THE COMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEgreenhousegrower.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/magazines/magazine...4 • NEWS THE COMMERCIAL GREENHOUSE GROWER • DECEMBER 2014 The beneficial effects of silicon

THE COMMERCIAL

GREENHOUSEDecember 2014 GROWER

A Merry Christmas & a prosperous New Year to all growers

Showreports &reviews

Cucumber day report

Water retention to extend shelflife in ornamentals

Reduction of growth regulatorsin poinsettia

www.greenhousegrower.co.uk THE COMMERCIAL GREENHOUSE GROWER • DECEMBER 2014

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PLANTS

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27 – 30 January

SOWING IDEAS, REAPING SUCCESS

Solutions and inspirations along the value chain for your business success.Benefit from the unique range on show at the world‘s leading trade fair for horticulture with 1,500 exhibitors from 45 countries. Only at the IPM ESSEN do exhibitors present the entire value chain. From production and horticultural technology, to garden features at the POS and the marketing of your products. The IPM ESSEN exhibits the major topics of the industry: in a tangible, easy-to-understand and feasible way for your business. Let‘s meet in Essen.

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3DECEMBER 2014 •

THE COMMERCIAL GREENHOUSE GROWER • DECEMBER 2014 www.greenhousegrower.co.uk

C O N T E N T SNews 4 – 8

Langmead get green light for development 4

Cladding helps reduce poinsettia inputs 5

Biocontrol in cucumbers 6

LED’s offer huge energy saving 8

GrowSouth review 9 -10

Grow Career 11

Study day - Innovation in plant production 12-13

BPOA Event 14

Water & retention 15

Salads - Cucumber production 17 - 20

Research Diary 21

Classified 22-23

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CommentThe last month has seen one of the most important events inthe annual calendar for glasshouse growers; the CucumberGrowers Association growers’ day. Events such as this havebecome even more vital in the last few years. The eventhighlights the need for this industry to come together moreoften to learn from the latest research alongside sharing bestpractice and advice. News from this year’s Cucumber GrowersAssociation growers’ day is that one of the sectors mostdevastating pests may have been beaten. Mycosphaerella was almost completely eradicated in nursery-

scale trials last year by an integrated control programme thatcombines new fungicides, spore monitoring to guide spraytiming, and the use of disinfectants to clean up between crops.Combining the most effective between-crop disinfectants, Jet 5and Unifect G, with the test fungicide programme applied inresponse to spore monitoring, reduced the number of infectedplants to nil. At the same time, growers learnt that two important changes inthe way the Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD)recognises the approval status of crop protection productselsewhere in the EU could result in a wider range of fungicidesand insecticides becoming available to the UK’s protectedcrops sector. The changes affect how CRD deals with ‘mutualrecognition’ and the approval of products across EU zones.Since the introduction of the current EU approvals regulations,

member states have been grouped into zones of similar climateand environment to make it possible to seek approval for aproduct across all countries in the same zone – with protectedcropping being regarded as a single zone.The Mycosphaerella project outlines the vital work of not onlythe Cucumber Growers Association in driving the need forcrop-changing science but also the ability for this informationto be shared in the correct manner with as many growers aspossible. Growers have faced tough times over the pastdecade and many grower associations have been disbandedas a result of lacking of funding. The closure of growers’businesses and pressure from the supermarkets, meansgrowers haven’t been able to invest as much money inassociations at a time when investing in their own businesseshas been hard enough. That’s why groundbreaking researchsuch as this can never be taken for granted but applaudedinstead. The industry now has to focus on how best toencourage and improve knowledge transfer to provide a vitalplatform for growers to interpret new research and implement itwithin their own businesses. This is the key to unlocking asuccessful future for glasshouse growers.

Front coverThe importance of hygiene in stopping fungal disease

– See page 20

PoinsettiaYOUR CUSTOMERS WILL LOVE IT

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4 • NEWS


The beneficial effects ofsilicon have been longdocumented, mitigatingabiotic stresses, including:drought, salinity, extremetemperatures, and heavymetal toxicity. Researchers atCornell University set out todetermine if siliconsupplementation to petuniaduring greenhouseproduction could amelioratesubsequent response to heatstress (ASHSConference2014).Greenhouse grown petuniaplants received potassiumsilicate supplement to thestandard daily fertilizerregime. Potassium chloridewas used as a supplementso that all plants receivedthe same amount ofpotassium. After severalweeks plants were moved tocontrolled environment

Potassium silicate enhancesheat tolerance of petunia

STC lights upTomato Growers Association chairman Nigel Bartle (above left)and STC director of science Martin McPherson are pictured inSTC’s new trial of LED lighting on tomatoes. The trial, in aglasshouse that was raised in height by about 1m especiallyto conduct the research, is comparing the use of high-pressure sodium lights with and without LED inter-row lighting,against using LED for both top lighting and interlighting in acompartment reroofed in diffuse glass. “LED top and inter-rowlighting should offer an energy saving and potentially improvecrop quality while the diffuse glass prevents a certain amountof heat from escaping,” said Phillip Davis, who is leading thetrials. The work is being supported by several supplycompanies, including Philips, and will last for one year. Afterthat, the hope is that funding can be attracted to look at theimpact of LED lighting on aspects of tomato quality such asnutrient composition and dry matter.

When it comes to tomatoes, consumers are most influencedby the colour and texture of the fruit according to newresearch published in the Journal of Food Science. Accordingto the study, which looked at people’s perceptions, includingpurchasing behaviour, consumers were most drawn to freshtomatoes shown to be red and firm, of medium or small size,and with crisp, juicy, meaty flesh and few seeds.The researchers used a technique known as Adaptive Choice

Based Conjoint (ACBC) surveying; a technique that collects alarge amount of data from consumers in a format designed tobe reflective of a real life market setting. Unsurprisingly, one ofthe most common complaints was a lack of characteristictaste and flavour, including fruitiness, ripeness, andsweetness. The most important tomato attribute forconsumers was colour, then the amount of juice when sliced,followed by size, followed by seed presence, which was atparity with firmness. Tomatoes which did not display thesecharacteristics were rejected.

Proposals for a newproduction site andheadquarters for ahorticultural business havebeen given the go-aheaddespite opposition fromsome local residents.A 16 hectare development

for Langmead Farms will bebuilt in Chichester FoodPark after planners decidedthe economic valueoutweighed concerns aboutuse of the area.Residents objected to the

application because ofconcerns about lightpollution, rat-running onMarsh Lane, traffic onMerston roundabout andHGV traffic on Marsh Lane.The site, which lies within

North Mundham parish, willinclude a horticultural

Tomato breeders shouldfocus on colour and texture

Glasshouse & pack houseget green light

glasshouse, pack houseand office and will be usedto produce, pack anddispatch fresh potted herbs.It will provide 220 jobs -

100 of which will betransferred from currentoffices in Bosham – and itshould rack up £20m for thelocal economy each year.Plans will include;

restrictions for light pollutionand working hours, noisemitigation, and highwaysimprovement contributions.Another condition will be to

ensure the offices are notused before theproduction facility is in use,to ensure the office is notbuilt without the rest of thedevelopment, according tothe Chichester Observer.

chambers.Following acclimation to the

chambers, plants received 40°C heat stress treatments forthree days followed by areturn to 24 °C. Silicontreatment led to a visualimprovement in plantsexposed to heat stress.Plants receiving 2 mM Siliconexhibited less wilting and leafyellowing than control plants.With 24 h of heat stress, netphotosynthesis of controlplants was reduced by about50% while 0.5 and 2 mMSilicon plants exhibited only a30% decrease in netphotosynthesis.Transpiration of 2 mM Siliconplants was greater thancontrol plants in response to24 and 72 h of heat stress.Supplementary siliconpartially ameliorated 40 °Cheat stress in Petunia.


