The initiative, initially organized within the scope of GreenUPorto and aiming at promoting the works, their communication and the establishment of synergies between doctoral students associated with the Research Unit, will now be expanded within the scope of the Inov4Agro Associate Laboratory,  also counting on the organization and participation of CITAB researchers, from UTAD.

The launching of the new cycle of Seminars took place by December 13th, at Vairão (room 11), 2 p.m. See the agenda for the first session here.

On April 17, a next session of the Seminars cycle will take place (program available here), starting at 14h30. GreenUPorto’s in-person session will take place at Vairão, FCV2 0.11. The UTAD session will take place from UTAD, both being broadcast online via https://fc-up-pt.zoom.us/j/81079112348.

In the new edition, which will last between December 2023 and July 2024, prizes will be awarded to the two best communications from each Research Center (€1500 for 1st place, and €750 for 2nd place). The prize will be available for use by the student over the course of 1 year, for the purposes of disseminating their research or developing their scientific skills.

Each seminar will include 2 presentations, one GreenUPorto and one CITAB. Each presentation will last 15 minutes and will be in English, ending with a joint discussion (30 minutes).

The seminars will take place on the third Wednesday of each month, from December to July, in person, with speakers at their respective institutions, but the possibility of watching online via https://fc-up-pt.zoom.us/j/81079112348. And, we even offer coffee break!

The final agenda for all sessions and respective speakers (GreenUPorto and CITAB) is availiable here.

Speaker Registration [currently closed]

Are you a PhD student in Sustainable Agrifood Production? Would you like to get to know the work of your colleagues at GreenUPorto and CITAB, and let them know about your work?
Train your presentation and argumentation skills to shine in any scientific event?
Or hang out with the GreenUPorto and CITAB Agrifood team, and allow yourself to win “Best Presentation” prizes worth €1500 (1st prize) or €750 (2nd prize), to support your training and/or the dissemination of your work?

We have the opportunity for you! Sign up for one of the Sustainable Agrifood Production Seminar sessions and embrace this challenge!

In the end, if you wish to obtain a Speaker’s Certificate, simply request via email to anteixeira@fc.up.pt.

Competition regulation available here.

Funded by national funds via FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) through the Strategic Projects UIDB/05748/2020 and UIDP/05748/2020, DOI references 10.54499/UIDB/05748/2020 and 10.54499/UIDP/05748/2020.

Soil health is now widely recognized as the cornerstone of the health of ecosystems, animals, plants, and humans. It is under this motto of «Soil: Pillar of One Health» that the Portuguese Society of Soil Sciences (SPCS), in partnership with the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) and GreenUPorto – Research Center for Agro-food Production Sustainable, will organize the National Soil Science Meeting (EACS2024).

The event, with an open invitation to students, researchers, members of public administration, associations, collaborative laboratories, companies and schools, will have the FCUP facilities as the stage for this edition and is scheduled for July 3 to 5, 2024.

Highlighting sub-themes under the heading “Soil: Pillar of One Health”, such as “Soil, food security and human health”, “Soil degradation processes”, “Soil and climate change”, among others, the initiative aims to highlight the functions and services that the soil performs through the interconnection of the soil microbiome with that of all living beings, substantiating the concept of “one health”.

Soil health is crucial in achieving the sustainable development goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, supporting (and benefiting from) actions aimed at reducing poverty and hunger, increasing the health and well-being of populations , the existence of quality water for human consumption and more sustainable production and consumption, in combating climate change and supporting life on the earth’s surface (SDGs 1-3, 6, 12-13 and 15).

In this context, this Meeting aims to offer the scientific community, companies, associations, public bodies and society in general, a moment to share research and technological progress, made in Portugal, in the area of Soil Sciences, and to discuss the main issues to be addressed at national and international level.

At the event, national and international projects related to soil health and conservation will also be presented, in which several national researchers are involved.

In its organization, the event features excellent professionals and researchers from the U.Porto (GreenUPorto, FCUP, CIIMAR) and renowned institutions distributed throughout the country, such as INIAV (National Institute of Agricultural and Veterinary Research), Viticulture Commission of the Vinho Verde Region, University of Évora, University of Lisbon (ISA), University of Coimbra, University of Aveiro, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, University of Minho, University of the Azores, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, between others.

Registration for the event is open and accessible at https://eacs.pt/registo/ until May 15, 2024. It is also possible to submit Work Abstracts for presentation at the event, with submission until May 1, 2024.

Find out more on the official page: https://eacs.pt/.

On February 21st, the Director of GreenUPorto and Professor at FCUP was one of several experts invited to take part in the II National Congress on Climate Change.

The Congress, held at UTAD and on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of February 2024, had as organizing institutions Nepa and CITAB – Center for Research and Agro-Environmental and Biological Technologies of UTAD. The main objective was to demystify the themes surrounding Climate Change, covering topics such as urban planning and sustainability, challenges for the energy transition, agriculture and climate change, new technologies, among others.

Throughout the program, which included not only lectures by experts, but also the presentation of research works and workshops on the topic of climate change, Professor Ruth Pereira gave a lecture entitled «Is Soil an ally or just a victim of Climate Change?”.

Last week, from the 8th to the 9th of February, GreenUPorto was again at the Open Days FCUP 2024, at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, showing some examples of our daily laboratory activities and ongoing R&D projects to students, teachers, and parents coming from all over the country.

In what was another example of our permanent openness to schools and society, several of our researchers were present to help carry out experiments and answer all the questions asked by students, hoping to awaken their interest in Agricultural Sciences!

Recently ended, the PEST(bio)CIDE project lasted for 4 years and was led by GreenUPorto, with partners Plant Stress Lab, CIIMAR, CBMA (UMnho) and GEOBIOTEC (UA). The project received funding from FCT as part of a forest fire prevention program.

