InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was present at the conference “Building value together”, organized by our associate FNOP - National Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers' Organizations.
InPP's executive director, António Saraiva, moderated the panel “Sustainability that generates value: The role of ESG in the future of the sector”, which included interventions from Catarina Pinto Correia (VdA), Cristina Câmara (APED), Filipa Saldanha (Crédito Agrícola), Joana Oom de Sousa (Sovena) and Rui Veríssimo Baptista (Companhia das Lezírias).
The opening session was given by Domingos dos Santos, president of FNOP and a member of CoLAB's Board of Directors of our CoLAB.
The meeting brought together producer organizations, farmers, companies, experts and political decision-makers to discuss the current challenges and look to the future of the national fruit and vegetable sector.
With the participation of national and international experts, the conference was a privileged space for sharing experiences and strategic reflection, focusing on the organization of production and the role of public policies in promoting sustainable growth.
Congratulations to FNOP for the initiative and the ability to bring together a panel of excellent speakers, making this conference a relevant and topical milestone for the sector.
In viticulture, every little decision has an impact: on the soil, on the health of the plants and on the quality of the grapes that form the basis of the wine that reaches our table. The future of viticulture may depend on a single biosolution. Or a hundred. In VINNY, an ambitious European project of which InPP is a part, researchers from ten countries are looking for bioactives capable of curbing vine diseases - and, at the same time, reducing dependence on synthetic agrochemicals. What's at stake is not just science: it's the sustainability of this industry.
The aim of the VINNY project is simple but transformative: develop and implement effective, sustainable solutions and adaptable to the needs of winegrowers in various European countries, creating environmentally friendly biopesticides and biofertilizers, and advanced nano-encapsulation technologies, to reduce dependence on conventional chemicals and promote a healthier ecosystem and a better environment and a circular viticulture.
And at the heart of this mission is an essential cog in the wheel: the daily work of the researchers who search for answers invisible to the human eye - as is the case with Tiago Amaro, a researcher at InPP.
Image credits: VINNY Project
Searching for the Guardians of the Vine
The road to these new biosolutions begins in the field, with the vine. The initial work of Tiago Amaro, started in September 2024 and focuses on identifying and isolating microorganisms naturally present in the vines themselves, in samples received from partners in Portugal, Spain, Austria and Denmark.
From grapes, sticks or woody fragments, small microscopic worlds arrive in the laboratory that may contain the natural weapons needed to fighting three major threats to the vineyard, with a direct impact on farm profitability: - A gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) and blue mold (Penicillium expansum): Fungi that cause post-harvest diseases, In the case of wine grapes, this affects the quality of the wine and makes it completely impossible to sell table grapes. - The vine tumors: Caused by bacteria Allorhizobium vitis, This disease affects the plant in the field, causing leaf fall and reduced grape production.
Tiago Amaro, InnovPlantProtect researcher, identifying and isolating bacteria as part of the VINNY project. Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira
After isolating the microorganisms, Tiago dedicated himself to creating libraries of bacteria. What is a ‘Bacteria Library’? In the context of the investigation, a bacteria library is an organized and catalogued collection of bacteria isolated from different sources. It allows scientists to test each strain of bacteria against specific pathogens, constituting a vast catalog of potential biological ‘superheroes’ for plant protection.
This rigorous screening, which has already led to the analysis of more than 190 bacteria of this library is the first line of defense. The team selects the best candidates with the potential to be used as biological control agents against the diseases under study.
The Power of European Collaboration
What if the solution to protecting Portuguese vineyards is hidden in a Danish grape? Or in a bacterium isolated in Spain? One of the most exciting aspects of the project is its truly collaborative dimension, where researchers from ten countries are working in parallel, sharing answers, challenges and microorganisms in search of effective biosolutions for the whole of Europe.
“All the solutions found will be shared, all the solutions will be tested by all the partners and it will be possible to build a ‘library of solutions’ against the various vine diseases“ emphasizes researcher Tiago Amaro.
