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.
MASSA - Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Modernization and Food Security is one of the priority CAIS of the South Campus and is based at the Elvas CoLAB.
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) is the headquarters of one of the three priority centers for applied knowledge and innovation of the recently created South Campus, This consortium brings together the University of Évora (UÉ), NOVA University Lisbon and the University of the Algarve. NOVA and UÉ are members of the collaborative laboratory (CoLAB).
The Centers of Applied Knowledge and Innovation for Sustainability (CAIS) focus on designing “innovative solutions in specific areas of sustainable development in the South, based on existing infrastructures,” explain the consortium's leaders. The specific objective of MASS CAISES - The Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Modernization and Food Security, based at the InPP in Elvas, aims to “promote agriculture based on a sustainable model, aligned with the principles of the circular economy and the eco-economy (...), contributing to the development and cohesion of the territories of the Iberian South and Interior”.
Innovation applied to agricultural production, the valorization of endogenous natural resources, the promotion of the Mediterranean diet and the training of human resources in the area of sustainable agriculture are the main thematic lines of action. The strategic partners of this CAIS include local authorities, CCDRs (Algarve, Alentejo, Lisbon), the Institute of Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV, also an InPP associate), Bayer Crop Science, Syngenta Crop Protection (both InPP associates), the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation, the Fraunhofer Institute and the Association of Young Farmers of Portugal (AJAP), as well as other academic partners at Iberian and international level.
The South Campus - Interuniversity Association of the South was presented was publicly announced on December 22, 2021, in the Auditorium of the Colégio do Espírito Santo at the University of Évora. InPP's executive director was one of the speakers at the afternoon session (Science Day@South). Pedro Fevereiro spoke on the panel “Earth Research and Social Innovation”, with a presentation entitled “Innovative Bio-based Solutions for Crop Protection”.
Read more on the Innovation component of the South Campus and on the priority CAIS, including MASSA.
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) would like to wish the entire team, Associates and partners Happy Holidays by sharing the Christmas Tree set up by CoLAB's newly created sustainability team, InPP Greeners.
The maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) was purchased locally from the Elvas Volunteer Fire Brigade for a symbolic price, helping to raise funds for the organization, which collects the trees for the benefit of the Serra de São Mamede forest.
It is decorated with repurposed laboratory materials, including reused paper ribbons and recycled cardboard balls.
The Elvas Volunteer Fire Brigade is selling the pine trees at a symbolic price of €5 and €10. The maritime pine is widely used in Portugal as a Christmas tree. Plastic, paper and cardboard, among other materials, were reused in the decorations.
InnovPlantProtect is participating in three ideas that applied to the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) measure “Mobilizing Agendas for Business Innovation - Proposals for the Economy of the Future”, which have been selected to move on to phase two of the process: InsectERA, the Blue Bioeconomy Pact and OesteFruta 4.0.
OesteFruta 4.0 is a mobilizing agenda for fruit growing in the West. The aim is to provide the region and the sector with tools that will enable them to face current and future challenges, with a focus on the Rocha pear and the Alcobaça apple. The consortium is led by Atlantic Portuguese Apple - Clube da Maçã and the idea, presented on Friday in Leixões by Armando Torres Paulo, corresponds to a total investment of €97 million.
The public session to present the Mobilizing Agendas took place on December 2nd and 3rd at the Port of Leixões Cruise Terminal. At the day 3 Daniel Murta, CEO of Ingredient Odyssey, and Tiago Pitta e Cunha, representing Inovamar, which is leading the Blue Bioeconomy Pact. This idea, which corresponds to a total investment of €220 million, aims to reindustrialize the blue bioeconomy by creating new economic models based on the use of marine bio-resources, as well as creating the first blue bioeconomy in the world. hub european blue bioeconomy.
The InsectERA agenda, which involves a total investment of €57 million, aims to apply circular economy concepts to the insect industry. The idea is to return by-products from the agro-industry, and some agricultural and urban waste, to the value chain in the form of nutritional solutions for people, animals and plants, as well as new industrial solutions, from cosmetics to bioplastics.
The information is public and can be consulted on the from IAPMEI.
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