The main objective was to develop a sustainable bioherbicide from young eucalyptus leaves, to value the leaf biomass of new eucalyptus shoots that emerge in post-fire situations so that it is possible to control the spread of this exotic species in other locations and, thus, contribute to better forest management.

Throughout the project, researchers developed two bioherbicides from the leaf biomass of young eucalyptus trees regenerated after a fire: an aqueous extract to be applied in a post-emergence context, and a compound to be incorporated into the soil before weed emergence. The results demonstrated that these two herbicides markedly reduced the growth of purslane (model weed species used). Studies were carried out to evaluate the herbicide effect and environmental safety of the proposed strategies, and then transferred to field conditions for two years, where the real efficiency of EucaBio as a pre-emergent herbicide was tested, as well as the potential impacts of this practice on productivity. agricultural.

Researchers remain interested in unveiling the herbicidal potential and environmental safety of the compound based on eucalyptus leaves incorporated into soils and under field conditions and are motivated to share the results obtained with producers, to make agricultural food production more sustainable, reducing the environmental impact and contamination by synthetic pesticides, and promoting the valorization of the leaf biomass of eucalyptus trees that appear in a post-fire context, as a new method for active forest management.

During the project, new complementary ideas culminated in the development of two doctoral projects, which are currently taking place at FCUP.

Also, as a way of transmitting and understanding the objectives and results of the project, a video was created, which you can view in its full version here: http://tinyurl.com/PESTbioCIDE

GreenUPorto is offering a new (and free!) Advanced Course on «Sustainable Wastewater Management in Agricultural Irrigation exploiting Green Technologies».

The course will be taught by Professor Mario Licata, Researcher in Agronomy and Crop Science from the Università degli studi di Palermo.

Totalizing 15 hours, the course will last from 14 to 20 February (2 p.m – 5 p.m in each day). The classes will take place at FCV2, in Vairão (FCUP), Room 0.11.

The course, provided by GreenUPorto, is open to everyone (students, stakeholders, general public) and is FREE (with mandatory registration).

Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your knowledge on sustainable treated wastewater management in crop irrigation, a highly developed approach to the use of water resources in agriculture, and a widespread practice in many Mediterranean countries due to water scarcity for irrigation purposes in arid and semi-arid areas!

Find out more about the course here.

Register here.

During the last 26th of January, we had our International Seminar on Food, Innovation and Consumer Perception.

At the event, we were delighted to listen to international experts on these topics, such as:

• Doctor Purificación García Segovia, Professor at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Inginiería Agronómica y del Medio Natural at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and member of the ifood Team with «Food customization through 3D printing»
• Doctor Rosires Deliza, Senior Researcher at Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and Professor at PPGCTA and PPGCAL, at UFRJ – UFRJ – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro with « Technological innovation in food and the consumer»
• Doctor Luís Miguel Cunha, Professor at Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto | FCUP and Researcher at GreenUPorto with «Consumer perspectives on the development of new foods incorporating edible insects»
• Doctor Célia Rocha, Researcher at GreenUPorto and Director of R&D at Sense Test, Lda with «New sensory analysis methodologies to support the development of new products»

Opening the session, we had the Vice Director of GreenUPorto, Professor Susana Carvalho, as well as the FCUP DGAOT – Department of Geosciences, Environment and Spatial Plannings – Director, Professor Joaquim Esteves da Silva.

As moderators of the sessions, we had Professors Ana Pinto de Moura, Integrated Researcher at GreenUPorto and Professor at Universidade Aberta and Susana Fonseca, also a Researcher at GreenUPorto and Professor at FCUP.

The Seminar was an excellent opportunity to debate and learn more about the fascinating world and recent advances in Food Science and Consumer Perception research!

See the program here.

The Associate Laboratory Inov4Agro, which brings together the R&D units CITAB and GreenUPorto, has promoted a close dialogue with the stakeholders of the leading agricultural value chains in the PT North region. The objective has been to identify the main challenges and opportunities for research and collaboration to strengthen knowledge transfer and training of the respective socioeconomic agents. As a result of this interaction, seven value chains were identified for which there is recognized scientific and technical competence within the scope of the Associate Laboratory.

At Inov4Agro Open Day, the results obtained by the different working groups will be presented and complemented by a broad discussion for all researchers, stakeholders, and decision-makers interested in these topics. This is also an opportunity to identify synergies between Inov4Agro and the stakeholders, enhancing the medium and long-term sustainability of the Associate Laboratory’s research activities in the service of the valorization and sustainability of agricultural value chains and the national economy.

This is an extremely important event for GreenUPorto, so the participation of all its researchers is crucial. For this reason, we ask that you reserve the afternoon of December 15th to be present at the UTAD Geosciences Auditorium.

Complete program available here.

On December 5, GreenUPorto will once again celebrate the World Soil Day with a special event.

The event, taking place at the Library of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto and initiating at 2 p.m., will join together stakeholders from the research community and political spheres to discuss the national politics regarding our Soil.

Soil conservation is increasingly a highly relevant topic, covered by all European policies and the recent proposal for a soil monitoring and resilience directive.

Concerns about the soil are part of the daily lives of everyone who closely manages this environmental matrix and depends on it more directly. However, society, in a transversal way, from the youngest to the oldest, does not seem to be properly informed and alert to the problems associated with its quality and health & about the role of each one of us in promoting it.

The celebration of this day thus becomes extremely important to contribute to a more informed and active citizenship.

In this context, the Faculty of Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, as well as its Research Centers GreenUPorto/INOV4Agro, CIIMAR and CERENA, in conjunction with the Portuguese Partnership for Soils & the Portuguese Society of Soil Sciences, will celebrate the day with a set of activities especially dedicated to the topic of Soil.