Cladding helps poinsettianursery scale back ongrowth regulation

5NEWS •

The combination of light-diffusing cladding andimproved irrigation controlfrom Erfgoed’s ebb andflood floor in Hill Brothers’new 6,000sq m double-skinned plastic greenhouseat Runcton, West Sussex,has enabled the use ofchemical plant growthregulators to be significantlyreduced on its poinsettiacrop, according toproduction manager LukeLloyd.The structure, completed in

2013, was one of thefacilities visited by 80nursery stock growers on astudy day organised byHDC, IPPS and the WestSussex Nursery StockDiscussion Group tocoincide with the GroSouthexhibition in November.Its cladding is a diffuse UV-

transparent film, with theinner skin being thermic. “The big advantage of

diffuse polythene is that on adull winter day when the sunis low you get over 90% ofthe available light into thehouse; none is reflected offthe cladding surface. Andthis house has much lesssupporting structure tocause shadows than aglasshouse,” said Mr Lloyd.“The diffusing additivescatters light so it penetratesevenly through the cropcanopy which is especiallyimportant for a winter cropsuch as poinsettia. “On the poinsettias we are

getting a more compact,rounded plant thanks to thelight environment – we hadsimilar results on a crop of‘outdoor’ begonia earlier inthe year – and have beenable to cut our use of

Norfolk cut flower grower JA Collison & Sons has beenawarded a grant from the Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiativetowards the purchase of a flower processing and bunchingline.Collison’s produces more than six million stems – of mainly

tulips, lilies, stocks and asters – under 6ha of glass andpolytunnels. The kit, a Bercomex Furora, will automaticallysort, trim and bunch stems. Ian Collison said the machine will free up staff to take on

more packing work to add value to the nursery’s products.He added that the grant will help the business improve itscompetitiveness against imported flowers. “Horticulture inthe UK needs to keep investing in new technology such asthis to maintain efficiency,” he said.The initiative offers grants of between £10,000 and

£150,000 to businesses based in the east of England,provided by the government’s regional growth fund andsecured by the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterboroughenterprise partnership. The £3.2 million funding totalavailable to the agritech sector, awarded either for R&D orproduct development, must be used by March 2015.

chemical growth regulators,mainly as a result of the lightregime but also because theebb and flood floor hasgiven us better control ofirrigation.”The thermic properties of

the inner skin, which allowsinfra-red light through fromthe outside but doesn’t allowany reflected or radiatedfrom the internal surfacesback out again, results in arecorded 13°C maximumtemperature lift inside thehouse.The ebb and flood floor –

underfloor heating is alsoinstalled – is filled andemptied by low pressurepumps and scheduled towater the poinsettia croptwice a week. It takesaround 14,000 litres to filleach half-bay irrigationstation, approximately 12%of the applied water is takenup by the crop each time,said Mr Lloyd.The event, which was

supported by Fargro andGroSouth, also includedvisits to Vitacress’s VHBherb nursery at Runcton andRoundstone Nurseries’Batchmere site. Growersheard presentations on howto improve sprayapplications and on lightmanipulation using LEDs,spectral filter plastics andgreenhouse coatings.“The aim was to help share

some of the latesttechnologies being used inprotected cropping with thenursery stock sector, and toemphasise the continuingimportance of West Sussexas a horticultural hub wheregrowers co-operate as aroutine,” said Fargrotechnical officer David Hide.

Flower grower wins agri-tech grant

Average income on horticulture farms increased by just undera third to £33,900 in 2013. Output from outdoor vegetables and horticultural crops,

which account for the vast majority of output on these farms,was broadly unchanged but output from other croppingenterprises fell. Agricultural input costs fell by 3% driven mainlyby reduced crop variable costs, according to Defra’s annualfarm income statistics. Average incomes on general cropping farms fell by almost a

quarter to £67,600. Agricultural output fell by 6 % driven bythe reduced output of winter crops combined with a fall inoutput from potatoes and field vegetables. Sugar beet outputincreased due to both higher yields and prices. Despite higheryields for potato crops a substantial fall in prices led to a loweroutput for the 2013 crop. Total input costs were broadlysimilar to 2012/13 with lower values for fertilisers andagrochemicals but higher seed, machinery and rent costs. “The dynamics of agricultural commodity markets have

shifted and this really is a new trading environment for all inthe food chain. It’s essential that we have a long termapproach in our farm businesses given the long productioncycles involved, and we need to see a similar injection oflonger term thinking from our partners in the supply chain,”said NFU Deputy President Minette Batters. “My belief is that extending tax averaging and fiscal measures

like capital and infrastructure allowances can all help to lessenthe turbulence in farm businesses and ensure consistentinvestment patterns. The long term prospects for agri-food arepositive, but we can’t plan for tomorrow if we can’t survivetoday’s challenging conditions,” she added.

Farm incomes up last year


6 • NEWS

Market redevelopmentProposals to redevelop New Covent Garden Market havebeen given the go-ahead from council planners.Wandsworth Council has now approved plans for developerVinci St. Modwen and partner Covent Garden MarketAuthority to regenerate the 57 acre market site. “Wandsworth Council’s decision allows us to contribute to

the long-term transformation of London’s newest residentialand commercial quarter whilst securing the future of NewCovent Garden Market by delivering vitally important world-class market facilities,” said Bill Oliver, director of VSM.The New Covent Garden Market Tenants Association has

been running a campaign which has seen them objectagainst certain details in the plans and eight companies areset to leave the site.

Koppert Biological Systems, international market leader in biological crop protection and natural pollination.Koppert UK Ltd - Tel. 01440 704488

WWW.KOPPERT.COM | [email protected]

The importance of getting inearly with applications ofbiopesticides andintroductions of naturalenemies was emphasised byseveral consultants andspeakers from supplycompanies at the CucumberGrowers’ Day in Essex inOctober.“Biopesticides need to be

applied before an outbreakgets established; they can’tcatch up with one that isalready spreading,” saidbiopesticide consultantRoma Gwynn. “Get in earlyand they can stop [disease]spread and keep anoutbreak below theeconomic damage threshold.“An IPM programme of

natural enemies andbiopesticides should beenough to get typicaloutbreaks under control ifyou go in early enough.”Certis technical manager

Mark Wilde said that wherebiocontrol depended onpredatory mites, it wasimportant to keep theprogramme simple. “It’simpossible to tell the mainpredatory mites apart whenyou’re monitoring – and youdo need to know what isthere and what it’scontrolling,” he said.He described Phytoseiulus

persimilis as ‘phenomenallygood’ against spider mite incucumbers but needsreleasing where the pest is.“Remember to protect theplant heads and to treatlaterals as they develop,” he

