The VITICAST Operational Group has published a new Open Access scientific paper in Agronomy (Impact Factor 2020: 3,417) through the Plant, soil and by-products utilization research group of the University of Vigo.

The article focuses on the immunological techniques developed for the detection and quantification of the fungus Botrytis cinerea conidia germinative material to obtain additional information about epidemic’s development on the vineyard.

Botrytis, caused by the aforementioned fungus, is one of the fungal diseases of the vine that, together with downy mildew and powdery mildew, cause more economic losses in the national wine sector. The VITICAST Operational Group, of which FEUGA is member, aims to reverse this situation by developing innovative solutions for the prediction of fungal diseases in grapevine.

The article is available at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/7/1441

Approved in 2019, VITICAST is comprised by Monet Viticultura, FEUGA, the University of Vigo, the Estación Fitopatolóxica Areeiro (EFA, Deputación de Pontevedra), Viña Costeira, Hacienda Monasterio and Bodegas Familiares Matarromera.

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.