The program will include a talk on «Contributions from the EU Soil Observatory to the New Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive Proposal and to the EU Soil Health», by elements from the European Comission, as well as a debate on «Soil Conservation and Public Politics in Portugal», among political, academic and production stakeholders. It will also include a presentation of «the Soil of the Year» and a «World Café» around the analysis of the European politics for soil management.

The event is free and open to anyone following registration at: tinyurl.com/bd6dsvyb

Join us in celebrating our Soil!

Funded by national funds via FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) through the Strategic Projects UIDB/05748/2020 and UIDP/05748/2020, DOI https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/05748/2020 and https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/05748/2020.

Next Monday, November 20th, we will have at GreenUPorto – Center for Research in Sustainable Agrifood Production, as part of Semana da Ciência e Tecnologia 2023, the «GreenUPorto Open Lab» initiative taking place, which will include activities open to the General Public and, in particular, to young people and students (including university students), promoting direct contact with scientists and researchers in the Agri-food area, and «opening the doors» from our laboratories and greenhouses in Vairão to the community.

Participation is free, but subject to registration using the form: https://forms.gle/eGyYeYVNDN6WWjsp7

Date: November 20th, from 2pm
Location: GreenUPorto, Vairão campus, Vila do Conde (GPS coordinates 41.326254381911, -8.6744672553399)

Would you like to experience the life of an agronomist for a day? And what about the life of a soil scientist, or a plant biologist? And, while you’re at it, why not find out how a food science researcher works? Come visit GreenUPorto and interact closely with examples from all these scientists, on a tour of our laboratories and greenhouses, which will be open to the community on November 20th!

At GreenUPorto, scientists work daily in three main lines of investigation that cover the life of plants “from soil to plate“: Environmental Biology (including Environmental Risk Assessment and Soil Science), Plant Biology and Food Science. From each of these lines, visitors will be presented with some of the main daily activities and research objectives through real examples from our scientists who, every day, break the barriers of knowledge in Agricultural Sciences.

In each activity, visitors will be able to experience and obtain answers to the following questions:

1) What does an environmental risk assessment scientist do and, in particular, a soil microbiologist?
2) What does a plant scientist do and, in particular, a researcher into the fungi that plague our fruits and vegetables?
3) What does a food scientist do, and in particular, a researcher who works with edible insects?

At the end of your visit to GreenUPorto, you can contribute to a greener world by helping us complete our famous agro-ornamental green wall!

Soil / Environmental Sciences | 20 November 2-3pm
Agricultural Sciences Building (FCV2), Rua da Agrária, 747, 4485-646 Vairão, Portugal

What does an environmental risk assessment scientist and, in particular, a soil biologist do?
Soil has numerous important functions, such as food production and water storage and filtration. During these activities, you will be able to learn more about the life of a Soil Scientist, including laboratory activities analyzing microorganisms present in different types of soil (for example, agricultural soil and urban soil), and experience ecotoxicology work, understanding This is why terrestrial organisms, such as oligochaetes, are used to assess soil quality. You will also be able to learn about the diversity of organisms that live in the soil, understand their functions, and do small experiments with them.

More info: https://www.cienciaviva.pt/semanact/2023/eventos.php?accao=showactivities&id_activity=4653#evento

Plant Sciences / Agronomy: Plant Biology, Production and Post-harvest | 20 November 3-4pm
Agricultural Sciences Building (FCV2), Rua da Agrária, 747, 4485-646 Vairão, Portugal

What does a scientist who works with plants investigate? The works presented will focus on the theme of plant pathology and participants will be able to visit a greenhouse where field trials are taking place, learn more about sustainable ways of controlling diseases in crops and also participate in practical activities in the laboratory, contacting plants and fungi. Finally, we will play a game to determine who will have learned the most in this activity. We count on you!

More info: https://www.cienciaviva.pt/semanact/2023/eventos.php?accao=showactivities&id_activity=4656#evento

Food Science | 20 November 4-5pm
Agricultural Sciences Building (FCV2), Rua da Agrária, 747, 4485-646 Vairão, Portugal

What does a food scientist do, and in particular, a researcher who works on new sustainable foods like edible insects? The activities will include the entire process of developing new food products, including laboratory visualization of food processing and extraction methods, formulation of new products, simulation of consumer perception tests and carrying out sensory analysis tests with a tasting of innovative food products incorporating edible insects.

More info: https://www.cienciaviva.pt/semanact/2023/eventos.php?accao=showactivities&id_activity=4655#evento

Come and discover one of the most recognized Research Centers at the U.Porto and FCUP!
We’re counting on you!

“Inov4Agro Scholarship Researchers’ Day” is an event aimed at scholarship members of the Inov4Agro Associated Laboratory (CITAB + GreenUPorto), which will take place on November 17, 2023, at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD ).

This event aims to share the research work being carried out by the youngest members of Inov4Agro. The program will feature the presentation of the center’s various thematic lines (through those responsible for them). All Inov4Agro scholarship holders (research or PhD students) will be able to be present, namely by submitting their work for exhibition in the form of an oral communication or poster.

Consult the complete program through the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/a7trz7gywc96hlfmtpxky/Programa-Final_Inov4Agro-Researchers-Day-2023.pdf?rlkey=9v1mu21t2y8pjd8y73vqr8vex&dl=0

Our integrated researchers  Jorge Queiroz and Luis M. Cunha participated in the «Enotécnica Launch Session», talking about Sustainability in the Wine Sector in Portugal, a very relevant topic to the activities of GreenUPorto.

Both Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto and Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro integrate the event’s advisory committee & and have been playing a crucial role in promoting environmentally friendly practices in this industry, tackling one of the main challenges facing the wine sector – sustainability.

