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.
Sometimes, if you're inside a building, it's hard to tell whether or not it's raining outside. However, you will easily conclude that it is raining if you see people with open umbrellas. The umbrella is an accessory that helps human beings deal with their environment.
Bacteria can also use “accessories” to better cope with their environments. These accessories, however, have much more profound effects on the lives of microbes, as they take the form of genes that can be integrated into their own genomes. These “accessory” genes are obtained from other microbes or from the environment, and can play various roles, from allowing bacteria to resist antibiotics to enabling symbiotic associations with plants.
Image: Adrianna Calvo/ Pexels
At InPP, the Data Management and Risk Analysis Department is comparing bacterial genomes to identify those that have “accessory” genes that can help plants defend themselves better against pathogens. On the other hand, these analyses also allow us to rule out bacterial strains that could have adverse effects. This information will be crucial for identifying microbes and microbial characteristics that are important for plant protection.
Tobacco whitefly uses a stolen gene to avoid the host's defenses. The discovery is highly relevant to pest control.
The first known case of a natural gene transfer from a plant to an insect has been identified by an international team of researchers. The insect is a whitefly and the discovery could pave the way for new pest control strategies, according to a report published in the newspaper Nature.
Scientists have discovered that Bemisia tabaci appropriated a gene from a host plant millions of years ago, reveals a article published in Cell. The gene allows this pest to neutralize a toxin produced by certain plants to defend themselves against insects.
Some whiteflies use plant genes to render toxins harmless. Image: Gaucho/ Wiki
This aleirodid, also known as the bean or sweet potato whitefly, although it attacks many other vegetable crops, is a worldwide pest and one of the most destructive we know of. A Bemisia tabaci ingests the sugary sap of hundreds of types of plants, excreting a sweet, sticky substance, honeydew, which then serves as a medium for fungi to grow. Whiteflies are also vectors for more than a hundred viruses that are pathogenic to plants.
“It's a remarkable example of how the study of evolution can underpin new approaches to applications such as crop protection,” says Andrew Gloss, who studies plant-pest interactions at the University of Chicago in the USA. The study suggests that inhibiting the gene identified could make this whitefly vulnerable to the toxin, opening up a new way of combating this pest.
Protecting plants from pathogens without genetically modifying crops? A team of Chinese researchers suggests an alternative strategy in the latest issue of Plant Communications.
The biotechnological methods that currently exist to create crops that are resistant to pests and diseases are limited in their applicability, mainly because they are based on transgenics or surface application (which does not allow access to the inner areas of the plant). A scientists' proposal involves the use of small RNA produced by beneficial microbes for crop protection, guaranteeing the stability and delivery of these RNAs to the appropriate place and time.
RNA associated with beneficial microbes in the microbiome to protect crops against pathogens.
The strategy, which eliminates “the need for genetic modification of cultures”, assumes that small RNAs (sRNAs) can be transferred from the microbiome to the host and pathogen, or between elements of the microbiome.
sRNAs are the crucial molecular devices of so-called gene silencing via RNA interference, a mechanism that regulates gene expression at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.
Title of original article: Trans-kingdom RNAs and their fates in recipient cells: advances, utilization, and perspectives
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