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THE COMMERCIAL

GREENHOUSEMarch 2016 GROWER

IPM reportRestrictions make driptechnology even more important

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www.actpub.co.uk THE COMMERCIAL GREENHOUSE GROWER • MARCH 2016

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3MARCH 2016 •

C O N T E N T SNews 4 - 7

Grower Awards 4

North Bank joins APS 5

Vitacress finedover Health & Safety 5

Tesco fall foul of Adjudicator 6

Nematode control in nursery stock 7

Irrigation 8 - 9

Lighting update 10 - 12

Ornamental Seminar 14 - 15

IPM highlights 16 – 20

Labels 21 - 22

Growing media 23 - 25

Salads - Cantelo Nurseries 26 - 28

Research Diary 29

THE COMMERCIAL GREENHOUSE GROWER • MARCH 2016 www.actpub.co.uk

Front cover picture.A mass of colour and beauty at this year’s IPM Essen.

Report on pages 16 -20

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Comment

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Driving along the road the other day I passed an Aldi lorry. Onthe side was a striking image of a union jack comprised ofdifferent fruits and vegetables and the large caption,‘Championing Great British Quality.’ Such a visual endorsementof UK farmers and growers is great for our industry, and whilenot unique to the discount retailer, they should be applaudedfor their support.Last July Aldi also became the first retailer to sign up to the

NFU’s Fruit and Veg pledge. Not only that, but it went further,making a number of additional commitments including treatingall its suppliers fairly and building long term relationships withgrowers, offering greater price certainty to growers and notcharging suppliers for customer complaints With more than 40per cent of the retailer’s fresh produce already being sourcedfrom the UK, and a commitment to increase regional sourcingand buying from smaller growers, Aldi could be seen to be thedarling of the horticultural industry.However, what about the law of unintended consequences? In

mid-February Aldi pledged another round of deep price cuts.Matthew Barnes, the company’s chief executive was quoted assaying, “I wanted to set the record straight that we will neverbe beaten on price — that is cast in stone.” He added that hewould not allow other supermarkets to beat Aldi when it comesto low prices.Low retail prices in Aldi stores do not affect their suppliers as

much as their competitors. Aldi’s success is down to a very lowcost base and streamlined distribution chain which the largersupermarkets struggle to match. So why the concern?Thanks to discount supermarkets setting the price for many

produce items, such as cucumbers, they are now commonlybeing sold below the cost of production. With no end in sightto the current supermarket price wars, every price cut by thediscounters places more pressure on producers supplying therest of the industry. Nobody would argue for a minute for minimum pricing or any

sort of anti-completive pricing agreements. UK horticulture isproud of its success without the type of blanket support offeredto certain other sectors. Depending on the result of a vote on aBritish exit from Europe and the resultant impact on currencyexchange rates, supermarkets may find themselves in need ofmore UK produce. While acknowledging they have to report totheir shareholders, it would be nice to think that, now andagain, buyers and retailers were aware of the wider impacts oftheir pricing decisions.


4 • NEWS

Over 350 shortlisted entrantsand members of the industrygathered at London’s stylishGrand Connaught Rooms, inConvent Garden, for thepresentation of the UKGrower Awards 2016. TheBransford Webbs PlantCompany, Lovania Nurseriesand Vitacress had plenty tocelebrating as all three wontwo awards.

The final judging ofshortlisted entries wascarried out by a panelincluding independentnursery stock cropconsultant John Adlam,Stockbridge TechnologyCentre chief executiveGraham Ward andindependent garden industryconsultant Neville Stein. Theevent was hosted bycomedian and broadcasterPaul Sinha. Having already scooped

Nursery Stock Grower of theYear, the Bransford WebbsPlant Company went on tobe crowned overallOrnamental Grower of theYear, an award sponsored byLevington AdvanceSolutions. “The Bransford Webbs Plant

Company is a worthywinner,” says StephenSquires, business director ofICL UK & Ireland.“Constantly investing,innovating and adopting newtechnologies andmanagement techniques, thecompany continues toimprove productivity, itsproduct offering andcustomer service whilereducing waste.” Three years on from the

completion of new despatchand office facilities, at its sitenear Worcester, BransfordWebbs is seeing provenimprovements to efficiency,

From left: Stephen Squires business director of ICL UK &Ireland presented the trophy to Geoff Caesar, md of theBransford Webbs Plant Company with comedian/broadcasterPaul Sinha.

communication andcustomer satisfaction. A further 5,000sqm of

glasshouse erected last yearhas increased the nursery’sability to directly control itsgrowing environments.Meanwhile a new waterrecycling system captures allthe rainwater from theglasshouse and warehouseroofs and stores it in areservoir to irrigate crops. Anew 60KW solar energysystem installed on thewarehouse roof isanticipated to providearound half the business’selectricity requirements. Lovania Nurseries, from

Preston in Lancashire, alsohad plenty to celebrate notonly winning ProtectedOrnamental Grower of theYear (sponsored by Vitax)but production managerJonathan Marquis collectedthe Best ProductionManager trophy. The Specialist Ornamental