Enotécnica: Enology and Viticulture Fair is the largest professional event for products and equipment for Viticulture and Enology with an innovative focus, with the primary objective of strengthening the business fabric and boosting the wine sector.

The next edition of Enotécnica will be organized by AEP and take place at Exponor – Feira Internacional do Porto from the 7th to the 8th of February 2024.

We invite the GreenUPorto Community to participate in the event
Greenstorming 2: Co-creating GreenUPorto’s Communication Strategy

Date: October 26, 2023
Location: FCUP, Room 1.30 DBio

Come and participate in an afternoon dedicated to the discussion about Science Communication at GreenUPorto!

Join us in presenting results and continuing the discussion started in the 1st edition of Greenstorming, integrating the debate of ideas for GreenUPorto’s science communication activities. You can see the complete program in the image.

It is very important that we can count on participants from all GreenUPorto research groups, in particular their coordinators (or their representatives).

To participate, simply register using the form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1t8umenu2fiUSaTyzTt3ThE3EzKEunENw7vbExTkCGzc/edit?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
In which you can now propose discussion topics for the event.

We count on your presence!

The 3rd EUGLOH Plant Science Meeting will take place at DBIO on November 20th and 21st, organized by the Master’s program in Functional Biology and Plant Biotechnology (FCUP), as part of the EUGLOH Alliance.

This meeting extends an open invitation to students of the EUGLOH Alliance Universities and to all the Plant Biology scientific community for participation and oral or poster presentation. It promises to be a remarkable occasion for research ideas exchanging, knowledge sharing, and collaboration, uniting students, academics, and researchers in the context of the EUGLOH Alliance.

The event will focus on 3 main topics (sessions):

• PLANT FUNTIONAL GENOMIC
• PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
• PLANT AND ALGAE BIOTECNOLOGY

The final program, which will be available soon, includes four plenary lectures by international scientists. A special highlight to Professor Stefano Mancuso from the University of Florence, one of the most renowned authorities worldwide in the field of Plant Neurobiology and the author of several international best-sellers in popular science, as well as hundreds of academic articles.

You can choose to participate either in person at Room FC5-2.78, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, or via online video streaming. The streaming link will be provided after registration.

Free participation, but registration is required!

Abstract submission until November 12th

Registrations until November 15th

More information: https://bfbpmeeting.wixsite.com/eugloh-2023

Contact: bfbpmeeting@gmail.com

Throughout the month of September, our researcher Pedro Sousa participated in the 1st edition of the International Course on Sensometry.

The course, organized by the «Asociación Española de Profesionales del Análisis Sensorial», took place at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and aimed to offer trainees the opportunity to learn about new methods of sensory analysis, producing specific and interesting data, of which the professional of this scientific area benefits from analyzing taking into account not only the nature of the data, but also the objective to be achieved with its analysis. An overview of statistical analysis strategies covering standard multivariate methods and multiblock data analysis was also provided.

The following international organizers and speakers were present at the course, with recognized experience in different techniques:

• Carolina Chaya (UPM)
• Pascal Schlich (INRAE, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de Alimentation (CSGA))
• Mostafa Qannari (Oniris), Escola Nacional Superior de Veterinária, Ciência e Engenharia dos Alimentos de Nantes-Atlántico
• David Orden (UAH, Universidade de Alcalá)
• José Carlos Martínez (UPM)
• Amparo Tárrega (IATA)

Find out more about the course via the link: https://www.e3sensory.eu/i-international-course-on-sensometrics-aepas-course/

GreenUPorto’s team from the Laboratory of Risk Assessment of Contaminated Soil and Waters (LABRISK) just published a new paper in the high-impact journal «Science of The Total Environment», focused on nanobiopesticides as alternatives for phytosanitary treatments.

Nanobiopesticides, especially those based on plants, are appearing as promising alternatives to synthetic pesticides. However, their hazard assessment to non-target organisms is still limited and needs further research.

The paper, entitled «Nanobiopesticides: Are they the future of phytosanitary treatments in modern agriculture?», presents a literature review that critically analyzes the existing literature concerning nanoformulations of biopesticides from natural sources, their synthesis techniques, and potential ecotoxicological effects. The paper also covers regulatory aspects of the authorization and commercialization of nanobiopesticides.

As  main conclusions, the authors state that:

– There isn’t enough trustworthy ecotoxicological data for risk assessment purposes and to establish safety doses;

– Registration and authorization requirements for these new products are more complicated than those for synthetic chemicals and take a long time.

This paper results from collaborative work between GreenUPorto/FCUP and CITAB – Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, from UTAD.

The main author of the paper, Sofia Machado, is currently pursuing the Doctoral Program in Biology at FCUP and GreenUPorto, developing her thesis entitled «Novel micro and nano-based formulations incorporating botanical pesticides: assessment of their fate and ecotoxicological impacts».

Read the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166401

The «Radiobiology Textbook» is just out, with the aim to serve as an educational resource for all those interested in the subject of Radiobiology and to which more than 200 international expert authors contributed, including Prof. Ruth Pereira, Professor and Researcher at the Biology Department of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, and Director of GreenUPorto.

Covering several subtopics around the theme of Radiobiology, such as the History and basic concepts of Radiation Biology, Environmental Radiobiology, or the Radiobiology of Accidental Exposures, the book presents an integrative perspective on the complexity of Radiobiology, constituting a learning and teaching resource that meets the needs of students, educators, scientists, and medical personnel with an interest in this rapidly evolving discipline.

«This textbook will be very relevant for teaching the subject of Radiobiology and, having been published in Open Access, it has all the conditions to be widely used internationally», states Professor Ruth Pereira.

