vitamina A – InnovPlantProtect

NEWS

InPP took part in an Open Day dedicated to the cereals of Baixo Mondego

September 19, 2025
Blog, Highlight, News
Ines Ferreira

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.

(Re)watch the interview here.

Image credits: InnovPlantProtect and Voz do Campo magazine

Maize in Portugal: phytosanitary challenges and new emerging threats

August 19, 2025
Blog, Highlight, News
Ines Ferreira

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.

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.

EVENTS

InPP featured in the March edition of Voz do Campo magazine

March 5, 2025
Blog, Highlight
Ines Ferreira

“InnovPlantProtect (InPP) is consolidating itself as a reference center in applied research, combining biotechnology and digitalization, to offer a range of solutions for crop protection, focused on the prevention, monitoring and mitigation of phytosanitary threats, but also on the delivery of bioinspired solutions (...) for the optimization of agricultural productivity,” António Saraiva, executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), told Voz do Campo magazine.

In an opinion piece for this month's edition of Voz do Campo magazine, António Saraiva, InPP's executive director, highlighted CoLAB's commitment to innovation and sustainability, as well as its ability to attract and retain highly qualified young researchers. The opinion article “InnovPlantProtect: Science and Innovation at the Service of the Agricultural Challenges of the 21st Century” recognizes InPP's contribution to the transformation of agriculture.

The executive director also warns of the uncertainty over the future of InPP's public funding, and calls for the need to define a stable funding framework to guarantee the continuity of CoLAB's work.

Read the full article (in the file below) and find out how we are shaping the future of agriculture.

We thank Voz do Campo magazine for its recognition and reiterate our commitment to building a more sustainable and innovative agricultural future.

Opinion article “InnovPlantProtect: Science and Innovation at the Service of the Agricultural Challenges of the 21st Century” by António Saraiva, executive director of InPP, published in the March edition of Voz do Campo magazine.

InPP took part in the 12th National Maize Colloquium 2025

February 14, 2025
Blog
Ines Ferreira

The 12th National Maize Colloquium 2025, promoted by Anpromis, brought together around 600 farmers and specialists from the agri-food sector in Figueira da Foz to discuss the technical challenges, innovations and best practices associated with growing maize in Portugal, as well as the European challenges in the current geopolitical context.

The executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), António Saraiva, moderated the panel on “The technical challenges of corn production in Portugal”, which included the participation of André Antunes, Consultant in agricultural resilience, Stéphane Jezequel, Technical Director of Arvalis, and Luís Queirós, Global Director for Fodder Additives at Lallemand Animal Nutrition.

The Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, closed the event with a speech focusing on the national strategic measures that are essential for cereal production and the instruments and financial resources that will benefit the agricultural sector.

InPP would like to thank Anpromis, a founding member of InPP, for inviting us to moderate the panel on “The technical challenges of corn production in Portugal”. It was an excellent moment for dialog and the exchange of knowledge, which is essential for the development of the sector!

Image credit: Anpromis

Left and middle photo: InPP's executive director, António Saraiva, moderating the panel “The technical challenges of maize production in Portugal” at the 12th National Maize Colloquium 2025; Right photo: The agricultural community gathered at the 12th National Maize Colloquium 2025 to debate the future of the agricultural sector.

InPP elects new governing bodies for 2025-2027

February 11, 2025
Blog
Ines Ferreira

The General Assembly of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), held last Tuesday, February 4, at the Auditorium of the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV) - Elvas Campus, in Elvas, formally swore in the new governing bodies. NOVA University Lisbon, which was reappointed to the Board of Directors (BoD), nominated Margarida Oliveira to the position of Chair of the InPP BoD for the 2025-2027 triennium.

In her speech, re-elected president Margarida Oliveira said that this term of office will be marked by the challenge of capitalizing on the entire structure set up and the results already achieved by the INPP team, in order to guarantee the Association's financial sustainability and its continued ability to produce solutions for the market. “The INPP team is a source of pride for those who dreamed up what was just a project at the time, but which in just six years, and in the middle of a pandemic, has achieved strong recognition at national and international level,” he said.

The previous chairman of the General Assembly (GA), Domingos dos Santos, president of the National Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Producers“ Organizations (FNOP), handed over the presidency of the GA to Pedro Monteiro, chairman of the board of Casa do Arroz, and took the opportunity to thank him for his two terms and ”the way he has always been treated by the InPP“. FNOP is now a member of the Board of Directors. In his speech, the now chairman of the GA, Pedro Monteiro, highlighted his ”pride in representing the Board of Directors for six years and the great honor" for Casa do Arroz in accepting the Presidency of the GA.

António Saraiva, InPP's executive director, welcomed the new members of the Board of Directors for the 2025-2028 triennium, as well as the rest of the bodies. For the executive director, “CoLAB has made significant progress to ensure a solid future. We are implementing a series of strategic projects, improving the efficiency of our teams and our internal workings in order to better serve the agricultural ecosystem and our members. Today, we continue to bet on a stronger InPP, ready to establish itself as a benchmark in the development of new technologies, products and services with a strong innovation component. We will continue to work towards the modernization and competitiveness of agriculture, boosting knowledge of the agricultural sector and being a fundamental link between academia, companies and production. This is our mission and our ongoing commitment.”.

The new governing bodies are committed and motivated to making CoLAB grow and innovate, strengthening its representativeness in the agricultural sector.

The following governing bodies were elected for the three-year period 2025-2027:

General Meeting Board: Chair - Casa do Arroz; First Secretary - University of Évora and Second Secretary - Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre

Board of Directors: Chair - NOVA University Lisbon; Vice-Chair - INIAV

Board members: Syngenta Crop Protection, Fertiprado, ANPROMIS, FNOP and ANPOC.