Grower award went to M&RMorton of Chichester for itssweet peas. While six wereshort listed, young Grower ofthe Year - awarded to thegrower (under 35) who hasmade the most significantcontribution to their businessor sector within the past fewyears - went to James Laceyof L&D Flowers, based atSpalding in Lincolnshire. The ornamental new variety

awards were won by Salvia‘Love & Wishes’ from Plantsfor Europe in the beddingand pot plant category, whileThompson & Morgan’sBuddleja ‘Buzz Indigo’ wonin the hardy nursery stockcategory. Steve Rothwell of Vitacress

was awarded theContribution to the Industrytrophy while the company

Stars of protectedhorticulture revealed

also triumphed winning the Best environmental initiativeaward. Other winners in the protected edibles categorieswere Home Harvest Salads, from Brough in East Yorkshirewinning the Salad Grower of the Year trophy, sponsored byRijk Zwaan. The final award of the evening, the Lifetime Achievement

Award, was made to Brian Hibberd, of Abbey View Produce,in recognition of his long career in the cucumber and freshproduce industry.

Fargro’s Managing Director, JimMcAlpine, will be retiring from theposition in July after 27 yearswithin the company. Jim wasappointed Managing Director in2011 after working as Director forSales and Marketing. “It has been a great privilege to

work for Fargro over the years. Ihave seen many positivechanges that have propelled thebusiness forward from an £11 million company to one turningover £20 million, with a strong bottom line. The rapid growth we have experienced in recent years istestimony to the hard work, skills and dedication of the Fargroteam and I have been proud to be a part of thatdevelopment”. Chairman, David Godsmark, wishes Jim the very best for the

future and thanks him for his enormous contribution in buildingthe business to its current level.Fargro is a major horticultural distribution company operating

on a national scale, with strong local grower support in theeast and south east of England, and is located near Arundel,in West Sussex. It is owned by its 315 shareholders, most ofwhom are growers.The Board of Directors is working closely with the executive

team to manage the transition and the search for a newmanaging director is underway.

Fargro boss calls it a day


5NEWS •

Vitacress finedAPS Salads has purchasedNorth Bank Growers fromThe Greenery following itsacquisition of Wight Saladsfrom Vitacress last year.Billingham based North

Bank Growers (formerly thesite of John Baarda) wastaken over by The Greeneryin 2012 and boasts one ofthe largest and mostadvanced glasshouses inthe UK. The sale also follows from

Cornerways Nursery movingfrom The Greenery at theend of last year after signinga five-year agreement withThanet Earth for themarketing of its produce.Built in 2004 as Belasis

Park, the site cost £15m todevelop and at 23 acres

Salad specialist Vitacress has been fined after an employeelost the tips of two fingers in an accident involving a baggingmachine. The incident, which took place in Hampshire at the

company’s headquaters last April was heard at BasingstokeMagistrate’s Court last month, after an investigation by theHeath and Safety Executive (HSE) which found that access tothe cutting jaws and heat sealing part of the machine was tooeasily accessible and that the machine had a hole cut in theinterlocking guards to allow larger bags of salad out of themachine on a conveyor belt. Vitacress Salads pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11 (1)

of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998(PUWER) and was fined £60,000 and paid costs of £1,088.

Tomato grower Guy and Wright of Much Hadham,Hertfordshire, won an award for its anaerobic digestion plantat the inaugural Energy Now awards at Energy Now Expo inShropshire in February.The awards are designed to recognise the achievements of

farmers and growers in driving forward renewable energyschemes. Built to the company’s John Jones’ own design, the AD

plant was installed in 2009 to power the nursery’s microturbines. The company was also a finalist in the sustainability and

innovation category in the British Renewable Energy awardslast year. John and his wife Caroline donated their winner’s £500

cheque to Forage Aid, the charity which distributes animalfeed to livestock farmers affected by extreme weather.

Grower’s AD plantwins award

The Energy Now Expo conference heard how storage willfeature in renewable energy set-ups in future. MerlinHyman, chief executive for sustainable energy expertsRegen SW, said: “People who used to develop solar farmsare increasingly developing large battery storage facilities,which are fast becoming known as ‘energy barns’, whereenergy can be stored on farm and exported to the grid.”Stephen Jones from the Energy Storage Network said that

although there is some policy uncertainty around storage,the technology exists and holds great potential across alltypes of renewable energy.

North Bank join APSwas one of the largestglasshouse projectsundertaken by a protectedcrop grower. At the time the heating

system was revolutionary,consisting of two state-of-the-art heat exchangers.Steam a by-product fromthe Terra factory next doorto the site was then pipedonto site at 300C andconverted into warm waterto heat the glass. This waspumped through miles andmiles of heating pipes andthere is up to 400 tonnes ofwater stored in the systemat any one time. Theglasshouse was alsoinstalled with 15,000 lightsand a water re-circulationsystem.

