From Italy to Spain to explore sustainable weed management

From July to August 2026, Paola Cassiano from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (SSSA) carried out a secondment at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), hosted by Eva Hernández Plaza at the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA-CSIC), as part of the NeutraWeed project.

The secondment combined research, training, and networking activities, focusing on sustainable weed management in Spain and the role of Neutral Weed Communities (NWCs) in agroecological systems. Activities also touched on precision agriculture, artificial intelligence, robotics, and participatory approaches to weed management, thanks to the collaboration with he Centre for Automation and Robotics (CAR-CSIC) and the Madrid Institute for Rural, Agricultural and Food Research and Development (IMIDRA).

The research and training activities included visits to experiments at INIA-CSIC investigating weed germination and herbicide resistance in summer grass species. These studies involved approximately 110 weed populations collected across different Spanish regions and combined assessments of plant survival and biomass with molecular analyses to investigate potential genetic mutations associated with herbicide resistance. Field visits also explored maize-teosinte interactions and natural hybridisation, addressing their potential agronomic and environmental implications.

A visit to CAR-CSIC, with researchers Dionisio Andújar and Hugo Moreno, provided insights into the development of robotic technologies and artificial intelligence for selective weed control. A further visit to IMIDRA offered the opportunity to learn about field trials investigating sustainable weed management under real agricultural conditions.

The secondment also included networking with researchers and practitioners working on precision agriculture, agroecology, living labs, and stakeholder engagement. On 7 July 2026, Paola co-organised and participated in a hybrid seminar at INIA-CSIC to present the Neutral Weed Community concept and the NeutraWeed project, including its research objectives and methodologies. The seminar brought together 68 participants, both online and in person, and was followed by a stakeholder focus group exploring the feasibility and sustainability of using AI and robotics to support the development of NWCs.

Overall, the secondment strengthened scientific collaboration and knowledge exchange between SSSA, CSIC, and other research and stakeholder organisations. It contributed to a better understanding of sustainable weed management practices in Spain and provided opportunities to explore how technological innovation and participatory approaches can support the NeutraWeed objective of promoting Neutral Weed Communities in agroecological systems.