Cordoba.- One hundred thousand local trees It is the distribution target for this year of the program The original gene Subordinate Ministry of Bio-Agricultural Industry of Córdoba seeking to ensure a stable supply of native trees and shrubs. The network that operates for this purpose consists of: Five laboratories Which produces local species for Reforestation of rural properties, municipalities and school institutions.
The program was established by the Regional Agroforestry Law No. 10,467, issued in 2017 and regulated in 2018. With this standard, Córdoba became The first Argentine province to establish a mandatory environmental floor for agricultural facilities. The law maintains this Each producer must allocate between two and five percent of his land area for afforestation. Depending on the area and pre-existing tree cover.
The ministry asserts that the environmental impact “goes beyond legal compliance,” because farms containing native species contribute to this Restoring the agricultural ecosystem And generating other environmental services such as Regulating water, attracting pollinators, reviving degraded soil, and creating biological corridors.
Producers who join the Forest Trials Network for Agroecosystem Restoration receive… Advice on design and suitable species, and up to 900 trees can be accessed per campaign. In total, the program has already produced nearly 300,000 samples and aims to distribute 100,000 trees this year, double the number in 2024.
Gen Nativo facilities are located in cities Corralito, San Francisco, La Boulaye, Coronel Moldes y Despinaderos and They have the capacity to generate between 10,000 and 30,000 plants per month.
louisina battiston, The biologist and head of the agroforestry area at the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources explains that the mission seeks to “ensure a continuous supply of samples, reduce costs for producers and bring nurseries closer to their regions. In addition to adhering to the agroforestry law, Agroecosystems are restored and ecological services are created“.
The main growing season is from September to December, although they also recommend planting in February, March and April. “With demand exceeding supply, we are already registering for the next cycle,” he says. The regional initiative aims to maintain stable production throughout the year under controlled environmental conditions, something that is difficult to achieve using traditional nursery methods.
Marcos BlandaThe Minister of Agriculture confirms that the decision was… “Taking responsibility for nurturing and generating natural resources from a comprehensive and sustainable perspective.” Along these lines, he insisted, the program aims to “promote a more harmonious relationship between production and the environment.”
Varieties grown in nurseries include Chaniar, various types of carob, senna de campo, manzano de campo, espenillo, tosca, espenillo negro, senna senna, moradillo, and aguaribay.
Program technician Maria José Asili warns that large-scale production of these native species presents challenges, such as planting seeds with low germination, long dormancy periods or hard covers that make water absorption difficult. That’s why the facilities operate “more like laboratories than traditional nurseries.”
The seeds come from Peasant Movement and the National Germ Plasma Bank. After quality analysis, they assign a code indicating their region of origin, to return the samples to their original ecological region. The process begins with specific pre-treatments for each of the 25-plus species that the software manages. The germination chamber operates at controlled temperatures ranging between 22 and 30 degrees, and the photoperiod and humidity of the plants are controlled.
David AgueroThe seeds are sown in trays containing 30 to 35 pods or chambers on a substrate composed of 60% vermiculite (a natural mineral) and 40% perlite (volcanic rock), materials that optimally retain moisture, explains the agronomist and technical director of Gen Nativo.
Once the seedling reaches between 5 and 10 centimeters, the second stage of the process begins, which is transportation to the greenhouse where the transplantation process takes place. Samples are taken from the synthetic substrate into individual trays where they remain between one and six months.
The greenhouse can hold 10,000 samples, while the large tunnels and outdoor fields have capacity for another 40,000 samples. The program works in Communicating with the institutions responsible for the most labor-intensive stages, Such as the Prison Service of the Ministry of Justice, Technical Agricultural Schools (IPEA) and municipalities.
the The final stage is rusting or acclimatization to the outsidePlants spend between six months and a year gradually adapting to natural environmental conditions under partial shade and with assisted irrigation.
Gen Nativo works together with the Interdisciplinary Institute of Plant Biology (IMBIV), based on Conicet, and the National University of Cordoba to evaluate pre-rooting treatments and study the species’ adaptation to different field conditions. Results for recommended species by region are available in the Cordoba maps, The Idecor platform, where producers can view relevant data, such as survival and growth rates, and download technical starters and germination materials.
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