Advice on biocontrolshared at growers’ day

said. “It can be backed up byAmblyseius swirskii whichmoves around more and willcontrol spread.”Richard Binks, a consultant

who works with SyngentaBioline, said Amblyseiuscucumeris remains the mostpopular biocontrol agent forthrips in cucumbers becauseof its preferred temperaturerange and because it alsotackles spider mite andtarsonemid mites too. “Butit’s essential to startintroductions as soon as thecrop goes in,” he said. “Andremember it’s a full croptreatment, and not for hotspots. Put one sachet perplant into the crop as it isplanted. Also, you do need toapply as a programme acrossall two or three crops.”Koppert UK general

manager David Foster saidthat it was particularlyimportant to target all of thethrips’ life stages. Thepredatory bug orius workswell on adults, whileAmblydromalus limonica, arelatively new predatory mite,eats first and second stageinstars. “Its high rates offeeding and reproductionmake it especially good as ahot-spot treatment,” he said.“For spider mite, I suggest

preventive early treatmentswith Neoseiulus californicus,to slow it down, followed byPhytoseiulus persimilis for hotspots. The parasitic midge,Feltiella acarisuga, fliesaround looking for larvae tolay eggs in and also deals

with diapause mites at theend of the season.”Bayer CropScience product

manager for biopesticides,Tim Lacey, saidunderstanding how theproducts work wasparticularly important forbiopesticides. Its biopesticideSerenade ASO, for example,based on a strain of Bacillussubtilis, is a soil-dwellingbacterium in nature and whileit will proliferate on plantroots, if applied there, it won’tgrow and spread on leafsurfaces.“With Serenade, it’s vital that

it comes into contact withgerminating disease spores,”he said. “Direct contact withthe target is critical to get thebest out of this and manyother types of biopesticide. Ifthey don’t move on the plantsurfaces and there is nosystemic action, spraycoverage, pressure and watervolumes are all key.”Gwynn pointed out that

spraying equipment neededto be in top condition toapply biopesticides, withnozzles replaced regularly to

ensure water volumes anddroplet sizes were accurate.“It’s even more importantthan when using chemicalproducts as there is lessmargin for error,” she said. And because the microbes –

the active ingredients ofmany biopesticides – are‘particles’, they are notinfinitely dilutable likechemicals. “Dilute them morethan the recommendationand you will be spraying a lotof empty droplets,” she said.Such advice is all the more

welcome since growers saythey’re looking for more helpabout how to get the bestfrom biopesticide products.Cucumber GrowersAssociation technical officerDerek Hargreaves said:“Growers do need betterdirection from suppliers.These materials are not likechemicals, they need a newway of thinking.“We’ve got to learn how to

make these products workas we are going to havefewer and fewer of thechemicals we are used to.”

7NEWS •


Growing media supersite

After the successful MPS-Acertification earlier this year,Selecta Kenya has nowachieved MPS GAP andMPS Socially Qualifiedcertification. The Selectamother plant locationWagagai in Uganda is alsofully MPS certified. Both of Selecta’s Southern

production sites are nowsuccessfully certified withMPS A, the highestenvironmental certification,and Social Qualification for asustainable and sociallyresponsible production ofhorticulture products. In the section “bedding

plants parental material” thetwo Selecta farms are theonly production sites in theircountries to achieve all threeMPS certifications, givingSelecta young plants anexcellent starting point forgrowers. The mother plant farm atSelecta Kenya was foundedin 1999 as Kenya PlantProduction, producing 130million cuttings on 20hectares every year for theEuropean market. The mainproducts are Pelargoniumand pot carnations as wellas perennials and grasses.Selecta Kenya is working

environmentally friendly withthe focus placed wholly onintegrated pestmanagement, especiallybiological pest managementand extensive monitoring -leading to a considerablereduced use of pesticides. All employees are

extensively trained inhygiene standards whichreduces the danger oftransmission of diseases byhumans as at the peak ofthe season around 1000people work at the farm.

Selecta Kenya fullycertified

The opening of WilliamSinclair Horticulture’s new£25 million growing mediasupersite in Ellesmere Portsignals a new high tech era inone of Britain’s mosttraditional industries.Fully operational following a

three-year design anddevelopment programme, the50-acre site on the banks ofthe Mersey is now Sinclair’scommercial, technical,operational and logistical

centre of excellence,showcasing proprietary andworld-leading technologieswhich look set torevolutionise the growingmedia sector.

In response to theGovernment edict that peatmust be eradicated fromprofessional media by 2030,Sinclair has invested sevenyears and over £5m intoresearching and developingits new SuperFyba® peat

substitute which is madefrom composted oversizewood produced at Sinclair’sown composting facility atWroot in Lincolnshire.Now perfected, the rest of

the operation takes placeentirely at Ellesmere Portwhere the woody material isscreened, washed andfiberized to produce a newgrowing medium which looks,feels and smells like peat –and in extensive trials hasbeen found to outperform100% peat recipes.


8 • NEWS

40% cut in energy use with ‘dynamic’ use of LEDsDanish greenhouse growersare starting to look at thepotential of using LED lightingmore dynamically, switching itoff on brighter days or whenthe electricity price is at apeak. “We have largefluctuations in [electricity]prices on the spot market,”said Carl-Otto Ottosen of theDepartment of Food Scienceat Aarhus University. Addressing a GrowSave

meeting on energy-savingresearch at STC, NorthYorkshire, in November, hesaid trials last spring hadindicated that at that time ofyear, dynamic managementof LED lighting could slice athird off total energy usecompared to running high-pressure sodium lights and10% over using LEDsconventionally. Research in Denmark on

PKM, one of the largest potplant growers in Denmark,is to double the area underFionia LED lighting to3,000sq m after work todevelop light ‘recipes’ andtrials on campanula. Chiefoperating officer Erik Moessaid the light intensity andspectral composition of thelighting can be controlledcentrally or by a tablet PC.

Carl-Otto Ottosen: a 40%saving on electricity use forpot plant production can beachieved by changing fromSON-T to LED lighting.

LEDs has concentratedlargely on pot plantproduction because of theimportance of the sectorthere. Professor Ottosen saidit was difficult to comparedifferent LED productsbecause information was stilllacking on the specificationsof light output and energyuse for some of them. “A lotof studies have come from

laboratories with whateverLED was to hand,” he said. In general, he said, a high

percentage of blue light in theLED can reduce growthelongation and affectstomatal opening but theeffect can be counteractedby just a small amount ofnatural light. That leads himto conclude that in Denmark’sclimate at least, manipulatingthe spectra for suchresponses will be limited tothe winter months. Compared to using high-

pressure sodium lights, LEDscan shorten production timefor campanulas but delaysroses by three to four days.In both there was no effecton dry weight or leaf area.“You could swap from SON-Tto LEDs for roses ‘just likethat’,” he said. “The numbersshow a 40% saving on

electricity but 14% more useof heating. Payback time willstill be five to six years,though.”But he added that leaf

temperature is an issue:because LEDs emit less heatthan SON-T, the leaftemperature of plants underLEDs can be several degreescooler.

9GROSOUTH REVIEW •


Since GroSouth movedto RoundstoneNurseries near

Chichester it has becomebigger and better year onyear. This year was noexception. Held on November12 it attracted twenty-five firsttime exhibitors and more than600 visitors. With a series ofseminars and nursery toursthere was plenty foreveryone.The award for ‘The Best

Stand’ went to the Animal &Plant Health Agency (APHA).This is part of DEFRA withresponsibility for delivering arange of statutory services togrowers and the horticulturalindustry.West Kington Nurseries of

Chippenham were awardedthe ‘Fargo Best Plant Stand’prize. Another new exhibitor,Agrumi from Hampshirereceived the award for the‘Most Innovative Stand’ witha display and workingdemonstration of topiary andplant sculptures.

A regular exhibitor at theshow, Agralan whose standtheme was pest control had anumber of interestingproducts. One of which thatcreated much interest andmany enquiries was theanswer to the problem ofsecuring the sticky rolls forthe control of such pests aswhitefly, aphids, thrips, etc.An inexpensive spring cliphas been developed to fastenthe rolls quickly and simply.They are height adjustableand can be used over manyyears.Another regular exhibitor

who was delighted with theenquiries at the show wasspecialist recruitment agencyMore People. Director, GuyMoreton said, “The wholemood of the show waspositive. As our companyprovides a range of trainingservices we were delightedwith the discussions we heldwith companies who arelooking to invest in thetraining of their staff”.

GroSouth blossomsin 2014 Clive Marlow reports

Farm Upwards used the show to launch their babilon verticalgrowing system .

