Participation of ISOPlexis Researchers in Scientific Workshops in the Canary Islands

On April 15, a scientific workshop dedicated to Technology and Biology applied to agriculture took place at the Canary Islands Institute of Agricultural Research (ICIA), in Valle de Guerra, Tenerife.

The event was attended by researchers Humberto Nóbrega and Gregório Freitas from the ISOPlexis Center, who participated with the aim of following scientific and technological developments relevant to the agricultural sector.

In the Technology panel, discussions focused mainly on water management strategies and the application of sensors in banana cultivation, with an emphasis on optimizing resource use and improving production efficiency.

In the Biology panel, several topics were addressed, including: plant responses to different types of oxidative stress; the development of compounds that inhibit stomatal opening to reduce transpiration; abscisic acid (ABA) signaling in tomato plants; the synthesis of compounds with antifungal activity; and the valorization of winery residues for the production of biocompounds applicable to crop protection.

On April 16, technical visits to agricultural farms were conducted, allowing participants to observe in the field some of the approaches presented during the workshop.

The first visit took place in Garachico, at the Hacienda del Marqués de la Quinta Roja, where projects involving sensor-based monitoring in banana crops are being developed. Also noteworthy was the “irrigator’s office,” a technical support service that assists farmers in the automation of irrigation systems.

This was followed by a visit to an ICIA experimental farm located in Acantilados de Los Gigantes, where several collections of fruit species were observed, including banana, pineapple, mango, and other less common tropical species such as cocoa, jabuticaba, and sapote.

Participation in these workshops proved particularly relevant for strengthening knowledge on crops of strategic importance to the Madeira archipelago, such as banana, as well as in the field of sensor applications in agriculture, in line with the objectives of the isUP-AgrO project. isUP-AgrO.