In collaboration with researchers from the University of Aveiro and international researchers, Ruth Pereira contributed to the chapter of the book on Environmental Radiobiology, which addresses the effects of different types of ionizing radiation on ecosystems at the level of organisms and the abiotic environment (e.g., in movement through the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere) and in food chains, with implications for humans and non-humans.

Book available here.

The European Radiation Protection Week (ERPW) is currently one of the main stages of international debate in the field of radiological protection.  Every year, this multidisciplinary scientific event brings together experts who address the state of the art of radiation protection worldwide. 

This year’s edition takes place in the Portuguese city of Estoril, with hundreds of participants, including representatives of the main international organizations and institutions involved in the radiological protection field. GreenUPorto is represented by its Director, Professor Ruth Pereira, as a member of the organizing and scientific committee. Inevitably, the debate on the effective implementation of a European Radiation Research Area will be one of the main highlighs during the event. Click here for more information about the ERPW 2022.

The most promising approach to making food production systems more efficient, mitigating the agricultural footprint and increasing farmers’ productivity and income, is digitization. This is understood as the integration of artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, unmanned aviation systems, sensors, information and communication solutions, all connected and managed by the Internet of Things (IOT).

Scientific research also encompasses several other challenges, such as: improving the nutritive quality of food, restoring soils and their biodiversity, protecting crop biodiversity, and increasing crop resilience to climate change as well as new pests and diseases.

Alongside these issues, education needs to prepare a new generation of farmers able to adopt technologies that, in turn, can make agriculture more attractive to young people, reconciling them with jobs linked to agriculture and rural areas.

In short, only through positive interactions between technology, science and education, shaped into effective and innovative policies, can the UN’s sustainable development goals be achieved. This conference aims to address issues related to this virtual triangle, inviting all actors from the academic, industrial and agricultural sectors to present their main achievements and points of view, contributing to the debate.

The congress will be divided into 4 sessions:

Session 1 – Research, Innovation and Training in Agriculture 4.0

Session 2 – Circular Agriculture and Food Systems

Session 3 – Vertical Agriculture and urban agriculture: where do we stand?

Session 4 – Pest and disease control for more sustainable agriculture: the challenging goals for 2030

Applications for SCAS2022 are open until July 15th. If you register in advance, you can enjoy a discounted rate.

Learn more and register here.

The researchers from GreenUPorto – Research Center in Sustainable Agrifood Production and from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP), Célia Rocha and Luís Baião, won the awards for Best PhD Thesis 2020 and 2021, respectively, awarded by the Spanish Association of Sensory Analysis Professionals (AEPAS).

Célia Rocha, who is also a professor at FCUP, holds a PhD in Consumption and Nutrition Sciences, a joint course between FCUP and the Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences of the U.Porto. The researcher developed her thesis focused on the evaluation of sensory and emotional profiles and extrinsic characteristics of infusions of premium organic herbs. The study was supervised by the professor of the Department of Geosciences, Environment and Spatial Planning at FCUP, Luís Cunha, also a researcher at GreenUPorto and by researcher Ana Pinto de Moura, from GreenUPorto and Universidade Aberta.

The work of Luís Baião, PhD in Animal Science, by the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), under the SANFEED Program, focused on the sensory analysis and nutrition of the sea urchin, with the objective of understanding the perception and to improve a diet that increases the size and quality of the sea urchin’s gonads. The researcher was also supervised by Luís Cunha and Luísa Valente, professor at ICBAS and researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research.

Both theses were supported through individual Doctoral Scholarships in Companies, financed by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and the company Sense Test, and the experimental works were supported by the projects Infusion Premium (project in co-promotion, 38921) and Caviar (project Fundo Azul, FA_05_2017_015), respectively.

AEPAS is the Spanish scientific society that, since 2011, brings together efforts to disseminate and promote knowledge around Consumer Sciences and Sensory Analysis, being an integral member of the European Sensory Science Society (E3S). Resuming its activities, with the holding of the IV AEPAS Congress, which took place from June 6 to 8, 2022, in Logroño, Spain, this institution marks the passage of more than 10 years of existence, having created the I Prize for Doctoral Thesis , having retroactively awarded the prizes for the best theses defended in the years 2017 to 2021.

A diploma was awarded to the winners during the IV AEPAS Congress and a cash prize of 1,000 Euros was awarded.

The Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP), through GreenUPorto, will receive, next April, a technical visit from researchers, technicians and producers of a recognized organization in the horticulture area – EMBRAPA, an agricultural research company of Brazil.

Between the 4th and 8th of April, around 30 people will visit, in addition to the GreenUPorto facilities, at the Vairão hub, open-air and greenhouse farms, nurseries, vegetable processing and packaging companies. During their visit to Vairão, Brazilian researchers will be able to contact teachers and researchers to learn about research and innovation projects in horticulture that are being carried out in Portugal.

“The visit aims to promote training and knowledge transfer, development and innovation in the field of vegetable production technology through contact with highly qualified Portuguese professionals”, describes Ana Aguiar (aaguiar@fc.up.pt), professor at FCUP and researcher at GreenUPorto, one of those responsible for organizing this visit together with researcher Joana Neto (joana.isa.neto@gmail.com).

Annually, EMBRAPA’s Horticulture Center organizes technical visits to different countries, having already been present, for example, in Argentina and the USA. “In 2022 it’s Portugal’s turn, the chosen city is Porto, and from here the participants will depart for a technical circuit that will include visits to the main vegetable producing areas (Minho and Oeste) and industrial tomatoes (Ribatejo), visits to warehouses commercial shipping and marketing of vegetables, and factories for processing IV gamma”, says, in turn, Joana Neto, researcher at GreenUPorto, who is also in charge of this event.

The initiative will also include a seminar organized by GreenUPorto, to promote research and innovation carried out in the horticultural sector in Portugal.