A biochar-based soil improver, enriched with species ofmycorrhizal fungi, actinomyces bacteria and trace elementsis helping to combat the root-knot nematode - significantlyincreasing yields for organic tomato growers in Portugal.Biochar is a highly porous, high carbon form of charcoal

used to improve soil nutrition, growing conditions and soilstructure. It is made from any waste woody biomass that hasbeen charred at a low temperature with a restricted supply ofoxygen, a process called pyrolysis. This process results in astable form of carbon that is removed from the atmosphericcarbon cycle when added as a soil amendment. Vitacress Tomatoes (formerly Wight Salads) trialled Soil

Association and SKAL approved enriched biochar from UKbiochar company, Carbon Gold, from June 2013 to April2014 in order to improve the sandy soils at their Portuguesenursery. They applied 2kg per square meter to a 5 hectaretrial plot taken to a depth of 30cm, analysing the outcomesagainst a 5 hectare control area with the same crop. The increase in crop yield was significant. By week 24 they

realised a 7% higher yield, (an additional 0.9kg per m2)compared to the 5ha control plot. This equated to anadditional 2,600kg Piccolo Cherry on the Vine tomatoes.In the Vitacress trial plots it became evident that the

colonies of mycorrhizal fungi, using biochar as a refuge in thesoil, were able to strike out at parasitic Meloidogynenematodes, enticing and devouring the microscopic pestsand protecting the plant roots from attack. According to Paul Howlett, Head of Agronomy at Vitacress

Tomatoes, “This occurred at a crucial period for Vitacress.We grow in Portugal over the winter months to takeadvantage of the UK production slump in late winter andspring. At a time when light levels were at their lowest, theenriched biochar soil improver was encouraging strongerroot growth with a protective barrier of microbial activity.”“The plants were also visibly different; darker green in colour

with a shinier healthier leaf and increased floweringcompared to the control plot. It was also evident that thetomato plant roots, rather than spreading out across thesurface searching for moisture and nutrient in the light soil -as was happening elsewhere across the whole glasshouse -were diving deep down into the soil.”Carbon Gold’s biochar has a very porous structure and is an

excellent stabiliser of humidity in soil. It also keeps nutrientswhere the plants can access these best, avoiding leachingand reducing fertilisation inputs. As biochar can absorb 6-8times its size in water molecules when in the ground,irrigation is reduced by up to a third it is also an effective wayof capturing and storing CO2. A single tonne of biochar isworth 2.7 tonnes of CO2 and as Vitacress has currentlyapplied 38.4 tonnes of biochar to the soil, they havesequestered 103.68 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere,resulting in a significant reduction in the company’s carbonfootprint – something that Mr Howlett says sits very well withtheir company ethos.

Soil improver boosts tomatoyields whilst capturing CO2


10 • GROSOUTH REVIEW

One of the most innovativestands was newcomer FarmUpwards who choseGroSouth Show to launchtheir vertical growing systembabilon®. This is a verticalgrowing system that hasbeen already proven in SouthAfrica, the Caribbean, andwith a pilot scheme growingstrawberries in Kent. Suitedto both hydroponic andaquaponic propagation ofstrawberries, herbs and leafy

salads the system is basedon vertically suspendedhydroponic bags and is bothaffordable and simple. In hispress briefing Farm Upwardsdirector Peter Williams said,“This is a most excitingconcept that provides somany advantages togrowers. It has obviousapplications for urban foodproduction, minimises foodmiles whilst supplyingrestaurants and consumers

with fresh produce”.Whilst the UK professional

horticultural industry isserved by a number ofregionally based and sectorspecific trade shows untilnow there has not been anational show situated in themidlands. HortiGrow aims tomeet that need with its firstshow at Donington Park onFebruary 25 2015. This datewill also fill the gap left by thedemise of the GAN Show.HortiGrow Show director,Ray Hirst said, “ We are wellon our way to achieve ourtarget of 150 exhibitorsattracting 3000 visitors fromacross the whole of the UKplus a number fromoverseas.” The Thompson & Morgan

stand featured the newcatalogue for 2015. NigelJudd said, “DigitalisIllumination Flame is nowavailable and will be followedby the new improved versionof Raspberry which lookedso stunning in trials. Seedraised new varieties in 2014have created good interestRudbeckia Sahara adelightful mix of caramel softpink to red blooms with semito fully double flowers. Goodheat tolerance and great as agardener’s cut flower. Also,Rudbeckia the new compactdouble red Ruby created agood deal of interest.For more than 30 years

Polybuild has beendesigning and manufacturinggreenhouses andpolytunnels. Now, accordingto managing director,Graham Van der Hage thereis an increasing demand forpoytunnels that are 4 metresto the gutter to allow moreair movement to the plants.XL Horticulture had a good

day with Les Lane reportinga significant number ofenquiries for their RevitalisedCompost Tea for use onamenity grass. The newgeneration Compost Teacontains all the ingredients in

one pot to brew 20-50 litresof concentrate that issufficient to treat 1 Ha. Theyalso received enquiries frommany growers for their SmartSpectrum polytunnel covers. Mary Thornhill of Hortec

Grow with Technology Ltdsaid, “We have had a verybusy 2014. Customers havebeen especially pleased withthe Javo Plus M2.0, thelatest in the Plus series thatcan fill 10cm – 32cm potsand can pot up to 3100 potsper hour. Changing the potsize only takes a couple ofminutes. We have also beenselling and installing anumber of Javo Top Loadersfor filling bio-fuel boilers.Plus, Hortec’s hire andservice work has beenparticularly good.”Kernock Plants business

manager, Mark Taylorannounced that they arelaunching 69 new varieties intheir 2015 catalogue. Thenew introductions whichhave been selected fromhundreds of carefullyscrutinised trial plants includenew variations of establishedfavourites such asCalibrachoa Superbells®,‘Banana Chocolate’,Europhorbia ‘Diamond Star’and three striking newadditions to the BegoniaSummerwings® series;“Apricot’, ‘Dark Elegance’and ‘Vanilla’.In her statement to the

press summarising the show,events manager Sarah-JaneMilbourn praised her teamand thanked the sponsorsFargro, Young Plants andFloramedia for their support. The GroSouth management

team appear to have theright formulae for asuccessful show that hasestablished itself as animportant date in thehorticultural calendar andthey are already makingplans for GroSouth 2015that will take place onNovember 11. ◆

Agralan - Mike Abel with the sticky tape and clip.

Sponsors Fargro helped make the show a success in 2014.

11GROW CAREER •


Building on the successof last year’s GrowCareers event a fresh

batch of students attendedGroSouth on the 12November 2014. Hadlowand Sparsholt colleges werewell represented while theprize for greatestcommitment to furtheringtheir careers went to fourstudents from RodbastonCollege in Staffordshire whotravelled down, on the day,to take part.Once again the objective

was to provide the besthorticultural students with atailor-made visit to theSouth’s premier trade show.Inspiration was provided bythe Grow team who weretasked with describing clearpathways into the world-of-work. This year’s teamincluded Laura Marner fromVitacress, Tim Lawrance-Owen from WalbertonNursery and Lance Russellfrom Fleurie Nursery. Lance,who attended last year’sevent, was able to explainhow Grow Careers hadplayed a crucial role in him

obtaining employment as atechnical manager. The day incorporatedpresentations, mentoring, atour of Roundstone’sproduction facilities,business introductions and afree Grow Careers Goody

Bag containing £50 travelexpenses, RHS studentmembership, HDCpublications and cropwalkers guides, a hand lensand £100s worth of trainingin the form of a Growtrainvoucher.Throughout the day

students met up withindustry experts includingCatherine Dawson fromMelcourt, Neil Helyer -Fargro, Vicki Wall -SprayCDA, Paul Dyer ofNew Place Nurseries and

consultants, Susie Holmesand Colin Bloomfield.The Grow Careers day wasenthusiastically supportedby the followingorganisations andbusinesses; GroSouth,Growtrain, HDC, IPPS, WestSussex GrowersAssociation, IPPS, Fargro,Syngenta Bioline,Roundstone Nurseries,Farplants and Fargro. For more information aboutGrow Careerswww.growcareers.info/ ◆

Grow Career takes root in West Sussex

Neil Helyer - Fargro IPM Specialist was on hand for the day.

