As part of the ECONUTRI 4th General Assembly in Braga, project partners had the opportunity to visit the field trial site managed by UTAD at Cooperativa Agrícola de Barcelos (AGRIBAR) – Quinta do Sol, located in the Braga region of northern Portugal.
This visit showcased UTAD’s experimental work on maize cultivation, where researchers are testing different nutrient management strategies aimed at improving soil health, reducing fertilizer dependency, and enhancing crop productivity. The ongoing trials include comparisons between traditional fertilization, liquid slurry, composts enriched with biochar, and microbial inoculation techniques, as well as maize intercropping with legumes such as Lablab and Crotalaria.
During the visit, partners observed visible differences between treatments — particularly improved maize growth in plots inoculated with beneficial microbes and larger spikes in those treated with biochar-based compost. These preliminary results underline the potential of nature-based and circular approaches to optimize nutrient use in agriculture.
Samples from the field are now being analyzed to assess agronomic and soil parameters, contributing valuable data to the project’s broader goal of developing sustainable nutrient management strategies.
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