Our subsidiary Vitas Portugal continues its rapid and ambitious development in the wine industry with its company Falua.

Falua has acquired the vineyard “Quinta do Hospital.” With this recent acquisition in Monção, Falua builds upon its presence in the Tejo production region, now extending its operations to the Vinho Verde region. Quinta do Hospital is an exceptional property, whose origins date back to the 12th century when the Portuguese king’s mother D. Teresa donated it to the Order of Hospitallers. Covering an area of ​​25 hectares, 10 of which are vineyards, it allows Falua to extend its reach to the Vinho Verde production region.

Falua’s latest endeavors target areas where the Alvarinho grape variety thrives: in the Minho region, and in particular in the Monção and Melgaço sub-region. This is where this grape variety reaches its full potential thanks to the unique qualities of the land. With its incomparable aromas and flavors, Alvarinho is considered one of the best white grapes from Portuguese vineyards. This wine is an exceptional product which is produced only in limited quantities.

Vitas Portugal is bolstering its wine activities, now operating vineyards with a total of 305 hectares (55 owned and 250 leased). These acquisitions illustrate TIMAC AGRO’s ambition to reinforce its presence in the Portuguese wine industry and expand its role as a producer in the Minho region.

With 25 years of expertise, Falua wines have a compelling potential for growth. The team’s efforts have been rewarded: its different wines have received numerous awards, including two grand prizes in 2021 awarded by prestigious wine magazines: “Brand of the year” awarded by the Revista dos Vinhos and “Company of the year ”awarded by Grandes Escolhas.

“Although we’re still young, Falua already has a solid foundation that will help us meet the challenges of the years to come,” says Rui Rosa, director of Vitas Portugal.

Visit the Falua website to learn more about their products: https://www.falua.pt/

We are proud to announce that the two TIMAC AGRO USA technologies submitted to the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers (EEFs): Environmental and Agronomic Challenge were among the 16 solutions selected to move forward to Phase Two of the competition. In the next stage, Duo Maxx and Top-Phos® will go through greenhouse trials conducted by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), in Alabama. The products’ claims will be evaluated based on environmental, agronomic, and economic performance factors.

Launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the EEFs: Environmental and Agronomic Challenge is in its first edition and aims to identify existing EEFs currently on or near-market that meet or exceed certain environmental and agro-economic criteria. Along with EPA and USDA, the competition is hosted in collaboration with The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA).

Learn more: us.timacagro.com

The metabolism activity of the tree from flowering till the harvest is essential to ensure the highest possible commercial yield. Metabolism linked to fruit growth has to be supported by the energy of the plant. If not, the caliber will be scarce and irregular at harvest. Supporting the energetic production and transport into the plant is thus important.​

​Moreover, in apple cultivation, the regular opening of the floral buttons, as well as their good development, highly decreases the risk of having gradual maturation of the fruits. It also helps to reach the apple optimum size caliber at harvest. ​

​In order to get a regular floral button opening, it is necessary to stimulate the productions actions of all plant hormones, ideally in sustaining their natural biosynthesis and therefore maintaining​ the good regulation of the hormones balance.​

​Finally, abiotic stresses during flower development can also compromise fruit set, by increasing fruit drop.​

​TIMAC AGRO products can help to sustain apple trees in this fundamental phase. ​

​The growth of the ovary, and thus, of the fruit, is tightly bound to the presence of vegetal hormones auxins and gibberellins.​

TIMAC AGRO solutions can help to improve this hormonal balance to reach the apple optimum size​ caliber. Contact your expert!

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A major player in plant nutrition, TIMAC AGRO România celebrates its 15th anniversary alongside Romanian farmers. Driven by passion, courage and ambition of all its teams, the subsidiary has been committed for 15 years to the development of sustainable agriculture.

Vitas Portugal has acquired Quinta do Hospital, in Monção, strengthening the viticulture and wine production operation in the Vinho Verde Region in Portugal. Vitas Portugal now owns a property with a total area of 25 hectares.

This investment follows a previous one in the same area in 2020 with the purchase of a winery in Monção.

With a 16th-century emblazoned façade, relative to the Baron’s Hospital, Quinta do Hospital is located in one of the largest and most impactful valleys of the Minho region.

The demarcated Region of Vinho Verde extends throughout the northwest of Portugal. In terms of geographical area, it is the largest Portuguese Demarcated Region, and one of the largest in Europe.

The Monção and Melgaço sub-region, known as the birthplace of the Alvarinho grape variety and associated with the production of white wines of superior quality, reflects well our Group goals in growing the wine business in Portugal with prestige.

This acquisition aims to enhance all our activities in Portugal, and in particular of our company Falua.

Thousand kernel weight (TKW) is a yield component, and protein rate is a price component. Both are important parameters to farmers and depend on photosynthetical activity as well as nitrogen availability. ​

​Up to 50% of photosynthetical activity of wheat is due to the flag leaf. ​

At flag leaf stage (BBCH 39), 80% of nitrogen is already absorbed. However, physiological activity and enzymatic process must keep going :​

• Before this stage, photosynthesis enables growth of the crop. From BBCH 39, photosynthates production will go straight to grain for starch production and increase Thousand Kernel Weight.​
• Protein content of grains depends on :​
• Remobilisation of nitrogen from leaves to grain. Energy, and thus photosynthesis are essential to it.​
• 20% of nitrogen will be absorbed during flowering and finition.​

To reach those targets, photosynthesis must keep going on as long as possible and nitrogen must be available. ​

​Contact your TIMAC AGRO expert to reach high protein rate and TKW.

First silage cut is essential for farmers as this cut will provide forage stock for the winter. Although nitrogen is essential to ensure the yield, other elements have to be watched closely, especially phosphorus (P).

Nitrogen and phosphorus synergy has been known for a very long time in agriculture. Some soils may have high content in available P. However, in grasslands, low mineral P is generally applied due to high organic P through manure or slurry. But this P is not always efficient at the end of winter, beginning of spring. Low soil temperature has negative impact on P availability and organic matter mineralisation. ​

TOP-PHOS technology is recommended to improve grass silage yield at first cut. Contact a TIMAC AGRO Expert, in order to know more about our TOP-PHOS solution.​

With TOP-PHOS:​

• Get a quick available phosphorus on a long-term basis​;
• Phosphorus is protected against retrogradation and fixation;​
• You have an availibility of phosphorus even in acidic and alcaline soils​.

Spring is the period when winter rapeseed plants are speeding up their development. All the activities are increasing: biomass accumulation, leaf area development, photosynthesis. To support the intensification, necessary to maximize the number of seeds and therefore the yield, the plant has to uptake big amounts of nutrients. ​

ZOOM ON TWO ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS: ​

NITROGEN​

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BORON​

Boron is also important at the spring period. The plant has to uptake about 300 g / ha of Boron to avoid the «flowering without seed setting» syndrome. ​

​During this phase, the plant must grow in the best conditions: climatic stresses or assimilation problems can limit the potential of the plant to develop its photosynthetic organ and hence the yield. ​

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The end of the year 2020 saw numerous animal nutrition product launches. TIMAC AGRO Brasil launched the Phix-Up. In October, TIMAC AGRO Latvia launched CalseaOligo + and Calseaphos 9P, and TIMAC AGRO UK launched Actisan360. In November, TIMAC AGRO Slovakia released CalseaOligo + and Nutrilib, and TIMAC AGRO Croatia launched Nutriel.