The wild species of tomato deploys two tactics to protect itselfagainst whitefly, new research has found.The first is a mechanism to discourage the pest from settling,

the second is a chemical reaction that causes the plant sap to‘gum up’ the whitefly’s feeding tube. The research, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological

Sciences Research Council and published in an academicjournal, saw a Newcastle University team measuringelectrochemical signals generated by whiteflies as they fed onplants. When given free choice, the whitefly were 80% morelikely to settle and feed on plants of the variety Elegance thanthey were on the wild species.“Our research suggests that if we can breed the whitefly

resistant genes back into our commercial varieties then wecan produce a super tomato that not only has all thecharacteristics that we have selected for but it’s also naturallyresistant to the whitefly,” said PhD student Thomas McDaniel,who led the research. But university publicity about the work has been criticised by

the Tomato Growers’ Association for its assertion that tocontrol the pest successfully most growers back-up their useof the whitefly parasitoid Encarsia formosa with ‘thewidespread use of the controversial neonicotinoid pesticideswhich have been linked to dwindling bee populations.’TGA technical officer Phil Morley pointed out that glasshouse

whitefly is very well controlled in the growing environment by arange of natural enemies. “The Newcastle work, though interesting, suggests that in

breeding for the best flavour and quality in cultivars we maylose something, and that might be small components of‘natural defence’,” he said. “However, using grower expertiseand the assistance of IPM and biocontrol experts, we manageour crops with a robust IPM strategy so whitefly, as well asmost other pests, is naturally controlled and rarely if ever anissue.”IPM consultant Rob Jacobson said that implying that British

tomato growers use neonicotinoid pesticides widely, andlinking that use to dwindling bee populations, was in his view‘wrong at every level’.

Study explains plantresistance to whitefly


6 • NEWS

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Groceries Code Adjudicator Christine Tacon has told Tesco tointroduce significant changes to practices and systems afterfinding Britain’s largest supermarket seriously breached alegally-binding Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code)to protect groceries suppliers.During a thorough investigation covering the period from 25

June 2013 to 5 February 2015 she found that the retailer hadacted unreasonably when delaying payments to suppliers,often for lengthy periods of time.The Adjudicator was concerned about three key issues:

Tesco making unilateral deductions from suppliers, the lengthof time taken to pay money due to suppliers and in somecases an intentional delay in paying suppliers.She considered Tesco’s breach of the Code to be serious due

to the varying and widespread nature of the delays inpayment. The Adjudicator has used her powers to order theretailer to make significant changes in the way it deals withpayments to suppliers.Her five recommendations include stopping Tesco from

making unilateral deductions from money owed for goodssupplied. Suppliers will be given 30 days to challenge anyproposed deduction and if challenged Tesco will not beentitled to make the deduction.The Adjudicator also insists that the company corrects pricing

errors within seven days of notification by a supplier.Tesco has also been told to improve its invoices by providing

more transparency and clarity for suppliers and to put itsfinance teams and buyers through training on the findings fromthe Adjudicator’s investigation.Adjudicator Ms Tacon said: “The length of the delays, their

widespread nature and the range of Tesco’s unreasonablepractices and behaviours towards suppliers concerned me. Iwas also troubled to see Tesco at times prioritising its ownfinances over treating suppliers fairly.“My recommendations will deal with the weaknesses in

Tesco’s practices during the period under investigation.“I am pleased that many suppliers have reported

improvements in their relationship with Tesco to me since theperiod under investigation. Tesco has also kept me informedof changes it is making to deal with the issues. This is ademonstration of the impact my role is making. I believe thatmy recommendations will lead to significant improvements atTesco and in the sector. ”The GCA has set a four-week deadline for Tesco to say how

it plans to implement her recommendations. She will thenrequire regular reports from the company on progress,including information on the number and value of invoices indispute as well as the length of time they remain unresolved.The Adjudicator also investigated whether Tesco had required

suppliers to make payments to secure better shelf positioningor an increased allocation of shelf space in breach of theCode. She found no evidence of this.However, she was concerned to find practices that could

amount to an indirect requirement for better positioning. Thesepractices included large suppliers negotiating betterpositioning and increased shelf space in response to requestsfor investment from Tesco, as well as paying for categorycaptaincy and to participate in Tesco range reviews.

Tesco falls foul of Adjudicator


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AHDB-funded research has identifiedeffective alternatives to the nematicideVydate 10G for controlling leaf and budnematodes in herbaceous perennialsand hardy nursery stock.Idowu Rotifa is researching control of

the pests in an AHDB-sponsored PhDstudentship. He told growers at aherbaceous technical discussion groupmeeting in February that twoinsecticide products that are alreadyapproved on ornamentals, Moventoand Dynamec, had proved highlyeffective against leaf and budnematodes in nursery trials. But he saidan elicitor product, which works byinducing plant defence mechanisms,was equally effective. “Combining theelicitor in a treatment with Moventowas more effective still,” he added.Herbaceous perennial and nursery

stock crops are attacked by two leafand bud nematode species in the UK,Aphelenchoides ritzemabosi and A.fragariae. Both are difficult to control,causing damage to leaves that canrender plants unmarketable. Growershave been able to use Vydate 10G untilrecently. Its EAMU approval forornamentals expires at the end of thisyear while a new stewardship schemeaimed at growers of root crops hasvirtually ruled out its use in ornamentalsalready.Mr Rotifa screened a range of

chemical and biological crop protectionproducts against the nematodes inlaboratory and small-scale glasshouseexperiments, to select the mostpromising for trials on two commercialnurseries. The treatments chosen werethe chemical insecticides Movento andDynamec, and a plant elicitor that’sapproved for a different use on certaincrops in France and the Netherlands,

