Pizzoli

Pizzoli R&D

Agriculture 4.0

Pizzoli is an innovative, cutting-edge company. Our agronomic research and development begins in the fields, an excellent example of smart farming that combines technology and sustainability.
Our goals? To keep on improving the quality of Pizzoli potatoes and increasing the productivity of our suppliers’ fields by reducing resource usage during the crop cycle.
How do we achieve this? By adopting sustainable practices.
Our agricultural R&D methods already meet many of the goals of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Here are just a few examples.

Efficient use of resources

We maximise the effectiveness of water, nutrients herbicides and pesticides and minimise their impact on the environment. In particular, we promote the use of drip or micro-irrigation for our potatoes. The plants are watered directly at the roots, minimising waste and reducing water consumption by 30-40% and CO2 emissions by 60-80% compared to other irrigation systems. Nutrients that are necessary for plant health are added to the water and precisely and rationally distributed through micro-irrigation, which significantly reduces their dispersion in the environment.
Compared to other distribution systems, efficient “fertigation”, as it is known, reduces the amount of fertiliser used by 10-30%.
Last but not least, we use innovative technology such as satellite crop monitoring and decision support tools to assess parameters such as soil moisture and crop water needs. In this way we provide the right amount of irrigation at the right time.

Respect for the soil and the environment

We field-test dozens of new varieties every year to identify those best suited to the areas in which we operate. We also test their genetic resistance to key growing problems.
Each year, we also carry out field trials of new crop protection solutions, with a preference for biological control methods and low impact on beneficial insects.
Thanks to innovative forecasting models, plant protection measures are carried out only when necessary.
We analyse and pre-test our farmers' crop rotations to promote good practice such as green manure crops that reduce soil erosion and improve soil quality.

Partnerships

We’re always on the lookout for new partnerships with companies, universities, public and private research centres and anyone who innovates in the agricultural and potato industry.