The sharing of bacteria and extracts from different ecosystems (Portugal, Spain, Denmark and Austria) is crucial. An effective bacterium in Denmark could be the key to protecting Portuguese vineyards, and vice versa. This exchange of biological solutions, one of the innovative pillars of the project, makes it possible to exploit the microbial biodiversity beyond national borders. InPP has the fundamental role of testing, in grapes, the solutions discovered by our team as well as by other national and European partners.
This diversity of tests is a bet on the future: microorganisms that don't prove effective against vine diseases could be the solution for pathologies in other crops.
Left photo: Tiago Amaro, InPP researcher, observing a grapevine leaf, the target crop of the VINNY project, Right photo: Potted grapevine plants in the InPP greenhouse, ready to test the solutions found by the various VINNY partners. Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Inês Ferreira
The Real Test: From the Lab to the Field
After selection in the laboratory, the next step - the formulation of the most promising bacteria - will be carried out in Portugal and Spain, at the University of Minho and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. But it is in the field-testing phase that the greatest challenge of plant protection science lies, because even brilliant results in the laboratory can fail in the field. Formulation is the process that turns a bacterium into a product - stable, applicable and compatible with the farmer's needs.
Tiago Amaro emphasizes necessary resilience:
Field Uncertainty: Often, promising solutions in the laboratory or greenhouse are not as effective when applied in the field, due to environmental variables (climate, soil, etc.).
The Time Factor: Diseases such as Allorhizobium vitis may take a long time to develop, or the infection may not be relevant in certain years, which makes it difficult to obtain robust conclusions.
The Agricultural Cycle: It is necessary to test the formulation in the field during three to five consecutive years, and recording all the variations observed. With only one harvest a year, this process requires patience and persistence.
In total, from the discovery of a promising bacterium to the creation of a formulated product, proven to be effective and ready for the market, it can take around 10 years - a real test of any scientist's resilience.
Customized solutions: the new requirement of modern agriculture
The final challenge is to ensure that the tests are relevant to the producer's reality. The current trend in the agricultural sector is the search for customized solutions, adapted to the specific conditions of the farms: “There has to be a solution for every field and every farmer”, says the researcher.
This personalized approach requires more science, more rigor and more local knowledge - exactly what VINNY seeks to build.
A Europe united by science and the vine
InPP is part of this consortium, made up of 19 partners from ten countries, The project is led by the University of Minho and funded by the Horizon Europe program.
Together, they seek to answer a question that could shape the future of European viticulture: Will it be possible to find effective biosolutions for all partner countries?
The answer is still being written - in laboratories, in experimental vineyards, in fields in different climates and geographies. And it's made up of small discoveries, many frustrations and a huge commitment to science.
Because protecting the vineyard of the future is not just a technical ambition. It is a cultural, economic and environmental commitment. And VINNY is helping to design that future - one microorganism at a time.
The final workshop highlighted three years of research dedicated to the early detection of pathogens in crops such as wheat and olive groves.
The project AlViGen has reached its final stretch, concluding three years of research focused on the genomic surveillance of agricultural diseases. The results now presented promise to strengthen the Alentejo agricultural sector's ability to respond to emerging phytosanitary threats.
On the day October 23rd, The final project workshop, The event brought together researchers, producers and technicians to share results and reflect on the future of genomic surveillance in Portuguese agriculture.
A pioneering genomic surveillance center
During AlViGen, the Alentejo's first genomic surveillance center, an infrastructure with capacity for early detection of diseases in strategic crops such as wheat and olive grove. This breakthrough marks a decisive step towards a more precise, sustainable and science-based agriculture.
Results and scientific contributions
Using innovative molecular tools, the project team succeeded:
Identify pathogenic fungi before visible symptoms appear on the plants;
Characterizing yellow rust strains, genetically linking them to others known at a global level;
Detecting resistance genes in wheat to the strains currently present in Portugal;
Developing diagnostic methods able to distinguish the different species of the fungus that causes gafa in olive groves.
During the workshop, the potential of the analysis of the airborne fungi community as a tool for early warning for multiple pathogens, allowing for more effective and preventive management of crop diseases.
