Give concrete answers on agricultural problems by making use of the professionalism, objectivity and competence of its resources, punctuality and timeliness in deliveries, transparency in management.
Who we are
ASTRA has approximately 45 hectares of land located in the 3 corporate offices, greenhouses, cellar, laboratories for chemical, microbiological, sensorial and qualitative analyses. The experimental activities concern the main production sectors: fruit, horticulture (in protected cultivation and in the open field), viticulture, seed, extensive and industrial cultivation.
Vision
Mission
Offer in the field of applied research, experimentation and innovation in the agri-food sector, services and projects built on the needs of producers, RiNOVA members and customers.
Enhance the knowledge of internal resources, the synergy of different skills, land, infrastructure and proprietary equipment as well as activate the most suitable external collaborations with public and private research bodies.
Astra is a company that offers Research, Experimentation and Dissemination services for public and private bodies in the agri-food production chain, in the horticultural, fruit, wine, olive growing, extensive cultivation and seed sectors.
The main activities carried out by the company concern the verification of product innovations (varietal evaluations, efficacy testing of biostimulants and fertilizers, quality monitoring, genetic improvement); the development and evaluation of process innovations (new agronomic techniques, implementation of complex production systems, control and rationalization of the production process, reduction of environmental impact); the verification of innovations for organic crops; the development of technological innovations on production (storage lines at controlled temperatures, mini-vinification and micro-vinification lines, lines for the experimental transformation of fruit and vegetable matrices); studies aimed at verifying plant protection products and herbicides.
ASTRA organizes and participates with expert staff in conferences, technical meetings, guided tours, demo days and pomological exhibitions; publishes in specialized sector and more widely disseminated magazines.
ASTRA avails itself of the collaboration of Technical Institutes, Universities, public experimental Institutes such as CNR, ENEA, CRA, experimental Laboratories and Companies, Institutional Bodies, Phytosanitary Services and Rural Development Agencies, TestING Facilities, Private Research Companies, technical services of Agricultural Producers Organizations and Cooperatives. These collaborations are both national and international in scale. With these entities ASTRA manages relationships of mutual exchange of information and experiences with a view to common growth and sharing of knowledge. With these entities, projects are developed, working groups and platforms are created aimed at the improvement and sustainability of agricultural production.
ASTRA makes its structures and technical skills (laboratories and cellar) available for the benefit of the Degree Course in Viticulture and Oenology of the University of Bologna, in particular with regard to the oenology exercises accompanying the respective university training modules. It organizes curricular and training internships and degree theses with the collaboration of Italian Universities, high technical Institutes and training bodies.