Iʼm working!It Works! So if you need to make contact

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Contact: [email protected]. 01622 695656John Polman - Describing to the students the watering and

nutrition requirements of their coir plugs.


12 • GROSOUTH STUDY DAY

THOMPSON &MORGANDIRECT TO GROWEROur new 28 & 60 plug range for 2014/15is out now. Order now for week 38 delivery of the 60 plug range and prebook our new overwintered 28 plug.

With 35 new introductions and a goodselection of the more traditional perennial varieties its not to be missed.

To request a copy call: 01473 695290 oremail: [email protected] online at:www.direct2grower.com

Innovation in plant productionThis year’ s HDC and

IPPS Study day runin association with

Fargro, GroSouth and WestSussex Nursery StockDiscussion Group attractedmore than 100 participantsfrom right across the UK.David Hide from Fargro’stechnical department whowas one of the key eventco-ordinators described theday as having ‘easilymatched last year’s levels ofindustry collaboration.’ The study day which took

place in West Sussex on11th November includednursery visits, a series ofpractical workshops andearly evening grower talks.The day entitled ‘Innovationin plant production’ includedthree stand-out subjects,IPM, light manipulation andcrop protection equipmentapplication. These subjectswere selected in order toreinforce the work currentlybeing done by the HDC inthese areas.

Nursery visitsThe day began with toursround the Vitacress Herbunit and Hill Brothers’ newpolythene greenhouses.Vitacress productionmanager Shane Makin andhis team provided a detailedexplanation of how to grow

pot herbs under the mostexacting of IPM plans, andattendees saw the first cropof herbs growing under bothsodium and LED lighting. AtHill Brothers discussionfocussed on the advantagesof growing under polytheneand the development of ebband flood irrigation.

Practical workshopsIn the afternoon a series ofpractical demonstrations

took place at Roundstone’sBatchmere facilities. Herethe focus was very much on

crop protection equipmentand how to improveapplication. Jim McAlpine

Jerry Overweg explains how to apply MossKade the new liverwort and moss control.

Hill Brothers explain how their new ebb and flow irrigationworks.


13GROSOUTH STUDY DAY •

of seminars and nurseryvisits ,the collaboration withGroSouth in its seminarcontent and Grow Careersour student initiative at theshow , makes me feel thatwe are creating somethingspecial here in WestSussex.’ ◆

JAVO PLUS M2.0

and Mike Pendennis both ofFargro demonstrated thebenefits of ULV fogging,while Vicki Wall from SprayCDA was on hand to put arange of Mankar herbicideapplicators through theirpaces. She explained howthis equipment allows theoperator to apply herbicideat a rate of just 2L perhectare. Mike Wainwright fromWalberton Nurserydemonstrated theadvantages of boomspraying and explained whythey had asked TeamSprayer to manufacture abespoke piece ofequipment.A third workshop was led

by Bill Basford who iscurrently working on theHDC project in identifyingapplication best practisewithin ornamentalhorticulture. This workshopfocused on thefundamentals of achievingthe best spray applicationand reinforced theimportance of understandingspray quality and the needfor calibration. FinallyFargro’s IPM specialist NeilHelyer described how tosuccessfully applynematodes through adosatron and Hortipro’sJerry Overweg introducedMosskade, the new liverwortand moss killer.

Evening seminarsFinally the Group moved onto the Chichester Park Hotelfor a series of Tea TimeTalks. Here the themes oflight manipulation and sprayapplication were exploredfurther. The list of thespeakers and the title oftheir presentations was asfollows:-The Influence of light andthe future of LEDs – DrPhillip Davis (STC)Plastic spectral filters –LesLane (XL Horticulture)Light manipulation usingcoatings – Paul van Gils(Mardenkro)Spray application solutions –Bill BasfordCopies of the presentationsare available from the HDCand can be accessed byfollowing this linkhttp://www.hdc.org.uk/sites/default/files/Master%20Handout%20V3.pdf

IPPS President Les Laneand Katie Irgin HDCResearch manager reflectedon the significance of theday before attendees satdown to the pre- showdinner sponsored byGroSouth and XLHorticulture.Jim McAlpine MD Fargrowho chaired the eveningsession commentingafterwards said ‘ There wasa real energy to the day andit was so encouraging to see

our industry come togetherin such a positive manner.We were pleased our staff atFargro could play their partin this successful event. Ourobjective is to promotehorticulture and ourinvolvement in the StudyDay which included a range

Vicki Wall from Spray CDA demonstrates the Mankar rangeof ULV herbicide equipment.

Reaching out!We reach over 3700 Ornamental growerseach month with news and features. If you

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ʻThe Commercial Greenhouse Growerʼ


14 • BPOA EVENT

The nine speakers that tookthe stage before a nationwideaudience included one eachfrom Holland, Germany andDenmark.The strongest single messageto emerge from the day wasthe diversity and potential oforganizations and initiativesthat are working for theinterests of growers. TheHome Grown labellingscheme, launched in 2011, isa major contribution in thisarea from the BPOA itself,and at the conferencegrowers heard that therecently launched GardenIndustry Marketing Board willcommence deliveringconsumer marketingprogrammes in 2015. ‘Love the plot you’ve got’ isthe umbrella slogan for theforthcoming campaign.Manager David Arnold toldthe audience that the originalworkshop that led to thefoundation of the Boardproduced over a hundredideas. Since then there hasbeen intensive research andplanning. Social media will befully exploited, with the aim ofreaching out especially to the30-45 age group. Typicallyshort of time and lacking ingardening knowledge, itaccounts for a fifth of theadult population.Minette Batters, NFU deputypresident, drew attention toSeptember’s OrnamentalsRoundtable conference,hosted by the RHS andattended by the EnvironmentMinister, Lord de Mauley. Thisinitiative aims to increase thecompetitiveness of theornamentals sector of thehorticultural industry, toimprove governmental andpublic understanding of its

role, and to enlist positivepolitical support towardsmeeting its needs. TheBPOA, a specialist groupwithin the NFU, was amongthe participatingorganizations. The immediateoutcome of the conferencewas the establishment of fourworking parties tasked withpreparing a final actionprogramme in April 2015.One of the working parties ison supply chain issues, andthe engagement of majorretailers with the NFU Codeof Good Trading Practice forplants and flowers, publishedlate in 2013, will be among itsconcerns.Jack Ward is chief executiveof the British Growers’Association (BGA) and spokeof plans to establish anational innovation centre toexploit the application ofscience for commercial gain

in the horticulture industry. Abid led by the HorticultureInnovation Partnership (HIP)has very recently been madefor a share of the funds setaside by government fortechnology transfer centres.HIP is working with BGA,HDC, Campden BRI, theUniversity of Warwick Cropand other research institutes. The intention is that the newcentre will be a ‘go to’organization, bringingtogether workers in researchand development, growers,retailers and other interests inthe supply chain. Its goals willbe to facilitate access to R &D funding, to maximizeprivate sector co-investment,and to promote betteralignment of R & Dprogramme with industrialpriorities.Dr Alistair Griffiths, director ofscience for the Royal

Horticultural Society, spokeon its new five year sciencestrategy. Its successfulachievement will sharpengovernment perception ofwhat horticulture cancontribute to the quality oflife. The Society ‘s outreachbeyond its membership alsoheightens public awarenessof horticulture, and ofhorticultural careers.A major technical contributionto the conference was madeby Thomas Rubaek, fromDenmark. His companyFionia Lighting is highlyspecialized, dealing only withLED lighting for horticulture.The value of the globalmarket for glasshouse lightingnow exceeds €1.0bn, withthe expectation that by 2018a third of the area will be litby LEDs. Typically, in energy savingalone, there is a four year

Protected ornamentals future

Vision 2020 – The Near Future for Ornamentals’ proved to be a winning topic for a recentBritish Protected Ornamentals Association event. The one day meeting, sponsored byFloramedia, was held at the NFU conference centre at Stoneleigh, John Sutton reports.