From research to practical application
The event ended with a debate on how transform AlViGen results in a detection and warning service accessible to the agricultural sector. The initiative reflects the joint commitment between science, innovation and production, with a view to protecting national agriculture from the challenges of the future.
Partnerships and thanks
InnovPlantProtect would like to thank all the partners and funders of the project: University of Évora, John Innes Centre, INIAV, De Prado, CERSUL, Eugénio de Almeida Foundation, Torre das Figueiras Estate, Almojanda, Malheiro Estate, Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary (DGAV), la Caixa“ Foundation”, BPI Bank e Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).
“InnovPlantProtect (InPP) uses state-of-the-art biological and digital knowledge to work together with producers, plant protection and seed companies, research institutions and local authorities to solve the problems posed to Mediterranean agriculture by climate change, the reduced availability of active ingredients for crop protection and the emergence of new pests and diseases for which there are no prevention and combat solutions,” says Pedro Fevereiro, InPP's executive director, in a press conference. Voz do Campo magazine.
InPP is featured in the February edition of Voz do Campo magazine and its online edition, with an opinion article entitled “InnovPlantProtect: 5 years of a Collaborative Laboratory for the protection of Mediterranean crops”, which includes an “x-ray” of the 5 years of existence of the collaborative laboratory (CoLAB) carried out by InPP's executive director.
And as far as the future is concerned, Pedro Fevereiro has some clues: “We will continue to invest in the development of innovation for crop protection using biological compounds or living organisms from different sources and types, with a view to the circular economy and sustainability, adding value to products through their industrial protection and subsequent sale.”.
This Wednesday, February 7, we had the pleasure of welcoming a delegation of members of the Angolan Embassy to the InnovPlantProtect (InPP) facilities, accompanied by the Mayor of Elvas, José Rondão Almeida.
During the visit, the ambassador of the Republic of Angola, Maria de Jesus Ferreira, as well as 1st secretary Analberto Guilherme and 3rd secretary Maria da Conceição Pimenta, had the opportunity to get to know the collaborative laboratory (CoLAB), the laboratories and find out a little more about the work and the different areas of activity being explored by the five departments of CoLAB.
This was a great opportunity to identify and discuss future opportunities for new partnerships, collaborations and projects.
I would like to thank the delegation from the Angolan embassy for their visit.
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) celebrated its fifth anniversary this Wednesday, January 24th, at 2pm, in the building of the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV) - Elvas Pole, in Elvas, with the presence of 120 guests. The commemorative event, which brought together InPP members, different representatives of the innovation ecosystem, representatives of other collaborative laboratories (CoLAB) in the agri-food sector, producer associations, farmers and policy makers, aimed to take stock of the 5 years of CoLAB activity and explore prospects for the future.
The afternoon began with the opening session, which was attended by Margarida Oliveira, chairman of the InPP Board of Directors, who warned of the need for more sustainable crop protection solutions than the current ones, reducing the negative impacts on food safety and agrosystems, adding that the new export markets have tighter certification processes, in which there is greater control, and therefore the new solutions should focus on crops that can be grown in the region, i.e. Mediterranean crops.
InPP, an initiative of the New University of Lisbon (UNL) led by the Green-it research center of the Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology (in Oeiras), in cooperation with other UNL scientific units, “is one of the 41 approved CoLABs that make up the existing CoLAB network in Portugal, and one of the 7 that is based in regions of low population density and the only one whose area of activity is the protection of agricultural crops,” said the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
The 14 members that currently make up CoLAB were also highlighted. In 2023, the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre and Lusosem joined the 12 members that make up InPP, such as the Municipality of Elvas, universities, R&D centers, agricultural companies and producers“ associations. ”However, we intend to increase this number and include all the educational and research institutions in the Alentejo and also increase the number of associated agricultural companies," said Margarida Oliveira.
CoLAB's first five years were about “setting up the conditions, getting the project off the ground, starting to show results (...) and demonstrating credibility in the field. This is extremely important in order to move on to the next phase because you can't win competitive projects with a team that isn't recognized as having quality,” he explained.
