Proplantae is a biotech startup specialized in plant health. The project was founded in 2021 by Vanesa Redondo Fernández, PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Vigo, who decided to undertake after many years of research in the area of diagnostics and biocontrol and with a solid experience behind her in different research centers, such as the Forestry Research Center of Lourizán, the University of Vigo, the Estación Fitopatolóxica Areeiro or The James Hutton Institute.

Based on principles such as sustainability, environmental protection and quality, its main objective is to offer phytopathological diagnostic services associated with fungal species, as well as the prescription of treatments for diagnosed pathogens with sustainable products, avoiding the use of phytosanitary products and promoting the development of new products based on microorganisms, plant extracts or waste recovery. "We are at a time of change. Our practices have to be more environmentally friendly and that is where our value proposition lies: the application of the knowledge of years of research in the area of biocontrol with plant extracts, microorganisms, mycorrhizae, etc., in the control of diseases of our crops", explains Vanesa Redondo.

Currently, the company combines two lines of work. Firstly, a line of services, focused on the diagnosis of plant diseases, the prescription of sustainable treatments and the development of collaborative R+D+i projects with companies and public institutions where they research new solutions for the agriculture of the future. This service, which is already in the market, is backed by a portfolio of clients as relevant as Cosecha de Galicia, Bodegas Marqués de Vizhoja or Hifas da Terra.

On the other hand, they are looking to develop a product line. "For this purpose, we have a collection of microorganisms that can act as biostimulants or biocontrol agents. One of them is already deposited in the Spanish collection of type cultures for patent purposes," explains its founder. "This strain has proven to have a high antagonistic power against a large collection of pathogens that has a differentiating value compared to others, as it is capable of growing at a very low temperature range, a key factor for the microorganisms to survive in winter conditions, making our product more competitive than other solutions on the market," Redondo continues.

Proplantae's main clients are other companies, mainly in the agri-food sector. "We work with small producers, as well as with large wineries, including well-known and beloved brands such as Estrella Galicia, through Cosecha de Galicia, with which we are about to sign a collaboration agreement to carry out research work on crops such as hops and vines," he explains.

Proplantae was one of the projects accelerated in the fourth edition of the Business Factory Food, the accelerator of the Galician food sector, promoted by the Xunta de Galicia and energized by Clusaga. In addition to economic support and access to training in entrepreneurship, their passage allowed them to develop a new line of business called Provide, which is a specialized service in plant health for winegrowers and wineries. "Thanks to the investment in equipment, we have implemented new techniques to be able to diagnose a wide range of pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria. We studied in the plots of our mentor, Viña Costeira, the persistence of our Trichoderma strain, which is a beneficial microorganism that can control vine wood diseases, and now we will test it again in the Agacal plots in Leiro, Ribadumia", emphasizes Vanesa Redondo.

Future challenges

Proplantae's innovative effort led them in 2022 to be selected as one of the 100 most innovative Spanish startups of the year in the awards organized by the newspaper El Referente. "We come from the world of research, we are experts in diagnostics and biocontrol, but above all we are experts in finding solutions through research, taking data and analyzing them objectively. Microorganisms are the source of many of the solutions that exist today and will be solutions to many other problems because we still have a lot to discover, that is where our knowledge in this area has a lot to contribute," he explains. In fact, he emphasizes that "fungi have been a source of resources since the origin of mankind. Think of wine, beer, bread or penicillin. At the moment, some 150,000 species have been described, but it is estimated that there are more than 3 million species. We know almost nothing... and more and more microbial strains are being used as biocontrol agents or biostimulants".

In the short term, their objective is to increase the portfolio of clients in the services line so that the volume of invoicing allows them to consolidate their personnel and facilities and, in the medium term, to develop a line of products based on beneficial microorganisms that they are identifying, testing and that present a differential value. In fact, they currently have a collection of some 300 of their own microorganisms, many of them of great importance for contributing to the development of agrobiological products. "Research is a slow and expensive process, which requires a lot of investment and knowledge, and above all effort. Let's hope that the effort of the past will bear fruit in the future," he concludes.