Reduction of the use of copper in horticultural crops through microencapsulation

The repeated application of copper-based pesticides is the main source of contamination of this metal in agricultural land. The latest European Union regulations on the use of copper in agriculture (2018/1981 of 13 December 2018) highlighted the need to reduce its use and seek alternatives to copper as a plant health product, especially in intensive horticultural crops in which dependence on copper is high.

The microÚs project, in which the Agricultural Machinery Unit (UMA) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) participates, is designed to demonstrate the use of a certain formulation of copper-based microcapsules to increase the retention of this metal in leaves in intensive production of horticultural crops such as onion, lettuce and tomato. This enables a reduction in the use of the product and an improvement in the sustainability of the process.

The aims of the microÚs project are:

• Demonstrate that the use of the formulation of microcapsules with copper increases deposition on leaves in horticultural crops (lettuce, onion and tomato) and therefore the amount that is applied can be reduced.
• Validate greater persistence of copper in the leaf under different washing conditions.
• Demonstrate the biological efficacy of the microencapsulated copper product against fungal diseases such as mildew.
• Check that the plant health residues derived from the use of the copper microcapsule formulation are lower in the foods that are produced.
• Report to the various actors in the agricultural sector the benefits of using a formulation of copper microcapsules compared to a conventional product.

As part of the project, demonstration actions are planned to quantify the increase in the efficiency and efficacy of these applications. The aim in both cases is to show that the same levels of control against pests and diseases can be achieved with a lower quantity of copper, with the resulting economic benefits (for farmers, as they can purchase lower quantities of the fungicide product) and environmental benefits (activity with tractors and the amount of fuel used is lower, which decreases the carbon footprint).