Tangmere Airfield Nurseries harvested its first sweet peppers early last monthnearly three weeks ahead of a normal season.The company said this was a result of a combination of the variety and

overhead high-pressure sodium lighting and LED interlighting – the glasshousethe fruit was produced in is used to trial new varieties. Tangmere grows 30ha ofpeppers in West Sussex.

Progress made in nematodecontrol for nursery stock

but not currently in the UK. On buddleia and dryopteris fern, all the

treatments tested cut nematodereproduction rates almost to nil. Themost effective was a combination ofMovento and the elicitor, which hadreduced leaf populations of thenematodes by 98% eight weeks aftertreatment, compared with levels inuntreated plants. The treatments usedon their own all reached about 94%effectiveness, as did the combination ofDynamec and the elicitor.There was a similar pattern of results

on Japanese anemone though absolutecontrol levels were not quite as high.“The same trend has been seen on

five other species tested so far,” saidMr Rotifa.The project will continue with a look at

possible preventive treatments. As leaf and bud nematode can arrive

on nurseries in batches of apparentlyhealthy bought-in plants, Mr Rotifaadvised growers to quarantine newstock for five to eight weeks to allowany symptoms to appear. He alsosuggested avoiding overhead wateringwhere possible as this can spread thepest by splash, and to give plants agenerous spacing.Growers were warned to undertake

small-scale trials on their own range ofplants to check for phytotoxicity beforeattempting to put any of Mr Rotifa’sfindings into commercial use.Fargro technical director Paul Sopp

told the meeting that the results couldbe used to help persuade themanufacturer of the elicitor to obtain anapproval for the UK.Dynamec (abamectin) has an on-labelapproval for use on ornamentals;Movento (spirotetremat) has anEAMU.

Tangmere trial variety three weeks ahead


8 • IRRIGATION

growers in such conditionsare still to become clear.While the government has

said it, ‘expects the Regulatorto take a light-touch, riskbased approach,’ thepotential uncertainty of wateravailability could makeefficiency of use of the waterthat is available even moreimportant than it is now. Withthe global market forgreenhouse irrigation systemspredicted to be worth almost£900 million by 2020, it isimportant that growers getthe right system.“There isn’t really a difference

between the irrigationssystems used with peat orcoir bags and rock woolsystems, provided that the

The biggest change forgrowers is the fact thatall forms of irrigation will

be licensed, not just sprayirrigation as is currently thecase. So, at sometime in thefuture, growers using trickle-type irrigation systems whichdepend on abstracted waterwill need a licence. Shortly after the consultation,

which closes on 8 April, waspublished, a delegation fromthe NFU, including a numberof growers, met with Defra todiscuss the key points, whichinclude:A light touch and risk basedapproach to issuing ‘NewAuthorisations’20 m3 per day derogationremains for all usersLicences to be issued to theoverwhelming majority oftrickle operators.Where abstractions cause‘serious damage’ there will beno licence issued with nocompensation payable.From the time of legislation

coming into force, growerswill have two years to applyand the Environment Agencywill then have three years todetermine the application, soNew Authorisations should befully integrated into thecurrent system by 2021.Any compensation payable

to rejected applications (otherthan in cases of seriousdamage) to be paid from theexisting EIUC fund.Trickle licences to be subject

to Hands off Flow constraintsto protect low surface waterflows. After the meeting Kent fruit

grower and member of the

NFU Horticulture Boardcommented, “Thegovernment’s National LivingWage proposals constitute ahuge challenge for growers inrespect of harvesting and sothese Defra proposals toconstrain water use come ata difficult time for us.” Paul Hammett, NFU water

resources specialist, pointedout that perhaps the mostcontentious of the Defraproposals is that theEnvironment Agency will havepowers to applyenvironmental constraints toprotect the environment byapplying abstractionrestrictions at low flows orduring drought conditions.The exact implications for

fertilizer used is inorganic,”comments Graham Ward ofCMW Horticulture whichdesigns and supplies a rangeof irrigation equipment. “If thefertilizer is organic then stripsprinklers rather than drippersmay sometimes be usedinstead of the more commontechnology.”“The systems are exactly the

same,” agrees DarranGrieveson of New LeafIrrigation. “The componentsare the same: pump, filters,dosing rigs, mains, solenoidvalves, with drip linesincorporating on line drippersets with leads and pegs tosuit pot spacing and size.“This type of drip system is

mainly used in soft fruit, i.e.

