O InnovPlantProtect (InPP) promotes the seminar “Six years of innovation: The path of CoLABs for the future of the agricultural and agri-food sectors”, on the next day June 11th, from 09h30 until 11h00, in center stage at Espaço InsectERA, located in the Central Cloisters of the National Center for Agricultural Exhibitions and Markets (CNEMA) in Santarém.
The seminar aims to present the practical results and real impact of six Collaborative Laboratories (CoLABs) in Portugal - InnovPlantProtect, Colab4Food, FeedInov, Food4Sustainability, MORE and SmartFarmCoLAB. These interface infrastructures are essential pillars of the National Innovation System (SNI) and play a growing and essential role in the dynamics of innovation for agriculture and agri-food.
The event will be attended by members of the teams and partners of each of the CoLABs, who will talk about their vision of the added value of these interface and innovation entities, from the point of view of those who collaborate directly with them.
The initiative, which is part of the National Agriculture Fair (FNA) 2025, which this year has the theme “Biosolutions” and will be the stage for exploring the innovations that are shaping the future of the sector, brings together different representatives of the innovation ecosystem to show the role of CoLABs in stimulating the transfer of knowledge and making innovation available to agriculture and agri-food in Portugal, creating value and attracting highly qualified human resources to the country.
See the full program in the image below.
The registration for the event is free, but mandatory due to the limited capacity of the space. Guarantee your presence by filling in the available form here.
We look forward to welcoming you for a morning of sharing and debate on the future of innovation in the agricultural and agri-food sectors!
Estamos em contagem decrescente para a Feira Nacional de Agricultura (FNA), uma das maiores feiras agrícolas do país!
É já de 7 a 15 de junho que o InPP vai estar na 61ª edição da Feira Nacional de Agricultura, que se realiza no CNEMA – Centro Nacional de Exposições, em Santarém.
O tema da edição deste ano é “Biosoluções”e pretende destacar a importância das soluções e tecnologias inovadoras no setor agroalimentar e na promoção de práticas mais sustentáveis e eficientes.
A FNA reúne agricultores, empresários e especialistas dos setores agroalimentar, pecuário e agrícola e é um excelente espaço para aumentar a nossa rede de contactos, trocar conhecimentos e apresentar as mais recentes tendências e soluções agrícolas que a nossa equipa tem desenvolvido.
Vai poder encontrar-nos no stand nº.18, à entrada do Espaço dos claustros, dedicado à Agenda InsectERA, entre as 10h e as 20h.
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) took part in the National Olive Growing Fair (FNO 25) in Campo Maior, from May 23 to 25, presenting its latest biological and digital innovations for crop protection, including projects focused on biopesticides for olive diseases and early detection of fungi that cause gafa, and monitoring insect vectors of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, which attacks olive groves. The Elvas CoLAB was present with its own stand to demonstrate its strengths and the impact of its research on agricultural sustainability, inviting producers, technicians and researchers to learn about its innovative bio-based and digital solutions and to actively participate in the discussion of the sector's challenges.
The collaborative laboratory (CoLAB) welcomed visitors at the stand no. 14, located at thematic area at the Campo Maior Municipal Garden, to showcase their activity, the ongoing projects that are developing solutions to the main olive diseases, the patents already submitted, the apps for agricultural management and the bio-based and digital products and services they have to offer the agricultural sector and the market. Throughout the three days of the fair, some of InPP's researchers were at the stand to demonstrate to visitors the various features of the Elvas CoLAB, which has been developing innovation that it hopes will contribute to the sustainability of agricultural systems.
InPP announced ValorCannBio project, which is processing biomass that is not used in the medical cannabis industry to develop effective and sustainable biopesticides against gafa and tuberculosis, The project will be carried out in the municipality of Elvas, which is responsible for decimating entire harvests, leading to severe economic losses and compromising food quality. The impact of this project will be felt in the municipality of Elvas, where the project is being developed, but it is expected that it will extend to the entire olive-growing region from Trás-os-Montes to the Algarve, where production losses are increasing due to these diseases. O AlViGen project was also one of the protagonists and is using cutting-edge technology to detecting and identifying the strains of fungi that cause gafa, long before the symptoms become visible. The project team has used traps to collect spores that circulate in the air to monitor the presence of fungi, which can give farmers an important advantage in preventing infections and protecting their crops, reducing production losses.
O SNM_XylellaVt project, The SNM_XylellaVt project, led by DRAPCENTRO and in which InPP actively participates, was also highlighted at FNO. SNM_XylellaVt is monitor the insect vectors of the bacteria Xyllela fastidiosa, in particular the foam leafhopper, the insect responsible for transmitting the bacterium, which attacks various agricultural and forestry crops, and in particular olive groves. The project team is developing new tools, such as risk prediction models which, in the presence of the bacterium, whether in plants or insect vectors, will allow the National Agricultural Warning Service (SNAA) to alert, in real time, about the economic attack levels (EAL) for these insects, thus allowing prevent infection of the main crops. As part of this project, the team has also developed an online platform where citizens can report the sighting of foams, which are signs of the presence of the insect vectors of X. fastidiosa, This will help to map its temporal and spatial distribution and to plan measures to combat this bacterium.