According to the chairwoman of the Board of Directors, for the next phase “we need to find someone to promote the products that are coming out of the InPP team's work and someone to obtain contracts that will ensure InPP's viability when public funds reduce” due to the institution's coming of age.
Currently, InPP develops innovative bio-inspired and digital solutions to protect crops, develops services according to users' needs, promotes more sustainable agriculture, adaptable to climate change and in solidarity with the environment, and takes on board the European Union's environmental, climate and digital transition directives.
Margarida Oliveira ended her speech by pointing out that “maintaining a CoLAB like the InPP is something critical for the country and something we not only need, but have a duty to invest in”.
The Secretary of State for Regional Development, Isabel Ferreira, began her speech by recalling the network of collaborative laboratories, initially designed by Manuel Reitor, Portugal's former Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, who prioritized inland regions as places to set up CoLABs.
“Collaborative laboratories are still very young, but today we can be proud to have a network of CoLABs spread throughout the country (...) and also in different themes (...) that result from what is most important for the territory where they are located. In the case of InPP (...) it is undoubtedly today an essential driving force for the development of the Alentejo region (...) which is the interface between the Academy and the socio-economic/productive fabric, the companies,” said the Secretary of State.
Isabel Ferreira congratulated the work carried out by the entire team that makes up the InPP, “especially on issues that are so relevant to what is the country's strategy for 2030 (...), aligned with the European context and which is of enormous importance for the European Union's environmental, climate and digital transition directives”.
The InPP's “obvious” contribution to mitigating the impact of climate change on crops was also highlighted by the Secretary of State, “who knows that today [crops] face such important challenges that require increasingly focused research and an increasingly rapid response, and only by working in a network, in partnership, can this be achieved.”
When asked about the ease of attracting highly qualified human resources to the interior territories, particularly to Elvas, the Secretary of State's answer left no room for doubt: “They will never have any difficulties because the project is attractive, the job they are offering is a highly qualified, motivating job and, therefore, people come and stay. And this is a very powerful weapon for territorial cohesion and the development of the interior.”.
Isabel Ferreira ended her speech by saying that it has been a “real privilege” to witness the growth of CoLAB, which has gone through a process with different stages, from signing, recovering facilities and obtaining state-of-the-art equipment and technologies, and which has culminated in the evolution of these structures with “competence and quality”.
At 3:15 p.m., the session “What innovation is produced at InPP?” took place, in which the five department directors Cristina Azevedo, Sandra Correia, David Learmonth (three photos above, from left to right), Ricardo Ramiro and iLaria Marengo (two photos below, from left to right), presented their teams and the work they have been able to develop, as well as the new technologies, products and services that have been produced in the various areas of CoLAB's activity.
“We want to create value through the management of living organisms in the farmer's field. This is the purpose of the InPP”. These were the words chosen by InPP's executive director, Pedro Fevereiro, to kick off the closing session, which took place from 4pm.
The executive director considers the InnovPlantProtect brand to already be a recognized reference throughout the country, particularly in the agricultural sector, and emphasized the four patents already produced by CoLAB to protect crops against various diseases that affect them at regional and national level and the more than 2 million euros raised in 8 innovation and development projects that are currently active, one of which is the first CoLAB project funded by the international Horizon Europe program.
One of CoLAB's latest innovations - the InPP app store, which is in the final stages of development and will soon be available to farmers - was also highlighted. The app aims to give users access to six applications that the team has been developing.
What about the future? Pedro Fevereiro believes that if the “good pace” of innovation production and patent creation continues, and if the ability to attract contracts with companies and producers who want to see their problems solved and who turn to InPP increases, CoLAB will be able to complete the 1/3 of funding from its own revenues that is required of CoLABs.
For InPP, the executive director aims to increase interaction with the regional network through projects and partnerships, participate in the training of young people at various levels of schooling, extend the international network, ensure budgetary sustainability and guarantee jobs.
Pedro Fevereiro thanked the Minister for Territorial Cohesion for all the support and funding that her Ministry has made available to CoLAB whenever difficulties have arisen, the Municipality of Elvas, NOVA University, INIAV, the National Innovation Agency (ANI), InPP's associates and the human resources that make up the InPP team.
