News & Events

The first Newsletter of the +Valorcer project is now available!

This project began in April 2023 with the aim of encouraging innovation, increasing management efficiency and enhancing cereal production in Portugal.

The project team, led by InnovPlantProtect (InPP), has been carrying out a capacity building program for cereal producer organizations, so that they can help farmers increase production, and also the creation of a blockchain system, which will ensure reliable, transparent, secure and quality food supply chains that will transform national production.

Access the newsletter to keep up to date with all the news and results of the project here.

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Happy reading!

+Valorcer, led by InPP, is funded by the European NextGenerationEU, through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).

The InnovPlantProtect (InPP) collaborative laboratory (CoLAB) was present for the first time at the 56th edition of AGRO - International Agriculture, Livestock and Food Fair, at stand no. F88 in the Altice Fórum Braga, between March 21 and 24, 2024.

At the stand it was possible to learn more about InPP's activity in the field of developing innovative bio-based and digital solutions for crop protection against pests and diseases, including specific services and products that CoLAB is already prepared to offer the agricultural sector and the market.

Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira

Three of InPP's researchers, Alexandra Machado, João Colaço and Nuno Faria, and the communications manager, Inês Ferreira, were on site throughout the four days of the fair to demonstrate InPP's various capabilities to visitors.

The Department of New Biopesticides, for example, brought biological control agents (BCA) - fungi and bacteria in Petri dishes, namely the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, which causes pyriculariosis of rice, as well as some BCA that inhibit the M. oryzae.

In addition, the team also took several species of powdered algae in different colors, such as blue, green and red, which have been explored as part of the project Vertical Algae, The aim of the project, which is part of the Blue Bioeconomy Pact Mobilizing Agenda, is to understand their capacity as biopesticides against fungi and bacteria that cause disease in various agricultural crops that are important for national agriculture and beyond.

Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira

The Department of Formulations and Process Development took small alginate capsules with dyes, which encapsulate biological control agents, to exemplify the process of encapsulating active biocontrol agents that the department is working on.

Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira

The Department of Data Management and Risk Analysis spoke about microbiome analysis and the development of risk models, and presented some of the applications developed by the InPP.

In terms of Protection of Specific Crops, It was also possible to learn more about the laboratory services we offer, namely molecular identification and diagnosis, as well as to see wheat, ryegrass, Persian clover and tomato plants, crops that have been used in the SP6 sub-project of the Blue Economy Pact to test the biostimulant and bioprotective capacity of different varieties of algae.

Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira

The Department of Pest and Disease Monitoring and Diagnosis presented the projects “ABC - AgriBioCircular”, “MoniTREEng” and “Artificial Intelligence applied to a prediction and early detection system for Phytophthora cinnamomi in dehesa ecosystems”. Also featured were decision support systems based on GIS, spatial databases and web/mobile applications.

Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira

On the first day of the 56th edition of AGRO, the InPP stand was visited by the Mayor of Braga, Ricardo Rio, who learned about CoLAB's activities and the various projects underway. Also on this day, the InPP team received a visit from Palmira Maciel, candidate for the Braga constituency in the Portuguese Parliament, who was accompanied by Sílvia Sousa, one of the members of the Socialist Party's candidacy for Braga City Council in the Municipal Elections of September 26, 2021, led by Hugo Pires.

Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira

Videos, photos and presentations were always available on a television, so that visitors could virtually “enter” our house, laboratories, fieldwork, events and other initiatives, as well as chat with the team present to welcome them.

CoLAB's participation in AGRO Braga was positive, attracting a wide range of visitors, including industry professionals, farmers and students.

InnovPlantProtect (InPP) witnessed the presentation day of CropLife Portugal, the new name for the National Association of the Plant Protection Industry (ANIPLA), which took place on March 20 at the Temple of Poetry in Oeiras.

At this event, ANIPLA announced its new image and identity, changing its name to CropLife Portugal - Association of the Plant Protection Science Industry. In addition to a new name, it is also broadening the scope of its activity, with a more complete vision of the new technologies and innovations developed by the industry that allow professionals to respond to increasingly demanding challenges.

With this change, CropLife Portugal now integrates the areas of biological control, biotechnology, digital tools and precision agriculture, thus encompassing a wider range of sustainable crop protection solutions and providing farmers with greater knowledge about them.

CropLife Portugal also announced the launch of its new website, which accompanies the new identity and image and is a platform for sharing content, news and relevant information for professionals in the sector and for all those who want to follow the industry's work in favor of safe and sustainable food.

Find out more on the CropLife Portugal website here.