Portugal: Seaweeds can replace pesticides in apples

Researchers who are part of an international consortium are studying the replacement of pesticides with compounds from seaweed in the treatment of diseases that affect pears and apples. The information was released by the Portuguese magazine Lusa. “Historically used as fertilizers, now, with the knowledge we have, we can develop biotechnological solutions for the use of the compounds that [algae] produce to solve critical problems in agriculture, such as some bacteria and fungi that cause serious economic losses”, he said. Marco Lemos, the scientific director of the project. According to the professor at the Polytechnic of Leiria and researcher at the respective Center for Marine and Environmental Science (MARE), in Peniche, this is a sustainable solution to the problems of apple trees. He also says that they are seeking “the best quality of the fruits in their conservation processes, promoting products that are even safer and of increased quality for the consumer”. In this ...