“InPP is about people. (...) Everything else is just talk. If we don't have these people with us, we don't have patents, we don't have InPP, we don't have anything. We owe this to them,” he concluded.
The second speaker at the closing session was Hermenegildo Rodrigues, a councillor from Elvas Municipal Council (CM), who was present on behalf of José Rondão Almeida, president of Elvas Municipal Council, and who began by highlighting the work carried out by the InPP over the last five years and identifying the “added value it brings to the municipality, the region and the world of science, and, at the same time, its proactivity with the farming and school community, both through contracts and partnerships, protocols that have raised awareness, changed habits and added knowledge”.
The Elvas city councilor continued his speech with the topic of CoLAB's internationalization, saying that “it is to the credit of all the professionals who work here, for the way they have integrated, dignified and interacted with Elvish society, and for the work they have done, and for fostering collaboration between the various players”.
The municipality's support for InPP was reinforced in the words of Hermenegildo Rodrigues: “It's up to us, the local authorities, to keep the door open, your door. We will, as always, be available to walk side by side in the search for solutions that make strategies and objectives viable. (...) From us to you, thank you very much,” he concluded.
The closing session continued with Gonçalo Rodrigues, Secretary of State for Agriculture, representing the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Maria do Céu Antunes, who highlighted the role of the country's inland regions for agricultural activity.
“This CoLAB is about bringing the countryside, which is often “ostracized and forgotten” (in the words of Hérman José, quoted by the Secretary of State), but which is actually at the heart of it all. This is where agriculture is. The urban environment, unfortunately, continues to create a gap with the rural world. But we also have to bring in this experience, bring in academia, bring in scientists, to feel the land, to feel the countryside, and then somehow produce what are the necessary tools for the development of this basic economic activity, (...) without which we wouldn't have quality, safe food on our shelves,” recalled the Secretary of State for Agriculture.
In his speech, Gonçalo Rodrigues stressed the importance of the InPP in making the agricultural sector more sustainable, innovative and competitive: “This is a demonstration of what a collaborative laboratory should be. (...) I would venture to say that few or perhaps very few have had or have the success that we find here at the InPP. It must also serve as a flagship for what is done well in our country and try to transfer this capacity to others, materializing it in our sector. This is what our agriculture needs,” he concluded.
The session ended with a speech by the Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Ana Abrunhosa, who thanked the municipality and the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Alentejo) for their support for the InPP, which, according to the minister, she hopes will continue to be given to this project.
For Ana Abrunhosa, “[the InPP] has helped us a lot to get across the idea that quality research can and should be done anywhere, as long as the essential conditions are met”.
“It's a benchmark project, which carries out scientific research at the highest level, attracts talent (...) from different geographical origins, some of whom have had the opportunity to return to our country after their world experience, through this project. What's very important about these projects is that they guarantee fair pay, with excellent working qualities. And if we add to all this that this project is located in this beautiful city in the countryside, (...) the quality of life is exceptional,” he said.
The Minister for Territorial Cohesion continued her speech by reiterating the government's support for CoLABs, because according to her “there is no better use for European funds than projects like this”. Government support for the CoLAB network began in 2020, with the Portugal 2020 program, and will continue until 2030, with the current Portugal 2030 program.
“We spend our lives trying to invent the wheel. This is an example [of a project, the InPP] that we can give and that we would very much like to multiply throughout the rest of our country and, above all, it's important that those who have responsibility do so,” he concluded.
From 4.45 p.m. guests gathered for a drink and to sing happy birthday to InPP with birthday cake.
The balance of the commemorative event was positive, having been able to attract the Elven community, representatives of various companies and agricultural producers, and the academic community.
After five years, InPP promotes the transfer of knowledge, reinforces its position as a CoLAB capable of fostering the development of new technologies, products and services with a strong technological and innovation component, and strengthens its commitment to promoting solutions that make a difference in tackling the various challenges of agricultural crop protection.
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