Calynopsis Red, one of the colours in selecta Klemm’s newhardy calceolaria series.


15WATER •

of calceolaria, plants arehardy down to -5oC. 2015will see a big sales campaignin the USA.Other speakers were RobertWacker, a director of theFloramedia Group, onmarketing concepts, GrahamDunn on the case forcategory management intrading with multiples, andJulian Winfield, of HaskinsGarden Centres, on the futureof retailing.The next meeting of theBPOA will be for its AGM on20th. January. There will befull supporting programmeson both marketing andtechnical aspects ofornamentals production. ◆

David Arnold, campaign manager for GIMB, speaking on‘Love your plot’.

payback period for an LEDinstallation. There can also beplant quality benefits. Afterfive years trialling Danishcampanula specialists PKMhave been convinced of thecase for LED. In late 2014they will be commissioningthe world’s largesthorticultural installation.Extension of the range ofplants profitable to produce involume is among the targetsof German breeders andpropagators Selecta Klemm.Director of marketing RichardPetri commended hiscompany’s recentintroduction Calynopsis forthe spring market. Abreakthrough in the breeding

Dr Alistair Griffiths, RHS science director, makes a point.

An extra three days’retail shelf life for potplants has to be a very

welcome development. Andthree days is usually the leastbenefit experienced from adevelopment currentlymaking rapid progress in themarket place. Water retainingpads placed under the potbases can give a valuablyextended shelf life, and makea real dent in the 10 to 15 %loss of pot plants that is acommon feature of the tradeat the retail stage.Retailers unavoidably have to

live with some wastage ofperishable products, howevercarefully they take care ofthem. Over a year, someplants will simply fail to find abuyer in time. Routine understocking is a policy that willnot work well for long, aspotential buyers simply headoff to rival retailers in searchof what has run out.But beyond the percentage

loss caused by a mismatch ofsupply and demand oftenlurks a bigger problem. Thisis that good plants eventuallybecome unsalable becauseof deterioration. Dehydrationis usually the most commoncause. One major UK retailerranks dehydration asresponsible for between 75%and 85% of all wastage in arange of pot plants, includingcyclamen and Primulaobconica.Efficient growers keep

wastage during productiondown to very lowpercentages. They could betempted to shrug theirshoulders and say that oncetheir plants are delivered toretailers, they are the oneswho take over responsibility. Ifthey eventually have to throwaway some of the plants thatarrived at their premises ingood condition, that is theirlookout. But it is in fact alsothe growers’ lookout!

The problems and failuresdon’t just stop with retailers.The past experience ofwastage is factored, oftenquite unconsciously, into theirbehaviour. Selling prices needto take into account plantsthat are bought by them butnever arrive at the till. On theother hand, putting prices upto compensate in advance forestimated losses will almostinevitably reduce the numberssold. This means that theprices the retailer is willing topay the producer areimpacted. So are decisionson how much to buy, with abuilt-in bias against plantsthat are particularlysusceptible to drying out.Producers and retailers are

all in it together then, like it ornot. It is tempting to blamethe retailer for inadequateplant care, especially in verybusy periods. Some of themmay sometimes deserveblame, but retailing has itsproblems, too, notably theshortage of skilled, observantand conscientious staff.HDC videoTo help retailers get the bestplant care possible from thestaff they have got, the HDChas produced a video –‘Keeping your businessblooming’ - that givesconcise and comprehensiveadvice on pant care. Growersshould make sure that theircustomers know about it andhow to access it.The problem of plant care in

garden centres maysometimes be difficultenough, but it is usually muchworse in supermarkets. Formany value-added productsattractive packaging maymake watering in store totallyimpracticable. Even where itcould be done, how far fromthe plants is the nearestwater point? How acceptableto customers is watering,except when the store is

More water, less waste

16 • WATER


www.greenhousegrower.co.uk

TTHE COMMERCIALGREENHOUSEGROWERWHEREBUSINESSCOMESTOGROWDON’T GET LEFT BEHINDVISIT OUR WEBSITE

closed?All manner of good practices

by growers eases theproblems for retailers. For astart, it helps to enhance thewater-retaining properties ofgrowing media. Incorporatingwater absorbent gels likeBroadleaf P4, Fertile Raingeland SwelGel will result in alarger reserve of moisture inthe compost at the time ofdispatch. It also cuts downthe frequency of wateringneeded to keep the plants ingood condition. Celcote issimilar in effect, but works ondifferent principles. The useof synthetic wetters inpurchased growing media isnormal. Growers who mixtheir own need to follow suit,using materials such asAquamix. A recent development is the

provision of a supplementaryreserve of water at the baseof the pot. Aqua Pads, aChrysal product, are discs orsquares of wood fibre thathave sponge-like properties.Positioned below thedrainage holes of the growingpot, within a waterproof outer

container such as a coverpot, water in the wetted padsis in direct contact with thegrowing medium. Theabsorption capacity of two9.0cm x 11.0cm Aqua Pads,designed for 12.0cm pots, is110ml, though the advisedaddition of water is ratherlarger, at 140ml. This is a big boost to the

water supply available to theplant. The compost in a12.0cm pot will typically holda maximum of around 300mlof water available for rootuptake. A reservoir of 140mlat the pot base, almost all inthe wetted pads, adds nearly50% to this.What this will do in practice

for the length of a plant’s lifein attractive conditiondepends on factors such astemperature and humidity inthe retail environment. UnderChrysal’s own testing, anincrease in shelf life of around30% has been achieved overa range of pot plants. Theimpact on the shelf life ofcyclamen has been up to50%.In more practical terms, a

bonus period of betweenthree and five days is thenormal expectation, saysChrysal’s technical accountmanager Martin Squire.Among the plants where thisextended shelf life can beparticularly valuable ispoinsettia, in pot sizes fromthe smallest up to 17.0cm.On UK nurseries, Aqua Pads

were first trialled three yearsago, leading to a fullcommercial product launch in2013. Among the pioneers intheir use was The ButtersGroup, based at Spalding,Lincs. Chrysal staff worked inclose co-operation withMalcolm Catlin, Butters’ headof technical services. The Butters Group has a

long established reputation asa leading supplier tosupermarkets and othermultiple retailers of cutflowers, bulbs and a verywide range of pot and patioplants. Currently they offerover 2000 product lines,including many in added

value formats. Procurementdraws substantially on UKgrowers, especially in theSpalding area. Part ofButters’ range is now home-grown, on a company-managed area of almost fourhectares (11 acres) close totheir HQ.Of the multiple retailers

which Butters supply, Marks& Spencer was the first toreceive plants in containerswith Aqua Pads. Theirexperience was very positive,and use of the new aids toprolonged shelf life wassubsequently extended byButters to other customersfor added value products.Other plant suppliers to

multiple retailers have notbeen slow off the mark either.UK sales of the water-retaining units approachedthree million last year, with HillBrothers, Double HNurseries, Intergreen, IPL, JZFlowers and Superfloraamong the producersaccounting for the total. ◆

Comparison plants without Aqua Pads.

