Collaboration of Phytorgan with two of the most important Greek research institutes for the development of innovative products with the aim of controlling plant diseases while improving plant health.
- PHYTORGAN with 46 years of experience in the field of plant protection and know-how in the research and development of water-soluble tablets and liquid plant protection and nutrition products,
- The National Hellenic Research Foundation / Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute (TPCI) with state-of-the-art know-how in the design, development and study of innovative materials, especially polymeric and composite materials,
- The Benaki Phytopathological Institute with a series of scientific specialties and activities aimed at addressing the nowadays needs and requirements of the agricultural sector in Greece,
signed a memorandum of cooperation in order to develop plant protection and nutrition products with a specialized mode of action based on a special and unique technology (PROJECT Τ2ΕDΚ-02113).
The challenges of our time and the agricultural sector are consecutively increasing. Regulatory restrictions on the use of active ingredients, climate change, population growth and other issues related to the agricultural sector leave uncertainty for its turn in the coming years and make it necessary to find alternative and at the same time effective solutions for crop protection.
Based on Nanoshield technology, through this partnership, dual-target products will be produced:
1) the induction of plant defence and/or direct action against biological agents such as fungi, bacteria and viruses,
2) enhancing plant vigour by increasing crop yields.
Unlike other innovative products, Nanoshield technology goes a step further, offering targeted and effective plant protection and nutrition using biocompatible and environmentally friendly polymeric materials , thus becoming a powerful ally in Integrated Crop Management (ICM).
Nanoshield technology is based on the use of biocompatible materials that enable the encapsulation of organic/biological (macro)molecules and inorganic cations. The use of chitosan, a biodegradable polymer, as a carrier for encapsulation and nanoparticle formation (nanoencapsulation) has extensive use in agriculture and multiple benefits for plants through the induction of their defence. At the same time, each of the encapsulated active ingredients has the ability to stimulate plant defence mechanisms and growth, thus acting synergistically with chitosan. The synthesis of loaded or unloaded nanoparticles is carried out using molecules of plant origin, through electrostatic and hydrogen bonding, by mixing aqueous solutions of the components under controlled conditions. Nanoshield technology will be incorporated into a range of products, each having a distinct activity, which can be used effectively in future agriculture, offering the following advantages:
● Environmentally friendly formulations due to the use of biodegradable raw materials and adjuvants with a green chemical profile.
● Stability of chitosan nanoparticle dispersions. NanoShield technology ensures the stability and activity of ingredients of natural origin.
● The use of NanoShield formulations in agricultural practice contributes to the potential reduction of the use of conventional agrochemicals, thus contributing to a sustainable and safe agriculture, in compliance with the requirements of the new agricultural policy “From Farm to Fork”.
● The integration of formulations with NanoShield technology in the cultivation practices contributes to the reduction of residues, offering agricultural products with high added value for the producer and the consumer.
● Potential sustainable solution to biotic factors for which conventional crop protection is inadequate.
● Through stimulation of defence mechanisms, formulations with NanoShield technology can contribute to limiting pest resistance, thus becoming a powerful ally in Integrated Crop Management (ICM).
Focusing on sustainable growth and responsibility to humans, NanoShield project is distinguished for both its short- and long-term benefits on society, the economy and the environment. More specifically, the expected results of the project are:
● The collaboration between PHYTORGAN and the research organisations in order to achieve the synthesis of innovative formulations that will fully exploit the advantages of nanotechnology and natural polysaccharides, making them valuable tools in agricultural practice and which will fully comply with the current European legislation.
● The retention of high quality scientific personnel in our country, through the provision of new positions, particularly in areas related to the protection of the agri-environment and the integrated management of agricultural units.
● Knowledge flow both from research organisations to the company and vice versa. This interaction will allow the company to expand its existing knowledge and expertise in areas of high priority for the company, and the research organisations to deepen industrial processes by linking academic research to market and economic demands.
● To enhance the competitiveness, productivity and extroversion of the company in the domestic and international market, by transforming new technologies into innovative, high quality and commercially exploitable products.
Total project budget: 728.962,21 €