Restrictions make drip technology even more importantOn a Friday in the middle of January Defra quietly published one of the mostimportant and anticipated consultations which is relevant to all sectors ofhorticulture. It’s Changes to water abstraction licensing exemptions contains boththe Government’s response to the previous consultation (held as long ago as2009) and a further consultation on how it proposes to implement the abstractionelements of the Water Act 2003. Richard Crowhurst reports.

Trickle licences are to be subject to Hands off Flow constraints to protect low surface waterflows.

9IRRIGATION •


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strawberries, raspberries andblueberries but all the potgrown ornamental cropsrequire similar systems.Historically these would havejust incorporated a Dosatronunit to inject the feed, butnow there is a move awayfrom slow release fertilizerwhich means that properdosing rigs are now beingused more often than in thepast. Now the systems forornamentals are pretty muchmatching soft fruit systems.”In using this type of irrigation

system monitoring thegrowing medium is the key tocontrolling application rates.“Substrates can be monitoredthrough the use of insertedprobes or by measuring theweight of the slab or bagweight,” explains Graham.“Electrical conductivity (EC)and drain water percentagecan also be measured. All of

these can be then be used toautomatically modify theirrigation strategy for the restof the day.”NewLeaf Irrigation are

experts at installing suchsystems and Darran explainsthat probes are now the mostcommon way to measuresubstrates. “Setting theirrigation amount is usually amanual operation using aDelta T probe which providesdata which the grower takesinto account when makingdecisions regarding thefrequency and duration ofirrigation events,” he explains.“Alternatively the EC and pHof the run-off water can bemonitored automatically andused directly to influence theinput dosing and volumes ofwater applied to thesubstrate.”Research work at East

Malling, which was funded by

AHDB Horticulture,developed irrigationscheduling regimes which‘reduced or eliminated run-through’ for a range ofirrigation systems and

substrates (Project HNS 182:Developing optimum irrigationguidelines for reduced peat,peat-free and industrystandard substrates) butaccording to some observers,

Irrigation system installed in strawberry grow bags.


10 • IRRIGATION

results since the 2013 finalreport have not been madewidely available to growers.The number of times that

the water is reused is notmeasured, although growersmay reduce the amount ofdrain water which is usedagain if its conductivity istoo high. Graham Wardexplains that in order tomanage this, the EC ischecked and recordedbefore and after it is mixedwith fresh water. However, itmakes sense to keep wateruse to individual crops forplant health reasons.“The EC of the combined

blend of the re-used andfresh water is monitoredcontinuously. The position ofthe blending valve isadjusted automatically inrelation to the measured ECto maintain the requiredtarget EC,” explainsGraham. “We also havesoftware available which willadjust the target EC (withina range set by the user)based on the amount ofdrain water available to berecirculated. This is veryuseful to regulate the use ofthe drain water throughoutthe day.”Using channels means that

growers can use an inlinedrip line rather than on linedrippers mounted onto apipe and supplied with alead and peg, but in allcases it is important tomaintain water flow throughthe system. “All the separatecomponents of an irrigationsystem must be carefullyselected so that theycomplement each other,”points out Darran Grievson.“High quality pressurecompensated emitters inconjunction with a wellengineered system ofpumps and pipes thatensure adequate pressure atevery dripper point and eachdripper works to giveconstant flow despitevarying input pressure but

you need to remember thatthe irrigation system muststill provide a pressure tothe dripper somewherebetween its minimum andmaximum otherwise it simplywon’t work.”Maintenance is also

important points out GrahamWard. “Clean water suppliesand good filtration are bothnecessary to maintainaccuracy and precision inthe system,” he stresses. “Athorough clean up at theend of the season shouldinclude flushing the systemto remove any bio-film buildup and regularly monitoringthe pressures in the systemthroughout the growingseason will provide an earlywarning of any problems.”Manufacturers continue to

come up with newinnovations in driptechnology. “Netafim UniamXR is impregnated withcopper to deter rootintrusion while Mapal drainspacers help to ensureadequate drainage fromgrow bags laid on top ofraised beds,” commentsDarran. “When designing anew system it is a balancingact to include enoughadditional capacity for futureexpansion, while keepinginitial costs to a minimum.”Graham Ward concludes,

“The biggest challenge isgetting the necessaryuniformity in terms ofapplication. You need tomake sure that the dripperfarthest from the pump setdelivers the same rate as thedripper closest to the pumpset, which can be aparticular issue due to thetopography of some sites.Once you have predictableuniformity in an irrigationsystem, the grower then canhave confidence that thesystem will deliver just thecorrect amount of water andno more; the lower theefficiency of the system, thelower the costs.” ◆

When LED lamps firstbecame available,their most obvious

potential in horticulture wasas a more energy-efficientalternative to traditionalinstallations ofsupplementary anddaylength extension lighting.It didn’t take long for

researchers to realise thatthe nature of the technologywould allow the industry toexplore novel ways of usinglight. For example, evenhigh-intensity LED lampsgenerate less heat than,high-pressure sodium bulbs,which means crops can belit in new ways, such asinterlighting which bringsmore light into the cropcanopy.Because individual LEDs

can be manufactured toproduce light at specificwavelengths, low-intensityLED lighting systems can bedesigned to elicit veryspecific crop responses, forexample to control plantheight or schedule flowering.With the cost of the

technology still falling, andwith manufacturersdesigning units for a widerrange of specific horticulturaluses, more and moregrowers are consideringrunning their own trials, oftenin partnership with lightingsuppliers, even if they aren’tquite yet ready to invest on acommercial scale. Research funded by AHDB

