Scientists from the University of Coimbra evaluate the impact of the use of pesticides in Bairrada vineyards
A team of researchers from the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC) will monitor and evaluate the impact of the use of plant protection products on the biodiversity of Bairrada vineyards.
The project “Syberac – Mitigating the impacts of Chemicals on Biodiversity”, which will take place over the next four years, received global funding of around 5 million euros from the European Commission (Horizon Europe Programme).
«This project aims to contribute to a risk assessment of plant protection products holistically, unlike the assessment that is currently carried out, product by product. We will look at the use of these compounds in an integrated way, in specific contexts, taking into account other factors that can alter their impact», explains José Paulo Sousa, professor at the Department of Life Sciences (DCV) and researcher at the Ecology Center Functional (CFE).
In this sense, continues the project coordinator at UC, «The idea is to try to understand the effect of the composition and structure of the landscape and agricultural practices on the level of risk that pesticides have on auxiliary fauna, which are the agents that control biological pests, and soil fauna, which is important in terms of soil health».
Therefore, to understand the level of exposure of organisms to pesticides and the extent to which this exposure may have an effect in different landscape contexts, FCTUC researchers will monitor auxiliary and soil fauna, as well as collect soil and vegetation samples. , inside and outside the vineyards.
«We believe that what is developed throughout this project can help not only in meeting the goals set by different European regulations but also in the development of new approaches to the risk assessment of pesticides at the European level. We also intend to contribute to an increase in the adoption of environmentally sustainable management practices in the wine sector», he concludes.
The Syberac project is coordinated by Wageningen University, in the Netherlands, and has the total participation of 12 institutions from several European countries. In Portugal, the UC counts on the collaboration of local actors, such as Caves Aliança, Vadio Wines Unipessoal, Lda. and the Centro Regional Development and Coordination Commission, I. P. (CCDR Centro, I. P.).
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