The International Symposium on Biofumigation, Green Manure, and Cover Crops was held over three intense days from San Pedro, Buenos Aires Province, and broadcasted to the world. The event continues with technical tours in La Plata and the NOA (Northwest Argentina), but its official closure took place in the host city.

There were 135 participants, both in-person and virtual, from 13 countries and 4 continents. Participants came from 12 provinces across Argentina, with spaces specially prepared to combine the latest scientific developments since the last symposium with intense exchange. The event started to be planned during the pandemic, months after the previous edition in Switzerland had to adjust to the unexpected challenges posed by COVID-19. From the outset, the Argentine edition was designed to be hybrid and bilingual, to broaden diversity in a Spanish-speaking country.

Each day featured two keynote speeches and a dozen oral presentations spread over the three days, which included intense Q&A sessions in both English and Spanish. There were also 72 posters published on the virtual platform, with some attendees bringing physical copies, discussed in four sessions. This was significant scientific output for a technology that continues to generate interesting innovations to contribute to sustainable intensification.

The opening session was attended by officials from the Province of Buenos Aires, the Municipality of San Pedro, INTA (National Agricultural Technology Institute), and Agrupación Mallorca, the institution that provided the venue for the event, creating an ideal atmosphere for meaningful exchanges.

Speakers came from Argentina, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom, with contributions from Switzerland, Uruguay, Mexico, and Australia in the organization, and participants from Brazil, Chile, and Colombia.

On the second day, there was a technical tour of significant fruit and vegetable companies in the region, showcasing the implementation of these technologies to solve challenges such as maintaining the quality of sweet potatoes for export and enriching peach orchard soils. There was also a visit to the INTA San Pedro trials, which have over 20 years of history and impressive results.

A moment was set aside to recognize the three best posters and the three best oral presentations as a motivational exercise for the presenters. The event concluded by announcing that the next edition will be held in California. Previous editions took place in Switzerland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the United States.

In the closing remarks, some reflections from the organizers and members of the scientific committee were shared:

Laura Hansen, Director of INTA San Pedro Experimental Station:
“We are left with a great challenge: to think about how we continue promoting these practices and improving the adoption of these more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices by producers.”

Mariel Mitidieri, President of the Organizing Committee:
“We are facing a complexity and a wealth of knowledge that we need to learn to integrate. One of the beautiful memories I take with me is what the people from Uruguay said, that they were waiting to come to the symposium to plan their new experiments. This symposium has opened our minds to everyone.”

Roberto Matteo, Researcher from Italy:
“What I value most is this collaboration and the good health of it. Now we have to keep moving forward, going further, and seeing what happens.”

Julie Finnigan, Researcher from Australia:
“We learned so much from the presentations, from the international exchanges, and we really must preserve the interactions we have established here.”

Matt Back, Researcher from the United Kingdom:
“The beauty of these meetings and traveling to other countries is that there is always something new. For future event organizers, I think they should take this symposium as an example, with visits to fields and first-hand experiences.”

Dale Gies, Producer from the United States:
“I have attended all the symposiums, and I think this is one of the best. I really hope the interaction between researchers and industries continues at events like this, which bring together different people to share their experiences with biofumigation from around the world.”

Miguel De Cara, Researcher from Spain:
“What I take away from here is the people, how we are all on the same boat, and we will remain on the same boat, even in California. Without knowing each other beforehand, we were already working on the same goal: promoting healthy food for people.”

Giampiero Patalano, Researcher from Italy:
“I learned so much, and the interaction between researchers and people like me, who work in the field and production with the goal of achieving more sustainable agriculture, has enriched me with a lot of new knowledge.”

The event’s social media channels captured hundreds of moments and perspectives created during the symposium. The digital platform also remains active for participants to revisit what was shared and to inspire new ideas.

Keynotes

    • Peter-Jan Jongenelen (Netherlands) Research in cover crop mixes and soil biodiversity, particularly plant pathogens.
    • Miguel De Cara (Spain). Biosolarization for the Agroecological Transition of Protected Crops
    • Giampiero Patalano & Roberto Matteo (Italy) Biofumigant meals/liquids – innovative applications for biofumigation
    • Luis Wall (Argentina) Soil microbiome and its interaction with biofumigation, green manura and cover crops
    • Matt Back (England) Potato cyst nematode management using biofumigants
    • Dale Gies (USA) Practical applications of biofumigation in farming.

Best voted oral expositions

First place:

🇮🇹 Effect of biofumigation with Brassica spp. on shaping the microbiota of cultivated soil Efecto de la biofumigación con Brassica spp. en la conformación de la microbiota de suelo cultivado | Infantino A. , Patalano G., Bergamaschi V., Orzali L., Valente M.T., Pirone L., Haegi A., A. & Grottoli A. Speaker/Expositor: Alessandro Infantino.

Shared second place:

🇺🇸 Alternative carbon sources for anaerobic soil disinfestation in California strawberry Fuentes alternativas de carbono para la desinfección anaeróbica del suelo en frutillas de California | Daugovich, O. Speaker/Expositor: Oleg Daugovish.

🇪🇸 Influence of different green manures on soil respiration in Mediterranean greenhouses. Influencia de diferentes abonos verdes en la respiración de suelos en invernadero mediterráneo | Fernández-López V., Marín-Guirao J.I., Cara-Rodríguez F.J., Arrescurrenaga D., Peiró-Peiró F. y de Cara-García M. Speaker/Expositor: Ignacio Marín Guirao

Three best voted posters

🇦🇷 First place: Cultivos de cobertura invernales para disminuir el uso de herbicidas en sistemas agrícolas extensivos : Winter cover crops to reduce herbicide use in extensive agricultural systems | Buratovich, M.V., & Acciaresi, H.A.

🇦🇷 Second place: Cultivos de cobertura y su incidencia sobre la demografía de Conyza bonariensis y los flujos de emergencia de otras malezas : Cover crops and their effects on Conyza bonariensis demography and other weed emergence flows| Buratovich, M. V., & Acciaresi, H. A.

🇺🇾Third place: Recuperación de la salud del suelo en sistemas hortícolas de Uruguay : Recovery of soil health in Uruguayan horticultural systems | Hernández-Mazzini,F., Reggio, A., Silvera, M., Álvarez, A.L., & Leoni,C

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