8.12.2021

The 1st workshop in the framework of the TERRATECH project (masTERs course on smArt Agriculture TECHnologies) will take place on the 13th and 14th of December. This event will have the participation of several researchers and international institutions, and the role of technological solutions in agriculture will be discussed from a multidisciplinary point of view (users, companies, research centers and students).

Registration is free but mandatory until December 9th.

For more information, please click here.

8.12.2021.

The awards “Os Melhores e as Maiores do Portugal Tecnológico” are an annual promotion event hosted by EXAME INFORMÁTICA (with the support of VISÃO) which aims to distinguish entrepreneurs, innovators and companies in the field of technology that have a major impact on the Portuguese economy.

This event took place on the 25th of November of 2021 at the EPIC Sana Marquês in Lisbon, and the Agrifood sector was analyzed in more detail due to its fundamental importance for the socio-economical development in Portugal, being currently undergoing a profound digital transformation. Therefore, this event had the participation of the director of GreenUPorto, Professor Ruth Pereira, who participated in a debate about artificial intelligence in agriculture.

The event was broadcast live and can be viewed here.

29.10.2021.

Greenuporto has recently established a partnership with Food4Sustainability CoLAB, a non-profit collaborative laboratory dedicated to innovation in food production and protecting the natural resources involved in agricultural practices. The involvement between the two institutions comes within the scope of a capacity building action by EIT Food, the largest European network on food sustainability. This action, entitled “Rethinking agriculture: soil, ideas and actions. Practical cases in the Portuguese territory” (Grow Workshops), is aimed at farmers, SMEs and the general public interested in the agrifood sector.

Participants will explore the role of soils and address trends and technologies in order to optimize businesses and offer sustainable and healthy products. In addition to having a panel of reputable speakers, including Prof. Daniela Santos (Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra), Prof. Marie Bartz (Centro de Agricultura Regenetativa e Biológica) and Prof. Marta Cortegano (Terra Sintrópica), participants will also have the unique opportunity to connect with the European EIT community for future projects and partnerships. Local cases of good agricultural practices will also be presented and discussed.

These workshops are free of charge and will be held in Portugal and France with the support of partners – Building Global Innovators (BGI), Food4Sustainability CoLAB, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vitagora, Lunds University and GreenUPorto. These sessions will also serve to establish regional and European networks of farmers and SMEs, as well as to encourage the adoption of new technologies by stakeholders.

Register by October 31st at www.eit-food-grow-workshop.com. For more information, please access the promotional video and the program of the workshops.

The tests were carried out in the best possible way, with the candidate being unanimously approved.
Congratulations to Prof. Jorge Queiroz and GreenUPorto, which has another researcher with the highest academic degree.

On the afternoon of June 29th, at Casa do Vinho Verde (Porto), the awards cerimony of the 5th edition of the ECOTROPHELIA Portugal 2021 Award took place. This is an iniciative that oughts to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, competitiveness in the agri-food sector, challenging students, professors, researchers and industry professionals to reflect and create the eco-innovative products of the future.

The competition brought together a total of 27 teams, with 5 of the 10 finalist teams made up of students from FCUP – Legumiscas, MochiPortugal, Norteggie, Os Togrões and Pro-Omega. The MochiPortugal team, which presented the LusoMochi product (glutinous rice pasta filled with salted chestnut ice cream and quince jelly core), was awarded 3rd place in the final. The team is made up of students from the Masters in Consumer and Nutrition Sciences (FCUP/FCNAUP) and their participation in the ECOTROPHELIA Portugal 2021 competition was promoted by FCUP teachers and GreenUPorto researchers Luís Miguel Cunha, Susana Caldas Fonseca and José Carlos Ribeiro, within the scope of the Curricular Unit of Sensory Analysis and Development of New Products, of the Masters in Science of Consumption and Nutrition (MCCN) and in Food Technology and Science (MTCA).

The oral communication presented by the student Carla Santos, entitled “Application of the defatting process as an enhancer of the sensory profile and level of acceptance of snack bars with incorporation of Tenebrio molitor powder”, is part of the list of Distinguished Works of the recent IJUP 2021, among the oral communications submitted to the “Agrofood & Environment” panel . The aforementioned work was developed in the context of the student’s master’s thesis in Consumption and Nutrition Sciences as as part of  Summer School – “Hands on Sustainable Agrifood Production: from soil to fork”, organized by GreenUPorto and financed by FCT, under the guidance of Prof. Luís Miguel Cunha and in collaboration with José Carlos Ribeiro, GreenUPorto researcher and PhD student.

It was announced at May 31st, the list of finalist teams of the ECOTROPHELIA Portugal 2021 award, with 5 products developed by teams from FCUP being among the 10 finalists. The participation of the teams was promoted by FCUP teachers and GreenUPorto researchers Luís Miguel Cunha, Susana Caldas Fonseca e José Carlos Ribeiro, in the context of the class “Sensory Analysis and Development of New Products” of the Master Degrees Food Consumption and Nutrition Sciences (MCCN) and Food Science and Technology (MTCA). The finalists will attend the final which will be at June 29 in Casa do Vinho Verde (Porto).

Team| Product: LEGUMISCAS | Pataniscas vegan, ultracongeladas com farinha de grão-de-bico e uma diversidade de legumes

Team| Product: MOCHIPORTUGAL | LucoMochi – Massa de arroz glutinoso com recheio de gelado de castanha salgada e núcleo de geleia de marmelo

Team| Product: NORTEGGIE | AL’CAST – Almôndega de castanha portuguesa congelada, inovação vegan, fonte de fibra com baixo teor de gordura

Team| Product: OS TOGRÕES | Torrão de grão de bico e casca de laranja – Snack doce composto por casca de laranja e grão de bico, com uma aparência irresistível e crocante

Team| Product: PRO-ÓMEGA | Filete vegan de tremoço – Filete vegan de tremoço com linhaça, resíduo de levedura de cerveja, temperado com garam masala

31.05.2021.

