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.
Sandra Correia, director of the department, took part in the International Horticultural Congress, the world's largest scientific forum for horticultural sciences.
The 31st edition of the International Horticultural Congress (IHC 2022), organized by the International Society of Horticultural Sciences (International Society for Horticultural Science - ISHS), took place between September 14 and 20 in Angers, France.
Sandra Correia, as well as Stefaan Werbrouck (right), the other organizer of Symposium 4, receive an award for their work in organizing the symposia, recognized by the International Society of Horticultural Sciences.
The Congress brings together international scientists, academics, students and industry to present and discuss the latest and most relevant advances in the scientific field of Plant Biotechnology, share experiences and knowledge and network.
On August 3, 2022, InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was featured on RTP 1“s nationwide television program, ”Portugal em Direto".
RTP 1 broadcast a special report by journalist Teresa Marques, in which she revealed the solution our team has developed to inhibit the growth of the bacteria Erwinia amylovora which causes fire blight, a disease that affects rock pear and apple orchards in Portugal and has compromised the production of these crops.
“Due to climate change, the levels of infection [by Erwinia amylovora] are getting bigger every year and, as soon as you have a crop with fire blight, you have to cut down the apple or pear tree, and this has very serious consequences for farmers, because there are reductions of 40 to 60% in production,” he explains Cristina Azevedo, Director of the New Biopesticides of the InPP.
The work carried out by our researchers and their strong commitment have produced promising results, as shown in this report and in the statements made by Cristina Azevedo, Margarida Basaloco e João Carréu, InPP researchers.
For Pedro Fevereiro, InPP's executive director, “these new products are more sustainable and make it possible to protect crops from new pests and diseases that are appearing due to climate change” and the aim is for the various partners that make up CoLAB (companies, research institutes, state laboratories, municipalities and producers“ associations) ”to collaborate to develop products that can be taken to a level that can then be put on the market with the help of companies".
On August 1st, researchers from InnovPlantProtect (InPP).., Cristina Azevedo e Rupesh Singh, traveled to the Mondego area, in Montemor-o-Velho, to collect samples of rice infected with the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, This is the cause of pyriculariosis, one of the most common diseases of this cereal all over the world and also in Portugal. The crops were harvested as part of the BlaSTOP project - Developing integrated solutions to combat rice pyriculariosis.
The InPP team, which has been working on the development of biopesticides against rice pyriculariosis, will now analyze the collected rice samples in the laboratory, with the aim of isolating and genetically characterizing the isolates (the cultures of microorganisms) currently present in the Mondego basin, in order to know the current genetic diversity of Magnaporthe oryzae in Portugal.
In the future, these collections will allow researchers to carry out a genetic analysis that compares the cultures of microorganisms from Magnaporthe oryzae currently present in this area of the Mondego and those isolated in the 1990s by the team from the INIAV in the national rice breeding program, in order to study the evolution of virulence, i.e. the degree or capacity of this fungus to cause the disease.
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