Identification & Background:
Name of the project: New sustainable substrates for the horticultural sector and development of natural biocidal extracts for agricultural pests and diseases
Acronym: SUBSUS
Project description: The SUBSUS project aims to study and develop; a peat-free substrate for the cultivation of ornamental plants, using agro-industrial and forestry waste, ensuring the circularity of the entire production process; and plant extracts and/or formulations, produced from biomass resulting from the production of ornamentals, with bioactive chemical composition suitable for combating pests and infesting fungi in horticulture.
Project code: 17354
Approval date: 14/08/2024
Start date: 01/01/2025
Completion date: 31/12/2027
Total eligible investment: 1.519.378,24 €
Copromotores: Nutriaguiar – Indústria De Substratos, Lda; Tree Flowers Solutions; Ana
Copromotors: Nutriaguiar – Substrate Industry, Lda; Tree Flowers Solutions; Ana Lúcia Lopes – Flower Production, Unipessoal, Lda; Raíz da Terra – Plant Production, Lda: Polytechnic Institute of Bragança; MORECoLAB – Mountains of Research Collaborative Laboratory – Association.
Objectives
1) Specification of the substrates and biopesticides to be developed, considering specific case studies in both the plant species to be demonstrated in the substrate solution, as well as the pests and diseases to be combated with the natural solution.
2) Survey and characterization of at least 10 regional raw materials available for potential use in the formulation of the substrate;
3) Formulate and characterize 1 substrate, without the addition of peat, for use in the horticultural sector and that maintains the rooting and growth performance of plants;
4) Demonstrate the viability of producing and using the substrates developed on a scale relevant to the sector, with application in rooting and fattening processes of ornamental plants.
5) Development of an extraction process based on green, sustainable, easily scalable, and economically viable technologies.
6) Based on the chemical, bioactive, and stability characterization of the extracts obtained, develop 3 extracts and/or formulations based on mixtures of extracts with increased fungistatic/fungicidal and insecticidal/repellent activity. Study of the effectiveness of the extracts in controlling powdery mildew and downy mildew fungi and mites, thrips, and aphids;
7) Scale-up for pilot production of selected bioactive extracts.
8) Demonstration on an industrially relevant scale of the production and application of the substrate and extracts.
Activities
1) Technical specifications for the development of the substrate. 2) Study of substrate formulation, characterisation, and impact on plant growth. 3) Technical specifications for the development of extracts. 4) Study of the extraction processes of the plant matrices, characterisation of the extracts, and application tests. 5) Demonstration of the potential of the products developed. 6) Dissemination, communication, and exploitation of project results. 7) Project management.
Expected Results
Obtain at least 4 new products, namely: 1) A new organic substrate without the use of peat, which maintains the agronomic performance of rooting Gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides), Grevilias (Grevillea spp.), Diosma (Diosma spp.), Ceanothus thyrsiflorus ‘Repens’ and Fotinias (Photinia spp.) in 6-9 months and growth in 10-liter pots in 12-18 months. 2) 3 extracts and/or formulations of mixtures of bioactive extracts capable of eliminating/controlling the spread of pests and fungal infesting agents in Garderias (thrips and lice), Grevilias (Plasmopara vitícola (downy mildew)), Diosma (mites, thrips, lice), Cianothus (P. viticola, mites) and Fotinias (Oidium tuckery, lice).