Within the scope of the EU-Project RadoNorm (www.radonorm.eu), GreenUPorto, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto and University of Aveiro have organized and will offer a theoretical and practical course on laboratory techniques and standardized tests to be applied in scenarios contaminated by Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM). The course will also focus on the advantages of applying optical technologies and genotoxicity and cytotoxicity parameters in environmental risk assessment schemes. This course will take place between 30th of August and 10th of September 2021, and will be lectured by renowned scientists from Europe and Japan. For more information, please consult the program and additional information about the course.

12.05.2021.

Last Friday, GreenUPorto opened its doors to the visit of Minister Manuel Heitor, who was received with enthusiasm at Campus de Vairão. Researchers from GreenUPorto guided the visit through the Research Center facilities, showing some of their projects. The visit culminated with an open-air debate session, next to the old agricultural museum, on the state of scientific research in Portugal.

Led at FCUP by Jorge Queiroz, professor in the Department of Geosciences, Environment and Spatial Plannings (DGAOT) and researcher at GreenUPorto, this project was distinguished for its contribution “for a sustainable and resilient wine production” and for the “European strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change ”,“ forging a Climatically Resilient Europe ”.

“VISCA aimed to develop a Decision Support System (VISCA DSS) which, integrating climate, agricultural services and viticultural practices, would provide wine producers with a software integrating the information they need to better adapt to the conditions of climate change and thus guarantee a better wine “, explains the FCUP/GreenUPorto researcher.

GreenUPorto members Susana Carvalho, Anabela Carneiro, Ana Aguiar and Inês Cabral were also part of the FCUP research team involved in this project, whose work incided in the Douro wine region, in collaboration with the Port wine company “Symington Family Estates ”.

VISCA was funded by the Horizon 2020 program and also involved researchers from Spain (coordinating country), Italy, France and England.

Find out more about VISCA on the project website (https://www.visca.eu/).

24.03.2021.

In the last evaluation exercise of Research Units (RU) under the responsibility of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), GreenUPorto presented its application to be recognized as a national RU. The acceptance of this RU by the international evaluation panel could not have been better, receiving in 2019 the maximum grade of “Excellent”.

In pursuit of its consolidation, at the end of 2020, following successful collaborations in the past, GreenUPorto joined the CITAB – Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences and formed the Institute for Innovation, Training and Sustainability of Agrifood Production (INOV4Agro), which had its status as an Associate Laboratory approved by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), for the next ten years.

INOV4Agro thus emerged with the mission of promoting the transition of the agricultural sector to sustainability, promoting precision and conservation agriculture (with a special focus on the horticulture value chain), contributing to the implementation of the sector’s necessary adaptations to climate change, increasing the attractiveness of low-density territories and promoting the optimization and valorization of endogenous resources. For this purpose, INOV4Agro will increase the capacity of new generations of growers and other stakeholders of the agrifood sector, providing them with the necessary scientific and technological background for the conversion of the sector.

With the coordination from CITAB, INOV4Agro is based on a governance structure that was designed to ensure equal representation of the two R&D units involved in the decision-making process, as well as to clearly demonstrate the commitment assumed by both in the implementation of the strategic plan presented for the next ten years.

This plan is structured in four thematic lines of investigation: 1) Efficiency in the use of resources and product quality; 2) Aquatic resources, soil health and food; 3) Value creation within local food systems and 4) Technological development and innovation. These research topics will be conducted by researchers from GreenUPorto and CITAB, who have already started to collaborate intensively in the organization and coordination of European consortia, to obtain European funds.

This initiave, which began in 2019, returns with two seminars that will be held in 17 March, wednesday, at 14:30 GMT. The researchers Tânia Fernandes and João Oliveira-Pacheco, which have joined GreenUPorto recently, will be the speakers presenting their research about the control of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum in tomato and about the genotype and phenotype of the fungus Candida tropicalis, respectively.

You can access the sinopsis of the first presentation entitled “The role of pH on control of Fusarium wilt on tomato” and the sinopsis of the second presentation entitled “Genotype and phenotype diversity of Candida tropicalis isolates” to know a little more, beforehand, what both researchers will tell us about.

The seminars will be held online, via ZOOM. To access the event, on the scheduled date and time, use this link.

10.03.2021.

Agriculture dates back to thousands of years ago: even the ancient Egyptians were engaged in large scale farming. Nonetheless, the agriculture industry has evolved immensely over time, fueled by the new scientific discoveries and the consequent technological developments. Precision agriculture is among the newest advancements in this sector. It consists of using the latest technology to monitor crops and the surrounding environmental conditions in real-time with the ultimate aim of supporting better management decisions to boost crop productivity and sustainability. Its growing popularity among farmers alongside its rising market demand created the need for professionals with a dual background in agriculture and in IoT (Internet of Things) engineering. To address this market gap, University of Porto researchers are coordinating the project TERRATECH – masTERs course on smArt Agriculture TECHnologies, which intends to launch an advanced international master course that provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to work on the field of precision agriculture.

TERRATECH started in November 2020 as a partnership between University of Porto (Portugal), International Hellenic University (Greece), University of Debrecen (Hungary), University Pompeu Fabra (Spain), Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Italy), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (Greece), Cerca Trova Ltd (Bulgaria), ECQA GmbH (Austria), Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL (Spain), Ktima Filippou- Schoinoplokakis (Greece), AgriWatch BV (Netherlands), Agroop Lda (Portugal), and Regional Federation of CUMA of the West (France). This project was funded by the Erasmus+ Programme “Knowledge Alliances” (Project Number: 621568-EPP-1-2020-1-PT-EPPKA2-KA). More information and updates are available at TERRATECH’s website here.