Cyclamen with Aqua Pads after ten days without watering inshelf life test conditions.


17SALADS •

Mycosphaerella wasvirtually eliminated innursery-scale trials

last year by an integratedcontrol programme thatcombines new fungicides,spore monitoring to guidespray timing, and the use ofdisinfectants to clean upbetween crops, growersheard at the CucumberGrowers Association’sgrowers’ day in WalthamAbbey, Essex in October.But news of the promising

results from the HDC-funded trial (in project PO001a) was tempered by theCGA’s frustration that Dutchgrowers already haveaccess to an effective newfungicide that has not yetbeen authorised in the UK.Marketed by BayerCropScience, the fungicide,based on fluopyram, anSDHI (succinatedehydrogenase inhibitor),has been available to Dutchgrowers all year. It’s alsoalready in use in the USA,Canada and New Zealand.“We’ve been told by Bayer

that they are no longerlooking to market fungicideswith a single active or modeof action, for resistancemanagement reasons,”CGA technical officer DerekHargreaves told CommercialGreenhouse Grower. “Weunderstand there are plansto market a productcontaining a mixture offluopyram and a strobilurinin the UK but our worry isthat it could take anotheryear, possibly two, beforecucumber growers have thenecessary EAMUauthorisation to use it. “It’s a really important issue

for the crop in the UK.You’re looking at adifference of between about2% of fruits infected when acrop is treated withfluopyram compared with45% using the fungicidescurrently available in the UK.“We are currently talking to

Bayer and to the ChemicalsRegulation Directorateabout whether we canmake this and another newalternative fungicide that’salso known to perform wellagainst ‘myco’ availablehere sooner.”CGA chairman Trevor

Broekhuizen added that thedisparity in availability of thisand other fungicidesbetween the UK and theNetherlands “puts us at areal competitivedisadvantage” within whatis supposed to be an evenplaying field in the EU. “TheDutch can sell cucumbershere, treated with afungicide that we can’tuse,” he said.“Fluopyram, in particular,

really should be availablehere under mutualrecognition. ‘Myco’ isdefinitely becoming a worseproblem for us because ofthe lack of chemistry tocontrol it. Crops are endingup in skips. Losses in theregion of £15,000 per haare not uncommon.”Commercial confidentiality

agreements mean that thenovel fungicides tested aspart of the HDC’smycosphaerella researchprogramme can’t beidentified. But StockbridgeTechnology Centre sciencedirector Martin McPherson,who is leading the project,

was able to say that thebest performing of thechemical fungicides andbiopesticides in the earlystage screening trials were‘five novel products with theSDHI mode of action’. Two of these were taken

forward for trialling last yearas part of an integratedprogramme – one is asingle-active product, theother combines an SDHIwith a second active thathas a different mode ofaction and is alreadyapproved for use on tomatocrops. The programme alsoincluded strobilurin andazole active ingredients, hesaid.The trial, on two

commercial nurseries,included a comparison ofbetween-crop clean-up

regimes and was on thethird and final crop of theseason.Where the between-crop

clean-up had beenthorough, 25 to 30 plants(out of 48) under thegrower’s standard treatmentbore stem lesions byOctober while the testprogramme applied at thesame timings cut incidenceto fewer than five plants.“Spore monitoring

confirmed that, even wherethe between-crop clean-upwas good, there werespores in the air when thenext crop was going in,”said project partner AlisonWakeham of the NationalPollen and AerobiologyResearch Unit at WorcesterUniversity. “So even hereyou need to get in early with

One of the most pernicious diseases of cucumber production in the UK looks to havebeen thwarted by an integrated control programme, writes Spence Gunn.

‘Myco’ foiled by research into its control

Alison Wakeham: spore monitoring had shown the value of athorough clean-up between crops.


18 • SALADS

treatments to stop thedisease building up todamaging levels.” Air samples were taken

weekly during the life of thecrop and analysed atWorcester for the presenceand numbers ofmycosphaerella spores. Apreviously determinedthreshold spore number,above which infection andcrop damage was likely,was used to trigger sprays.Areas of the crop treatedwith the test programme inresponse to themonitoring’s results receivedfewer sprays, and therewere even fewer plantsinfected, than when the testprogramme had been usedroutinely.Combining the most

effective between-cropdisinfectants, Jet 5 and

Unifect G, with the testfungicide programmeapplied in response tospore monitoring reducedthe number of infectedplants to nil.Ms Wakeham said the

spore monitoring hadshown the value of athorough between-cropclean-up. “Repeated overtime it will bring overallpopulations ofmycosphaerella and otherdiseases down andeventually you shouldvirtually eliminate the risk,”she said.“We also demonstrated

how the number of sporesin the air explodes when thecrop is pulled, so it couldbe worth waiting a day ortwo for these to settlebefore going in withdisinfectant.” ◆

Approval changes could usher innew crop protection productsTwo important changes in the way the ChemicalsRegulation Directorate (CRD) recognises the approvalstatus of crop protection products elsewhere in theEU could result in a wider range of fungicides andinsecticides becoming available to the UK’sprotected crops sector.The changes affect how CRD deals with ‘mutual

recognition’ and the approval of products across EUzones.Since the introduction of the current EU approvals

regulations, member states have been grouped intozones of similar climate and environment to make itpossible to seek approval for a product across allcountries in the same zone – with protectedcropping being regarded as a single zone.“In practice we’ve not had any success with this

approach in the UK so far because it wasn’trecognised by CRD,” said Bolette Palle Neve, whoco-ordinates the HDC’s EAMU applicationsprogramme. “But we were told by CRD recently thatthey will now accept zonal applications and we arealready working with European colleagues toassemble data for the first two.” Ms Palle Neve told growers at the cucumber

meeting that CRD had also recently changed theway it deals with applications for authorisationsunder the mutual recognition rules whereby aproduct already approved in one EU member statecan be authorised for ‘minor uses’ in others. Thenational assessments undertaken by CRD, forinstance on worker exposure, were in some casesdifferent from those in other member states,effectively blocking mutual recognition. For example,workers often wear gloves to handle a crop but CRDdidn’t recognise that the gloves offered a certainlevel of protection when handling a crop after it hasbeen treated, often leading to crop ‘re-entry’ timesthat were longer than the harvest interval.HDC and various other industry bodies have been

working over the past five years to help CRD refineits model. A proposal has now been approved thatenables CRD to assign a ‘protection factor’ to itsassessments so that, for example, an authorisationissued under mutual recognition could requireworkers to wear protective gloves when handling orharvesting a treated crop.“This is a particularly welcome development and

we’re hoping it will make a difference to getting moreauthorisations, especially for protected crops,” saidMs Palle Neve.

For a complimentary copy

Please contact Andrea .....

