ALT20-03-0246-FEDER-000011 - NEW Cast Rootstocks project, approved by the Alentejo 2020 Operational Program Management Committee, has a total eligible investment of €361,764.00, with a contribution of FEDER-UE of 85% for two years, with INIAV as a beneficiary.
Its aim is to create a pilot demonstration unit in Marvão in the Alto Alentejo Region, to promote and disseminate a new generation of chestnut rootstocks, with pedigree and molecular characterized, selected from the breeding program, for resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi, the causal agent of the root rot- ink disease, initiated by INIAV in 2006.
The strategic objective is to transfer new R&D knowledge and technology into the industrial realm. This involves installation of a pilot unit to carry out experimental and demonstration actions and to disseminate scientific and technological information. The pilot unit consists of a greenhouse and shaded area in an area of 1.2 hectares. It serves to demonstrate mass production of the new clones and also to evaluate the performance of each clone under field conditions.
The greenhouse includes acclimatization tunnels, heated benches, fertigation system, and thermal screens. The field includes a meteorological station and soil and plant moisture probes, to study water use efficiency and determine the amount of water required. The pilot unit is powered by an hybrid solar/electricity system. The performance of each clone is evaluated, as well as the grafting compatibility with the 3 main comercialize varieties: Longal, Martaínha, Judia and the varieties of the region Baria and Colarinha.