17.02.2021.

GreenUPorto integrates the consortium of 13 institutions from Portugal, Spain and France from the wine sector, which are joining forces to significantly reduce copper use in viticulture, thus decreasing the environmental impact in wine production.

COPPEREPLACE is a R&D + i Project led by the Spanish Wine Technological Platform and financed by the Interreg SUDOE program, an innovative initiative which focuses on providing integrated and sustainable solutions, aligned with eco-friendly production methods in Europe. In this regard, COPPEREPLACE will be developed from November 2020 to February 2023 (28 months), and counts with a solid international consortium composed by ADVID (Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Viticultura Duriense, Portugal), the French Institute of Vine and Wine (IFV, France), the Portuguese company Sogrape Vinhos, the technology company CVAN (Centro de Valorização Ambiental do Norte), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-UMA), Vignerons Bio Nouvelle Aquitaine (SVBNA; France), EURECAT Foundation (Spain), the Familia Torres Foundation (Spain), University of Porto (GreenUPorto), University of Vigo (Spain), LBS (the Gérard Bertrand Group; France), the company Jean Leon (Spain) and the Spanish Wine Technological Platform, in the lead. Moreover, the consortium counts with the support from the consultancy agency Artica Ingeniería e Innovación (artica+i) as the project´s technical office, providing support in the development as well as in the technical-economic monitoring and justification of the Project.

COPPEREPLACE will create a stakeholders network which will integrate growers and other players of the viticulture international sector, with the objective of involving all agents interested in the project so that they can contribute with knowledge and experience.

The Project has a total budget over 1.6 million euros and has received more than 1 million euros from the Interreg SUDOE financing program.

For more information about COPPEREPLACE, you can visit the Project website here.

Plant Stress lab (GreenUPorto) and Integrative Biology and Biotechnology lab (iB2, LAQV-REQUIMTE) from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, Portugal, have the pleasure to announce the Plant Pest and Diseases Forum: Redefining concepts, mechanisms and management tools, on the 24th of March 2021 (via Zoom). Aiming to get a broader scope and audience, this forum will also be integrated within the EUGLOH network, a consortium of five European Universities [https://www.eugloh.eu/]. This will be the first of three yearly organized International Conferences on plant stress management. By contacting top researches in the fields of plant and pest sciences, this forum will be designed to an international audience with the participation of nine relevant key-note speakers on the topic. Furthermore, an opportunity for early-career researches and/or post-graduate students to present their works, either as oral or e-poster presentations, will take place in this event. More info at the website https://www.ib2lab.com/ppd. Registration is open and is free-of-charge!

Registration here.

The CROPEO project is in the strict group of twelve finalists of the 7th Prize of Entrepreneurship and Innovation 2020 (Crédito Agrícola), which distinguishes innovative projects on the sectors of agriculture, agroindustry and forestry. This project aims at improving protection against pests and diseases in stored cereals, with special focus on corn grains. In the project´s framework, it was developed a device for encapsulation of essential oils with activity against insects and fungal diseases, allowing a slow and controlled release of their volatile compounds, thus representing a sustainable solution which ensures food safety in developing countries with limited access to resources for protection of stored cereals.

The CROPEO project was developed within a Portuguese consortium, including the participation of ISA of the University of Lisbon (R&D unit – LEAF), Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto (FEUP; R&D unit – LEPABE) and INIAV, and counted with the collaboration from GreenUPorto (Laboratory of Crop Protection).

15.01.2021.

AgriNuPes (www.agrinupes.eu) is an EU-Project financed under the ERA-NET Cofund WaterWorks2015 call (integral part of the 2016 Joint Activities developed by Water JPI) and coordinated by the Portuguese research institution INESC-TEC. The project AgriNuPes began in 2017 and had the participation of FCUP/GreenUPorto and other international entities, namely the Turkish Water Institute (SUEN), EGE University, EGE Life Sciences (Turkey), the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE, Sweden), Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands) and the Spanish company Riegos y Tecnología S. L. (RITEC, Spain), dedicated to water use efficiency in agriculture. This international consortium has been developing a sensing system consisting in NPK optical sensors and biosensors for detection of residues of phytopharmaceutical products, to be integrated in smart systems for supporting irrigation management in agriculture. FCUP/GreenUPorto is responsible for WP5 – Cascade ReUse Systems, which aims at assessing the suitability and impact of these production systems on water/drainage quality, soil quality and at plant level. In the closing webinar, the prototype sensors developed were presented and all the outcomes from more than three years of research were disseminated, including regional case studies which aimed at assessing the applicability of the sensors and the adequacy of the production systems commonly utilized nowadays.

The webinar detailed program is available here.

01.11.2020.

From July to October 2020, a Summerschool entitled “Hands on Sustainable Agrifood Production: from soil to fork” was hosted by GreenUPorto, involving students in scientific projects related to sustainable agrifood production. Under the scope of the program “Summer with Science”, promoted by the Portuguese public agency Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in collaboration with the Directorate General for Higher Education (DGES), GreenUPorto research center had a group of students working in the fields of Biology, Agricultural Sciences and Consumer Sciences and Nutrition.

20.05.2020.

Research fellow Saul Fernandes explained the phenomenon known as bystander effect, in which genetic damages observed in organisms can be communicated to other living beings, not themselves exposed to stress agents. Saul Fernades talked about the results obtained by the research team he is working on, which have demonstrated, for the first time, the bystander effect between earthworms and enchytraeids exposed to cadmium.
The oral communication took place during the 13th Meeting of Young Researchers of U. Porto (IJUP 2020), held in Februrary 2020, in Porto.

13.11.2019.

Read more here.