Welcome to the first newsletter from the Biosoludoe project
Since its launch, the BioSolUDOE project has pursued a clear objective: to promote more sustainable agriculture through the development of integrated crop protection strategies based on innovative biosolutions.
The project relies on five Living Labs located in France, Spain and Portugal, where solutions tailored to fruit growing and horticulture are developed and tested under real-life conditions. These activities are complemented by training and awareness-raising initiatives.
Coordinated by a consortium of ten partners from six SUDOE regions, BioSolUDOE is working on 14 pathosystems to develop practical recommendations and serve as a model for other European regions.
Latest news
Biosoludoe: heading to Andalusia to visit the first Living Lab
On January 21st and 22nd 2026, the partners of the Biosoludoe project met in Almería, Spain, to visit the project’s first Living Lab.
East Andalusia is an important agricultural region, combining high-tech intensive horticulture with the world’s largest olive-growing area. Its greenhouse sector covers around 37,000 hectares, led by Almería with more than 33,000 hectares and supported by 3,500 hectares in Granada. The region’s innovative “solar greenhouse” model maximizes water efficiency through advanced irrigation systems, desalinated water, and water reuse technologies. This intensive production system coexists with Jaén’s vast olive groves, which span more than 580,000 hectares.
Hosted by its partner TECNOVA, the consortium took part in a programme packed with discussions and site visits, fostering collaboration and the sharing of expertise. In particular, the consortium was able to visit Koppert’s new R&D centre, discuss matters with the managers of the FumiGreen (Life) project and tour production sites. The visit provided an opportunity to appreciate the high level of adoption of biocontrol solutions (particularly macro-organisms) in the sector’s greenhouse production systems. (photo prénom + photo teams)
Two external French companies (INCERES and CARBONWORKS) were able to join the delegation to capitalise on the momentum.
This initial immersion fully illustrates the collaborative spirit of the project and lays a solid foundation for future activities across all the Living Labs.
A Living Lab in Portugal to drive progress on the ground
On 28 and 29 April, Biosoludoe’s partners then travelled to Alcobaça to visit the Portuguese Living Lab, coordinated by COTHN.
The Oeste Region, located on Portugal’s central western coast, benefits from a mild Atlantic-influenced climate, fertile soils, and favorable conditions for intensive agriculture. Fruit production is its main agricultural activity, particularly the renowned Rocha pear, alongside apples, peaches, plums, and berries. The region also has a strong wine sector and a diverse horticultural industry producing vegetables in both open fields and greenhouses. Agriculture is predominantly based on medium-sized family farms that are highly mechanized and open to technological innovation. A strong network of cooperatives and producer organizations supports market-oriented production, exports, and the growing organic farming sector.
The discussions focused on several key issues, such as fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) and aphids of the Dysaphis genus on apples and pears, which are central to crop protection challenges.
This work is fully in line with the project’s approach: to test, trial and evaluate solutions under real-world conditions, in close collaboration with producers.
Three Iberian companies (MASSO, ANDERMATT, KOPPERT) were able to join the delegation to capitalise on the momentum.
Next step: 29 and 30 September, with a visit to the French Living Lab led by Invenio.
A webinar to share the project’s initial findings
On 9 June, the Biosoludoe project organised a webinar in English as part of EU Green Week, to present the project at European level, outline the initial findings and discuss the prospects for biosolutions in crop protection.
One year after its launch, this key event provided an opportunity to take stock of the progress made: the Living Labs are now up and running, and the first strategies developed are currently being rolled out in the field.
The webinar featured a number of presentations:
- A presentation of the project and its transnational approach,
- An overview of the available biosolutions and their potential,
- Feedback on their integration into integrated pest management (IPM) strategies,
- And a discussion of the conditions required for their wider-scale deployment.
The lively and interactive discussions highlighted not only the challenges but also the opportunities offered by biosolutions in supporting the agricultural transition.
This webinar therefore represents a key step in sharing the project’s progress and contributing to the collective discussion on future crop protection strategies.
Strategies implemented by local committees
During its inaugural year, the BioSolUDOE project has deployed diverse field trials across various pathosystems in the SUDOE region, focusing on reducing chemical pesticides through the integration of sustainable bioproducts. Implemented measures on commercial farms include inoculum reduction, cover crop management, tailored pruning techniques against bacterial cankers, the use of auxiliary insect and beneficial microorganims to control pest populations, and the use of predictive epidemiological models to optimize application timing. Tested strategies range from botanical extracts (Equisetum, Inula viscosa) and biocontrol agents (Bacillus spp., Trichoderma spp., Beauveria bassina, Amblyseius andersoni, Ambluseius swirskii, Phytoseiulus persimilis, Trissolcus japonicus and bacteriophages) to the release of natural enemies and low-impact copper or aluminum derivatives, all benchmarked against conventional chemical standards. Currently, field trials—particularly in fruit tree and in vegetable crops pathosystems—are fully underway, with active biosolutions applications and continuous symptom evaluations. Over the coming months, definitive field efficacy results will become available as individual crops reach maturity. The next steps will focus on consolidating these validated data to establish robust, low-impact plant protection guidelines for regional stakeholders.