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Innovation andpartnership

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20 • SALADS

Practising good hygieneroutines in theglasshouse can help

reduce the spread of fungalcrop diseases. This was oneof the messages given togrowers by plant scientistAlison Wakeham at theHorticultural DevelopmentCompany (HDC)’s leafy saladroad show held onNovember 12 (2014) inChichester College, WestSussex. There, Wakeham revealedthat, as part of her researchfor the HDC, she is helpingto develop more effectiveways of detecting thepresence of diseases inhorticulture crops, includingfield-grown leafy saladcrops, brassicas andcucumbers. Some of thisresearch has shown thatfungal plant diseases canbreed amongst thediscarded plant debris inglasshouses. Wakeham,who is based at the NationalPollen and AerobiologyResearch Unit at theUniversity of Worcester,explained to delegates at theroad show that part of herwork has seen theinstallation of air samplersinside a commercialglasshouse crop ofcucumbers. These airsamplers were used todetect the presence ofgummy stem blight bio-aerosols – which aresuspended airborne particlescontaining living organisms.She said: “We wereinterested to know whereand when spores that causedisease were coming intothe system – and how muchof the disease was goinginto the plants, and couldwe relate that to [the

glasshouse’] environmentalconditions?” Wakeham reminded growersthat many diseases areairborne and transmitted bythese bio-aerosals.“Providing the environmentalconditions are right,diseases can go up into theair, move in the jet streamand even across differentcontinents. The large,coastal brassica-growingareas, for example, are veryconducive to the germinationof air diseases in yourcrops.” The air samplers thatWakeham used showed thatthe gummy stem blightspores were around earlyevening time at the start ofthe season in September,but as the seasonprogressed they were“around all of the time.” Thetrial also showed that thedisease “just explodes” atthe end of the season when“you take the crop out butleave the debris [behind] anddo not put any [pesticide]sprays on.” She said: “If youdid not do a good clean-upact you are allowing cloudsof disease to pass throughto the next glasshouse.” Growers took home themessage that they had to doa good clean-up act to getrid of the disease. A lot ofgrowers were dumping theirdisease material a mile downthe road without realisingthat clouds of inoculum weredrifting back into the air.“You have to get rid of it.You have to remove it farfrom the site so that itcannot release its sporesinto the air.” This wasparticularly important forcucumber growers as theytend to have their nurseriesquite close together.

Wakeham toldgrowers that byusing the airsamplers, whichsuck in litres of airat a time, she wascollecting datathat in futurecould helpgrowers to makean informeddecision aboutwhat diseasecontrol methodthey should useand when theyshould use it. Itcould also infuture helpgrowers to moveaway from“blanket”pesticideapplication. Shesaid: “You canstart to thinkabout how you would applyyour controls moreeffectively and thereforekeep our chemicals forlonger.” She explained that traditionalmethods for isolatingpathogens are commonlyused only after the plantsstart to show diseasesymptoms. These traditionalprocesses are often timeconsuming, she said. “Thisfrequently results in a delayin application of controlmeasures and often atpotentially important periodsin crop production. As aresult blanket pesticideapplication has beencommon.”Wakeham thereforeexplained that economiclosses resulting from diseasecould be reduced by theaccurate and early detectionof plant pathogens. Shesaid: “Detect it, treat it –then we do not see the

Hygiene routines stop fungal diseaseBy Rachel Anderson

disease. Early detection canprovide the grower withuseful information on optimalcrop rotation patterns,varietal selections,appropriate controlmeasures, harvest date andpost harvest handling.Pathogen detection prior toinfection can reduce diseaseepidemics.”Alison Wakeham concludedby saying that over the nextcouple of years the HDC iscontinuing its research intodeveloping ways in whichgrowers of all horticulturecrops can quickly, regularlyand easily detect thepresence of fungal plantpathogens. “In the next fiveyears you will start to seegrowers have on-sitecapability to use moleculartechnology.” She predictedthat these future methodsare, for example, likely to bein the form of a “pregnancytest” lateral flow device. ◆

Stockbridge Technology Centre’s sporetraps amongst a cucumber crop.


21RESEARCH DIARY •

Research Diary by David Pennell

Bedding plants are oftenexposed to drought stressduring shipping andretailing due to hightemperatures and irregularirrigation which can reducethe quality andmarketability of beddingplants. To prevent damageantitranspirants can beapplied to the crops priorto shipping or retailing, theytemporarily increasetolerance to drought stressby either physicallyblocking stomata orphysiologically inducingstomatal closure to preventwater loss throughtranspiration. Physicalantitranspirants containingpolymers, resins, or waxescover the stomata whensprayed on the leaves.Physiologicalantitranspirants inducestomatal closure by SugarAlcohol-based Compounds(SACs) or abscisic acid(ABA). A team at WestVirginia University looked attwo physicalantitranspirants, -pinenepolymer ( P) and vinyl-acrylic polymer (VP), andfour physiologicalantitranspirants, threeSACs and a biologicallyactive form of ABA (s-ABA)which were applied toBegonia semperflorens,Impatiens hawkeri,Impatiens walleriana,Pelargonium ×hortorum,Petunia ×hybrida, Tagetes

erecta, and Tagetes patula(ASHS Conference2014).Physical antitranspirantswere sprayed and thephysiologicalantitranspirants weredrenched at half (0.5X), full(1X), or twice (2X) themanufacturer’srecommended rate. s-ABAdelayed visual wiltingsymptoms and extendedshelf life of all species andcultivars tested except forgeranium. P-treated T.erecta showed increasedshelf life by 1.2 d. Longershelf lives were observedwhen higher concentrations(2X) of antitranspirants wereapplied, compared to 0.5Xand 1X, as shown in I.walleriana and P. ×hybridatreated with s-ABA at 2X,and in T. erecta treatedwith P at 2X, respectively.s-ABA reduced stomatalconductance within 4 hafter application, resultingin reduction of water lossand extension of shelf life.P also appeared to block

stomata within 4 h ofapplication and causedreduced stomatalconductance in I. hawkeriand P. ×hybrida but P wasless effective thans-ABA.VP and SACs had little orno effect on relievingdrought stress symptomsand s-ABA was the mosteffective in closing stomataand enhancing temporarydrought tolerance.

Agricultural pests are responsible for millions of pounds ofcrop losses and control costs every year in virtually all sectorsof production. To reduce these losses and minimize controlcosts, new methods to detect pests and/or pest damagemust be investigated in order to optimize control measures.One such method evaluated in a study at Clemson University,South Carolina, USA was to detect the chemicals released bypests or pest-damaged products (Computers and Electronicsin Agriculture). A portable device was developed to drawvolatiles from pests or pest-damaged products over carbonblack–polymer composite sensors and measure the change inresistance for each sensor. The device successfully sampledpest and plant volatiles and these volatiles were detectedusing carbon black–polymer composite sensors. These resultsindicated an electronic nose is a feasible approach to detectpests and/or pest damage.

Energy accounts for one ofthe largest costs incommercial greenhouse (GH)production of annual beddingplants. Therefore, manybedding plant producers aresearching for energy efficientproduction methods.Researchers at PurdueUniversity and CornellUniversity set out to quantifythe impact of growing annualbedding plants in anunheated high tunnelcompared with a traditionalheated greenhouseenvironment at two northernlatitudes (HortTechnology). Ten popular bedding plants

[angelonia, vinca, celosia,dianthus, geranium, petunia,french marigold, viola,snapdragon andosteospermum] were grownboth in an unheated tunneland a glasshouse with an 18°C temperature set point atboth Cornell University(Ithaca, NY) and PurdueUniversity (West Lafayette,

Finishing bedding plants: comparingunheated tunnels and heatedgreenhouse

IN). Although seven of thespecies exhibited a delay inflowering in the tunnels ascompared with the heatedglasshouse, there were nodifferences in days to flowerfor geranium, osteospermum,and viola grown at Cornelland viola at Purdue. Theremaining species exhibiteddelays in flowering in thetunnel environment, whichvaried based on species. AtPurdue, several species werelost because of a coldtemperature eventnecessitating a secondplanting. For the secondplanting, Osteospermum wasthe only species thatflowered significantly later inthe tunnels; 7 days later thanthe glasshouse grown plants.Production of cold-tolerantannuals in unheated orminimally heated tunnelsappears to be a viablealternative for commercialproducers aiming to reduceenergy costs.

Antitranspirants:enhancingtemporarydroughttolerance inbedding plants

Electronic nose for detection ofpests and plant damage

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