Inauguration of Valagro @PlantLab Joint Laboratory between Sant’Anna School and Valagro to develop biostimulants and improve drought tolerance in crops

We are investing in the creation of new research facilities: Valagro, leading group in the development and marketing of biostimulants and specialty nutrients for plants, and Sant'Anna School, one of the top ten "World's Best Small Universities 2017", announced today the inauguration of the Valagro@PlantLab Joint Lab. Thanks to the collaboration between Valagro's Global Research and Development team and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies' PlantLab, the joint laboratory will focus on developing biostimulants that can increase crops resistance to drought and increase the ability of plants to absorb nutrients from soil.

 The creation of Valagro@PlantLab is part of the decade-long partnership between Valagro and the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies for research in the field of physiology and plant genomics. Valagro will invest 1 million Euros over the next three years with the aim of combining Valagro's research and development expertise with the Sant'Anna School Institute of Life Sciences research activity. The joint research aims to promote a more experimental approach to innovation and to develop biostimulants that can trigger physiological processes in plants and improve their performance even when resources are limited.

The Valagro's commitment to the Valagro@PlantLab joint laboratory is part of a plan to invest 6 million Euros over three years, aimed at further strengthening the Group's growth in the global market for biostimulants and specialty plant nutrition products.

Today, the most important crops for world nutrition are grains (rice and corn, first and foremost), as well as other crops such as soy. Water is a fundamental resource for all these crops and water use efficiency is a key element in a global scenario where water availability is not always guaranteed in all situations and places. This is why one of the key objectives of the Joint Lab will be to develop biostimulants that enable farmers to improve the quantity and quality of the harvest, optimising water consumption, and to preserve production even when there is a shortage (even occasional) of water.

The ultimate aim is to significantly reduce irrigation water consumption while improving yields quantity and quality.

Another key factor in ensuring successful crops is the availability of nutrients in the soil. The use of fertilizers seems to be the simplest solution, but it has a major impact on the environment, due in particular to leaching into groundwater or rivers, without considering the cost of energy for their production and distribution. The objective is to ensure that plants are properly absorbing the nutrients by applying fertilizers more precisely.

"We are proud of this additional step forward in the decade-long collaboration that unites Valagro and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa," declared Alberto Piaggesi, Global Research & Development Director at Valagro. "Thanks to the Joint Lab, we will develop new approaches to managing water and nutrients to offer innovative and effective solutions for plant nutrition and care, meeting the needs of farmers for higher yields while ensuring better quality, greater efficiency and lower environmental impact."

The new lab will have the capacity to analyze over 600 DNA samples in one hour, which means a potential of nearly 4000 analyses per day, in addition to being equipped with 150 square meters of air-conditioned cells with LED lights capable of reproducing any climatic condition.

"The technical features of the new joint laboratory, combined with a staff of over 20 researchers, make Valagro @PlantLab a unique example of the integration of scientific research and the world of industry," said Prof. Pierdomenico Perata, Rector of Sant'Anna School and research scientific director working in partnership with Valagro. "The Joint Lab will encourage spontaneous, cross-sector interaction between the two teams of researchers, creating a true "ecosystem" of innovation where technology and "know-how" are transferred between the university laboratory and the company."

The establishment of Sant'Anna School-Valagro@PlantLab joint lab confirms Valagro's commitment to maintain its leadership in the field of biostimulants, this was made possible thanks to the intensive research and development, in which the Valagro Group invests about 4% of its revenue every year. This allows the company to offer innovative and increasingly effective solutions because it can give a practical response to the needs of modern agriculture, which has to combine productivity and efficiency, while fully respecting human and environmental health.