On 13 September, at the António Teixeira Experimental Station in Coruche, CONSULAI was present with the +VALORCER and NUTRI-CHECK NET projects at the INOVMILHO field day, organised by ANPROMIS. The event brought together the agricultural sector and had 300 participants, providing a space for sharing, with various stations in the maize fields, where the main technological innovations in the production of this crop were presented.

During the morning, participants learnt about the main technological innovations used at the various stations and the results obtained in the internships implemented under INOVMILHO. At the end of the morning, participants had the opportunity to find out more about the main technical constraints on maize production in Portugal, from Ana Paula Garcia, deputy director of the DGAV (Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary), and what obligations and support maize cultivation will have under the reprogramming of PEPAC, from Eduardo Diniz, director-general of the GPP (Office for Planning, Policies and General Administration).

Dina Lopes, Director of Research and Innovation at CONSULAI, presented the NUTRI-CHECK NET project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme, whose main objective is to develop an inventory of tools and solutions to optimise fertilisation of wheat, maize and potato crops in 10 European countries. Attending this field day was an added value, as it allowed us to disseminate the project to more and more farmers and agricultural advisors, and to learn about the research being carried out on maize in Portugal, which could add solutions to the major challenge that NUTRI-CHECK NET aims to address.

As part of the +VALORCER project, which aims to promotes cereal Producer Organisations by bringing new perspectives, advanced technologies and modern methods for optimising and managing processes, Professor Maria José Roxo, from NOVA FCSH (NOVA University of Lisbon – School of Social Sciences and Humanities), shared her knowledge on: ‘The importance of organic matter in the soil’, a crucial factor for the potential development of this crop. The presence of + VALORCER at the INOVMILHO field day promoted its dissemination at an event attended by many national producers.

The day was rounded off with lunch where participants could share their experiences and ended with an afternoon of demonstrations of drone sowing, representing innovation in the sector.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funded by the European Union and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, European Commission or UKRI. Neither the European Union, European Commission nor UKRI can be held responsible for them.