The FNO, organized jointly by the Campo Maior City Council and the Centre for the Study and Promotion of Olive Oil in the Alentejo (CEPAAL), is an event that aims to enhance national olive growing, and in particular Portuguese olive oil, boosting the local economy and bringing together professionals from the sector - producers, technicians, or researchers - from all over the country to discuss challenges and trends in the Portuguese olive and olive oil sector.
Last Friday, August 26, the InPP received a visit from Catalonia's Councillor for External Action and Open Government, Victòria Alsina, and the delegate of the Government of Catalonia in Portugal, Rui Reis, They were accompanied by the Councillor of Elvas City Council, Paula Calado.
They were received by the heads of department, David Learmonth, iLaria Marengo e Sandra Correia, They presented InPP's infrastructures, laboratories and the different areas of research being explored by the collaborative laboratory's five departments.
The aim of this visit was to create and establish new partnerships and collaborations with this autonomous community of Spain, a key international player for Portugal in its economic and scientific spheres, in which the agri-food industries play a major role. Establishing partnerships is part of InPP's philosophy and, therefore, this visit allowed us to explore the strengths of each of those involved and find points of synergy, where we wanted to identify areas of interest for possible partnerships and collaborations.
During the visit to InPP's facilities, the delegation also had the opportunity to speak to some of InPP's researchers, who were able to personally explain some of the research they are currently carrying out at InPP in the fight against emerging plant pests and diseases.
Tiago Amaro explains the work of the New Biopesticides departmentRupesh Singh, researcher at the Department for the Protection of Specific CropsHadi Sheikhnejad, researcher at the Department for the Protection of Specific CulturesTânia Pinto, researcher in the Formulations and Process Development department
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) team identifies the most promising materials for encapsulating biological protection agents to control emerging pests and diseases in agricultural crops. Natural products of animal origin, from marine and terrestrial sources, as well as synthetic ones, have been the most widely used due to their low toxicity and biodegradability, the researchers conclude in a systematic review article now published in the scientific journal ACS Agricultural Science & Technology. But are these solutions scalable and economically viable?
Biological protection agents, microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi or biomolecules with active substances capable of preventing or controlling or suppressing pests and diseases in plants, have been considered more sustainable alternatives to traditional chemical pesticides. However, these agents are very sensitive to atmospheric conditions and begin to degrade due to humidity, temperature and solar radiation.
Due to the sensitivity of the active substances, the challenge is to develop a biodegradable and sustainable material that envelops, i.e. encapsulates the biological agents, protecting them so that they can be applied effectively to Mediterranean agricultural crops. The encapsulation of biological agents brings several advantages for the agricultural producer, namely ease of handling, controlled application of lower and less frequent dosages, greater specificity for the target, prolonged stability and maximized permanence, which leads to greater effectiveness of the biological agent in combating pests and diseases.
Schematic representation of the encapsulation process of a biological agent to protect pear pests
The four researchers analyzed the studies with a view to “identifying the materials most commonly used to encapsulate biological agents for pest and disease control with greater efficacy, greater systemic activity and less environmental impact”. The researchers also analyzed the encapsulation methods and techniques currently being used by research teams in various parts of the world.
“The data presented in this article indicate that materials based on polymers, of natural or synthetic origin, and inorganic materials can improve the stability and performance of a wide range of bioinspired active substances,” say the researchers.
However, the team warns that “although research interest in these encapsulating materials is increasing, the current level of knowledge does not yet allow for a totally fair and unbiased assessment of the pros and cons that will arise from the use of micro and nano systems for encapsulating biological agents and their use in agriculture”, adding that “a better understanding of the fate and long-term safety of these products is needed”.
“Although the technologies presented in this review exhibit promising efficacy and safety profiles, it is unlikely that all of them will be scalable and transformable into economically viable solutions to current and future agricultural problems. More research and development of efforts against crop pests and diseases is needed, focusing on strategies that truly take into account the needs of farmers in agricultural fields, as only then will innovation be possible,” the team concludes.
Researchers Cláudia Silva, Tânia Pinto, Sónia Siquenique and David Learmonth
On August 18th, researchers from the New Biopesticides Department of InnovPlantProtect (InPP).., Pedro Rosa e Tiago Amaro, were in the Tagus/Sorraia basin, in Coruche and Porto Alto, in Samora Correia, to collect samples of rice infected with the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, which causes pyriculariosis. The sampling was carried out as part of the BlaSTOP project - Developing integrated solutions to combat rice pyriculariosis.
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