On May 27, FEUGA organized, together with the Areeiro Phytopathological Station (EFA, Deputation of Pontevedra), a Demonstrative Face-to-Face Workshop within the framework of the dissemination activities of the VITICAST project, of which both are members. VITICAST is a supra-autonomous Operational Group that seeks to reduce the use of phytosanitary products in viticulture by developing innovative solutions for the prediction of fungal diseases in grapevines.

The project, approved in 2019, will end in the middle of this year, so this conference has been the perfect showcase to publicize the latest results achieved by VITICAST, and explain to all attendees the activities that have reduced the use of 40% preventive phytosanitary products.

The workshop was a meeting point for wineries, winegrowers, research centers, public administrations and the general public, with the common interest of improving sustainable practices in viticulture, the ultimate objective of VITICAST.

The video summary of the workshop is available on the FEUGA YouTube channel, and shows the different interventions of the speakers, which included members of VITICAST, who presented the activities carried out throughout the project as well as the latest results achieved; and interventions by the Wine Technology Platform (PTV) and Public Administrations of Catalonia and Galicia related to Plant Health. In addition, the field visit made to one of the experimental plots of the project is shown, which allowed to show the field work and the management of meteorological stations and spore collectors for data collection.

The video is available at the following link: https://youtu.be/ojTrCb4EqIQ

In addition, the local TV Canal Rías Baixas 7, made a report of the event, with interviews with some protagonists, which is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THdBU–Z2Dg

All the information about the VITICAST project is available on its website: https://viticast.es/

VITICAST is an innovation project 80% co-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union and 20% by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, within the framework of the National Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. The General Directorate of Rural Development, Innovation and Agrifood Training (GDRDIAT) is the authority in charge of the application of this aids. Total project budget: €615,249.08. Total grant: €599,957.08.

FEUGA is responsible of this content.