the field: the process of bringing a scientific solution to farmers can take around 10 years.
Impacts of climate change and emerging pests, which make farming even more difficult.

Faced with these challenges, InPP is committed to developing new innovative solutions that are environmentally friendly and sustainable for farmers. CoLAB is looking for agents such as active substances and microorganisms capable of controlling diseases and boosting biostimulants, as well as investing in digital technologies that allow producers to detect crop problems early and increase the effectiveness of interventions.

Another point highlighted by the executive director is the need to speed up the transfer of knowledge to the field, through partnerships and commercial agreements that ensure that innovations actually reach farmers.

“We're here to listen to the sector's problems and find solutions together. We want to be close to farmers, associations and companies, because that's the only way we can develop effective and sustainable tools,” António Saraiva stressed.

The full interview is available in the July issue of Voz do Campo magazine, on newsstands now, and in the image below.

InPP approves another Horizon Europe project

July 21, 2025
Blog, Highlight, News
Ines Ferreira

It's called PROSPER and it's a new European project that aims to transform European agriculture through the valorization of “orphan” legumes - resistant crops, little exploited, but with great potential to face the challenges of climate and food in the future.

The consortium, with total funding of around 5 million euros, brings together 27 partners from 13 European countries and Tunisia, including universities, research centers, companies and non-profit organizations in the agricultural sector. Among them are countries from the Mediterranean (Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and France), Central Europe (Germany, Belgium, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania), Northern Europe (Denmark, Sweden and Finland).

The aim of PROSPER is to test and validate new agricultural diversification strategies, adapted to different climates and social and economic contexts, promoting more sustainable, innovative practices that are adjusted to the needs of different agricultural realities.

InPP, PROSPER's partner, will be responsible for analyzing:

Soil health and environmental impact
Energy efficiency and waste management
Nutritional quality of crops
Fair valuation along the production chain

To do this, the InPP team will use advanced technologies, such as real-time sensors and geospatial analysis, which will help study soil health, carbon sequestration captured by crops, water management and biodiversity, among others.

PROSPER is co-created with the main players in the agricultural sector, ensuring that the solutions developed do not remain on paper: they will be practical, useful and transformative.

The project starts in September 2025. We are ready to embark on this journey towards a greener, fairer and more resilient agriculture.

Stay tuned for more news!

EVENTS

InPP was visited by a delegation of members of the Catalan government

August 28, 2022
Blog
Ines Ferreira

Last Friday, August 26, the InPP received a visit from Catalonia's Councillor for External Action and Open Government, Victòria Alsina, and the delegate of the Government of Catalonia in Portugal, Rui Reis, They were accompanied by the Councillor of Elvas City Council, Paula Calado.

They were received by the heads of department, David Learmonth, iLaria Marengo e Sandra Correia, They presented InPP's infrastructures, laboratories and the different areas of research being explored by the collaborative laboratory's five departments.

The aim of this visit was to create and establish new partnerships and collaborations with this autonomous community of Spain, a key international player for Portugal in its economic and scientific spheres, in which the agri-food industries play a major role. Establishing partnerships is part of InPP's philosophy and, therefore, this visit allowed us to explore the strengths of each of those involved and find points of synergy, where we wanted to identify areas of interest for possible partnerships and collaborations.

During the visit to InPP's facilities, the delegation also had the opportunity to speak to some of InPP's researchers, who were able to personally explain some of the research they are currently carrying out at InPP in the fight against emerging plant pests and diseases.

Tiago Amaro explains the work of the New Biopesticides department

Is it possible to create plant protection products with safer and more sustainable materials?

August 23, 2022
Blog
Ines Ferreira

InnovPlantProtect (InPP) team identifies the most promising materials for encapsulating biological protection agents to control emerging pests and diseases in agricultural crops. Natural products of animal origin, from marine and terrestrial sources, as well as synthetic ones, have been the most widely used due to their low toxicity and biodegradability, the researchers conclude in a systematic review article now published in the scientific journal ACS Agricultural Science & Technology. But are these solutions scalable and economically viable?