Horticulture in the UK andwork by scientists in theUSA and the Netherlandsare helping our

understanding of theprinciples behind a crop’sresponses when LED lampsare used to provide light atspecific wavelengthsintended to manipulategrowth or flowering.“With so much private and

commercial R&D going on,AHDB has concentrated onusing levy funding to add towhat the industry has beendoing itself,” AHDBHorticulture protected &perennial crops team leaderDebbie Wilson told growersat the ‘Manipulating light forhorticulture’ conference atStoneleigh in January.AHDB has been funding a

fellowship in which Phillip

LED lamps specifically designed forhorticulture are presenting new ways forgrowers to manipulate light to improve yieldsor manage growth and flowering. A recentAHDB conference highlighted some of thelatest research findings, reports Spence Gunn.

What lighting can do f

Propagation trials withLEDs at StockbridgeTechnology Centre.

11LIGHTING •


Davis is using the dedicatedLED research facility atStockbridge TechnologyCentre in North Yorkshire tolook at plant responsesunder particular colours ofLEDs, along with work byconsultant Simon Pearsonand the Farm Energy Centreto test some commerciallamp units.“The research I’m doing for

AHDB is to learn more aboutthe kinds of effects growerscan expect and theunderlying biology thatgoverns them,” said DrDavis. “The aim is not togenerate specific lightrecipes but to providepointers that can be built onin more specific trials,avoiding, hopefully, someblind alleys.”He told the conference that

by analysing results fromlarge numbers of differentlight ‘treatments’ it’s startingto become possible to‘model’ plant responses,making the results from anygiven light mix more

predictable.“For example, in lettuce we

have collated results from 25different treatments withmixtures of low-intensity red,blue, green and far-red lightto produce a responsemodel that can predict whatwill happen if you use acertain light recipe,” he said.In many cases a mix of red

and blue light is sufficient togrow good quality plants –and as LEDs at thesewavelengths are also themost energy efficient manycommercial lighting systemsare based on thiscombination. Dr Davis says that in the

edible crops studied so far –lettuce, cucumber, tomatoand several types of herbs –seedlings and young plantstend to grow best when 10to 15% of the mix is bluelight. Increasing the level ofblue further tends to restrictgrowth though in somespecies, notably cucumberwhich was tallest under100% blue light, it leads tostretching.He stressed that in most

cases the lighting mix wouldbe a compromise,depending on which aspectsof crop quality a grower waslooking to control. In thework on flowering times ofornamentals, for example,100% blue light generallymade for earlier flowering butalso led to plants with pooroverall morphology. Begonia,pansy, pelargonium andpetunia have all been grownunder various red:blue lightmixes. As with the ediblespecies, growth was fastestwith around 11 to 15% bluelight in the mix but plantswere most compact under60% blue. Varying thered:blue ratios betweenthese points may controlgrowth enough to replacechemical growth regulatorsaltogether he suggests, thecompromise being that thehigher levels of blue light

delay flowering and reduceflower numbers. “The key isfinding the best balance,” hesaid. Work is currently underway to look at light mixes tobring plants into flower morequickly while retaining agood shape.Erik Runkle, a researcher

and adviser at MichiganState University in the USA,has been running trials forthe last six years on usingLEDs to manipulate floweringin a range of ornamentalspecies under various mixesof low-intensity red, blue,green and far-redwavelengths. He agreed thatlight recipes for growerswould usually be acompromise, adding: “Themore trials we do, the moreinteractions we find between

colour balance, light intensityand light duration.”In early trials involving mixes

of red and far-red light, DrRunkle found that a red:far-red ratio of between 0.7 and2.4 could promote floweringin a range of long-dayspecies while inhibitingflowering of short-day plants.Later work looked at whathappened when bluewavelengths wereintroduced. “At low intensity,as long as red light was inthe mix, blue did not affectflowering response,” he said.“At the light levels in ourtrials, blue didn’t seem toaffect the plant’s perceptionof daylength.”Dr Runkle has also shown

how some lightingtreatments during bedding

o for us now

Phillip Davis: economicconsiderations will governinvestment in an LEDinstallation.

