Markos Leggas: “We are approaching the creation of application protocols for biostimulants in the Crimson grape variety”

The president of ‘Pegasos Agrofood Cooperative’, Markos Leggas, talks to Ypaithros Chora about the partnership between the cooperative and the Department of Agricultural Pharmacology at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), which focuses on investigating the application of biostimulant formulations in the cultivation of Crimson variety table grapes. For this specific program, GAIA EPICHIREIN is guiding the ‘BIO-CRIMSON’ Operational Group, which is co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) under Measure 16 ‘Cooperation’ and, more specifically, Submeasure 16.1-16.2, aiming to contribute to productivity and sustainability in agriculture.

What exactly does the program you are implementing involve?

We are examining the use of biostimulants in the cultivation of Crimson grapes and how they affect the plant. Nowadays, many biostimulant products are available on the market. This is a rapidly developing field for all crops. However, we don’t yet know exactly how these biostimulants work and what their effects are. Therefore, in collaboration with the Agricultural University, we are conducting a project that can precisely measure where the biostimulants go and how they affect the plant. We feed the plant with biostimulants and then examine how they affect its metabolism.

Which factors in the plant’s development are most important for your crop?

We are very interested in the stress-reducing power that biostimulants can provide to the grape crop. For us, this is very important. Due to the climate crisis, high temperatures, and drought, plants are subjected to stress, which affects their growth. Also, regarding red grapes, high temperatures affect the color of the fruit, which is a quality criterion, as well as the yield of the crop, i.e., the quantity of the production.

The program focuses on the cultivation of table grapes of the Crimson variety. Are there any specific details that apply to your case?

One of our problems in grape cultivation is that, with any intervention, you can’t immediately assess its impact. It won’t be visible right away because the cycle is not as quick as with other plants. Therefore, we can’t easily draw conclusions about how an application affects nutrition. Things you apply this year might show their effects after a year. At the same time, however, various factors come into play, the impact of which is often hard to assess, such as weather conditions or the amount of rainfall. So, you might say, “We didn’t have a large harvest,” and therefore conclude that the product I applied didn’t work. However, the high temperatures may have been the cause. With the metabolomics method used by the university, we can get an accurate picture of the impact of the product on metabolism.

You have been implementing the program for two years now. What is the ultimate goal?

This year’s growing season is the last one during which we will be taking measurements in the vineyards that have been piloted in the program. The products on the market have various claims on their labels, but often they are what one might call exaggerations. We want to have a clear picture of their exact effects. Therefore, in collaboration with the Agricultural University, we will have precisely measured where each product we use goes and how it affects the plant. At the end of the program, what’s important is that application protocols will be created, which will conclude that: This combination of biostimulants has this level of effectiveness for this particular crop.

How is the cooperative progressing during this growing season?

Overall, we are doing very well. However, last May, we had a fire at our facilities, which caused total destruction. It was very difficult because it happened at the beginning of the season and we had orders to fill. But we didn’t stop our activities and continued in rented spaces. However, we focused on the domestic market because we couldn’t sell abroad, as the spaces we were using didn’t have the necessary certifications required by the supermarkets we collaborate with. This year, however, we are completing the new facilities and we will be ready at the start of the season.