Biological protection agents, microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi or biomolecules with active substances capable of preventing or controlling or suppressing pests and diseases in plants, have been considered more sustainable alternatives to traditional chemical pesticides. However, these agents are very sensitive to atmospheric conditions and begin to degrade due to humidity, temperature and solar radiation.

Due to the sensitivity of the active substances, the challenge is to develop a biodegradable and sustainable material that envelops, i.e. encapsulates the biological agents, protecting them so that they can be applied effectively to Mediterranean agricultural crops. The encapsulation of biological agents brings several advantages for the agricultural producer, namely ease of handling, controlled application of lower and less frequent dosages, greater specificity for the target, prolonged stability and maximized permanence, which leads to greater effectiveness of the biological agent in combating pests and diseases.

Schematic representation of the encapsulation process of a biological agent to protect pear pests

The team, from Formulations and Process Development Department of the InPP, reviewed 98 scientific articles, published between 2013 and 2022, and concluded that “micro and nanoencapsulation of biological protection agents using materials from marine, terrestrial or synthetic sources should provide agricultural producers with access to safer and more sustainable plant protection products”. The review article [1], entitled Micro- and Nanocarriers for Encapsulation of Biological Plant Protection Agents: A Systematic Literature Review, has just been published in the scientific journal ACS Agricultural Science & Technology.

The four researchers analyzed the studies with a view to “identifying the materials most commonly used to encapsulate biological agents for pest and disease control with greater efficacy, greater systemic activity and less environmental impact”. The researchers also analyzed the encapsulation methods and techniques currently being used by research teams in various parts of the world.

“The data presented in this article indicate that materials based on polymers, of natural or synthetic origin, and inorganic materials can improve the stability and performance of a wide range of bioinspired active substances,” say the researchers.

However, the team warns that “although research interest in these encapsulating materials is increasing, the current level of knowledge does not yet allow for a totally fair and unbiased assessment of the pros and cons that will arise from the use of micro and nano systems for encapsulating biological agents and their use in agriculture”, adding that “a better understanding of the fate and long-term safety of these products is needed”.

“Although the technologies presented in this review exhibit promising efficacy and safety profiles, it is unlikely that all of them will be scalable and transformable into economically viable solutions to current and future agricultural problems. More research and development of efforts against crop pests and diseases is needed, focusing on strategies that truly take into account the needs of farmers in agricultural fields, as only then will innovation be possible,” the team concludes.

Researchers Cláudia Silva, Tânia Pinto, Sónia Siquenique and David Learmonth

Original article

ACS Agricultural Science & Technology Journal

Micro- and Nanocarriers for Encapsulation of Biological Plant Protection Agents: A Systematic Literature Review

Tânia Pinto, Cláudia Silva, Sónia Siquenique and David Learmonth

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsagscitech.2c00113

[1] In a review article, researchers critically summarize what has already been studied and published by other scientists.

InPP team collects more samples of infected rice, but this time in the Tagus River

August 19, 2022
Blog
Ines Ferreira

On August 18th, researchers from the New Biopesticides Department of InnovPlantProtect (InPP).., Pedro Rosa e Tiago Amaro, were in the Tagus/Sorraia basin, in Coruche and Porto Alto, in Samora Correia, to collect samples of rice infected with the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, which causes pyriculariosis. The sampling was carried out as part of the BlaSTOP project - Developing integrated solutions to combat rice pyriculariosis.

As early as August 1st, the team had been to the Mondego basin, in Montemor-o-Velho, to take samples.

The BlaSTOP project aims to develop a sustainable and effective solution for controlling rice pyriculariosis caused by this fungus. The project has the support of COTArroz - Operational and Technological Center for Rice and Casa do Arroz, in the Tagus basin, and the Aparroz - Agrupamento de Produtores de Arroz do Vale do Sado Lda, in the Sado basin, where the team hopes to collect in the near future.

Sampling in the Tagus area, in Coruche and Porto Alto

News & Events