Comparison of performanceConsultant Simon Pearson told the conference that sevendifferent commercially available LED, plasma and high-pressure sodium lighting systems had been compared inAHDB Horticulture-funded trials in May 2015.“We wanted to provide an indication of how performancecan vary between typical models, as a guide to growerswho are comparing manufacturers’ data when choosingsystems for their own particular use,” he said. “The studywas not meant to be a direct performance comparison,particularly as the lights are designed to have very differentspectral outputs and uses.”The units tested included LED lamps from Heliospectra,Phytolux, Senmatic and Philips; a high-intensity plasmalamp – the technology uses radio waves to generate lightfrom an arc at very high temperature; and a high-pressuresodium lamp for comparison.Most of the tests were undertaken using specialistequipment at the Lighting Industry Association’sindependent test laboratories in Shropshire. Tests includedmeasures of lamp efficiency and light distribution patterns.Efficiency of the LED units was linked to their designoutput spectrum – three of them were more efficient thanthe high-pressure sodium at producing photosyntheticallyactive radiation, for example. The plasma lamp was lessenergy efficient in these terms but its light output wascloser to the solar spectrum than the high-pressuresodium lamp.There were striking differences in light distribution patterns,reflecting the particular use each unit has been designedfor and which would influence how they should be spacedand how high they should be hung above the crop.


12 • LIGHTING

plant propagation can affectthe crop beyondtransplanting. “Wepropagated petunia underartificial light, potted-on afterseven to nine weeks andgrew on in the greenhouse,”he said. “We found thatinclusion of some far-redlight during propagation wasimportant for flowerinduction and led to earlierflowering and it also resultedin a better final plant shape.”For high-intensity

installations, Dr Davis and DrRunkle agree that althoughgrowth and yields broadlyincrease in line with lightintensity, overridingeconomic considerations willgovern investment in aninstallation.“It’s about how much light

you can afford for the crop,”said Dr Davis. “The optimumlight intensity for each cropwill depend on overalleconomics.” The equationbetween the cost of installingand running high-intensityLEDs and the potential extra

returns from using them isbecoming more favourableall the time, however, theconference heard. The efficiency of a lamp can

be expressed in terms of theratio of light output (inmicromoles) to energyconsumption (in joules). Thelatest LED units have anefficiency index of around2.7 making them about 30%more energy efficient thenthe best SON-T lamps at 1.7to 1.9. However, SimonPearson pointed out: “Whilewe can measure the overallefficiency with which a lampunit converts electricity intolight, we still don’t knowenough about plantresponses to different lightspectra to be able tocompare the true efficiencyof lamps in terms of theireffects on the crop.”Farm Energy Centre

commercial director ChrisPlackett told the conferencethat in his view theeconomics of installing andrunning a lighting systemdepended on more than theenergy efficiency of thelamps themselves. “It’s notjust about comparing lamp Aand lamp B,” he said. “Youneed to consider installationand infrastructure costs, thecabling, and how muchmaintenance the lamps needto keep their performance upto specification.“Depending on the type of

lamp and what you use it for,you may be able to beselective about when youactually run it, so that youcan take advantage offavourable energy tariffs tokeep running costs down.As we find out more aboutmatching spectral output tocrop response, using theenergy as effectively aspossible to produce a bettercrop will also play a role inthe economics.”He said the energy market

in the UK was beginning toapproach what could be

described as a ‘smart grid’system: “Already, bigelectricity users look to avoidconsuming power during‘triads’ – those timesbetween November andFebruary when the grid is atpeak consumption. If youcan avoid lighting duringthose times there may besavings to be made; and forthose generating their ownpower, it might be worthmore to you to export attriad times than to use it forthe crop.”As the UK’s electricity

generation comes to relyless and less on a few largeold power stations and moreon the network of manysmall generators, electricitycompanies will find ways tomake it pay for growers toswitch lights off at certaintimes, he said – but systemsneed to be able to respondquickly enough, perhapswithin a couple of seconds.“There are a number of

aspects of LED installationsthat make them cheaperthan conventional lighting toinstall,” said Mr Plackett.“For example, LEDs are lessaffected than other types oflamp by variations in supplyvoltage. And the cablingrequirement will be simpler.”The lower heat output from

LEDs compared with high-pressure sodium luminairescould mean, however, thatgreenhouse heatingsetpoints need to beadjusted and the resultingadditional energy use willneed to be factored into theeconomics of an installation,said Mr Plackett. TomDueck, who has beentrialling LED overhead andinterlighting combinations fortomatoes at Wageningen URin the Netherlands, saidtemperatures had needed tobe raised by 1°C just tocompensate for the heat thatwould have been generatedby overhead SON-T lamps.There’s increasing interest

and R&D on the use of LEDlighting to grow crops in‘urban farming’ set-ups incompletely enclosedbuildings with no naturallight, but Mr Pearson saidthat while this might have aplace, for example inbringing some particularlyperishable crops closer totheir market, the economicsmeant it was ‘unlikely to feedthe future’. Calculations hepresented to the conferenceon the cost-effectiveness ofgrowing strawberry, lettuce,potato and wheat undersuch a system suggestedthat only for strawberrywould the production costfor energy, of 62p per 200gof fruit, fall within the currentretail price of £2. The energycost per 200g would be 63pfor lettuce against a retailprice of 49p and £5.19compared with 20p forpotatoes. The energy costfor wheat would be £25 for200g, the same as forgrowing a tonne in the field,he said. ◆

Chris Plackett: take intoaccount installation,infrastructure andmaintenance costs.

Erik Runkle: light recipesfor growers will usually be acompromise.


14 • ORNAMENTAL SEMINAR

Speakers from bothsides of the Atlanticdrew over eighty

members of the BritishProtected OrnamentalsAssociation to a day-longtechnical seminar held atStratford-upon-Avon in lateJanuary. The programmefeatured two presentations onBell Nursery, one of thelargest producers of beddingin the USA, and one from theleader of the Robotics andAutomation R & D team atthe Vineland Research Centrein Canada. There were sevenother speakers, including NeilBragg of Bulrush Horticulture,whose company sponsoredthe event. This report fromJohn Sutton.

‘Views from Across thePond’ was the theme of themorning’s seminarprogramme. In addition toCole Mangum from BellNursery and Dr GideonAvigad from VinelandResearch, there were NorthAmerican inputs from twoBritish speakers. BruceHarnett of Kernock ParkPlants had visited widely inthe USA and Canada as partof his recently completedNuffield Farming Scholarship.His remit was to explore whyand how horticulturalproducers chose to invest intechnology both in Europeand more widely.Mike Smith of W D Smith Ltd

in Essex briefly reviewed theAssociation’s successful visitto the Eastern USA early in2015. For the future, heannounced that the BPOAand AHDB Horticulture wereplanning a week-long studytour to Oregon, WashingtonState and British Columbiaearly in 2017. Smith Gardensand Terra Nova Nurseries arevisits already pencilled intothe programme.Bell Nursery in Maryland,

USA was among theproducers of bedding andpot plants visited bymembers of the BPOA studytour in March last year. ColeMangum, chief executiveofficer, charted thespectacular increase inproduction and sales over thelast twenty years. Turnover in1996 was US $2m, but by2008 the figure had reachedUS$ 180m. The companynow produces and shipsabout 100million plants eachyear.Keystones to the company’s

success included itscommitment to a singlecustomer, the giant Americanhome improvement storechain The Home Depot. Notonly does Bell supply plantsto its stores in an extensiveand heavily populated area inthe eastern USA, in thosestores, it also supplies andpays for its own retailing teamof ‘Purple Shirts’. These menand women staff thededicated in-store Bellmerchandising areas. BellNursery takes great pride inthe quality of its retailing staff,who are there to care for theplants and their presentationand to advise customers.Bell Nursery has 30ha (75

acres) of modernglasshouses on three sites.

During their very rapidexpansion, though, thebusiness ‘was receiving moreorders than we could put upglass for’, said ColeMagnum.The ‘Growers’ Network’ was

their response. Over thirtyfarming families have joinedthis enterprise, buildingglasshouses on their farmsspecifically to grow throughto sale-readiness plantssupplied as young plantmaterial by Bell. Frequentvisits by the company’sexperienced growers are partof the support and advicepackages for Networkparticipants. Bell undertakesto buy all Class 1 productfrom them. Altogether thereare now over 25ha (morethan 60 acres) of glassprovided by the Network. Itsmembers often find that theseasonality of Bell productiondovetails very well with theirarable farm activities.

Bell has developed cutting-edge inventory management.This provides the informationessential to support thedelivery programme. At timesof peak demand on springweekends this can extend toas many as fourconsignments sent in oneday to each of the outletswith the highest turnover.

Automation & roboticsBell has invested heavily inautomation in the last sixyears, and it was automationtogether with robotics thatwas the topic of Canadianspeaker, Dr Gideon Aravidfrom the Vineland ResearchCentre in Ontario. Hisdepartment typically workson projects lasting no morethan four years. They aretightly focused on meetingthe needs of growers. Theyare an essential element inthe working partnerships thatthe research team aims to

Views from across the pond

The BPOANow in its tenth year, the British Protected OrnamentalsAssociation continues to thrive, with a membership notfar short of two hundred. The great majority are growersof ornamentals under glass and plastic – the producergroup whose interests the Association was establishedto serve. It is a specialist group of the NFU, and is ableto draw on the parent organisation’s facilities andsupport. The Association also has members in thesupply trades, such as growing media, labelling andplants and seeds.One of the Association’s achievements is the Home

Grown campaign to promote the sale of garden plantsgrown in Britain. The Home Grown logo on labels andpoint-of-sale material is now widely seen on retailpremises. The Association has a distinguished record inorganizing events for its members. The annual technicalconference in January is just one. Early in 2015 therewas a study visit to the USA, and in October a well-supported day event at Neame Lea Nurseries inSpalding. For early 2017 another study tour to NorthAmerica is planned, this time to British Columbia andthe West Coast of the USA.

Cole Mangum of BellNursery, one of theconference speakers.


15ORNAMENTAL SEMINAR •

establish with potential usersof new technology on onehand, and on the other withthe companies that willeventually commercialise thefindings of the researchers.Examples of ongoing work

include the automation ofmushroom and applepicking, and tulip bulbplanting for forcing. Work onimproving water distributionin glasshouse irrigation isalso ongoing.The Vineland Research and

Innovation Centre, a not-for-profit organisation, currentlyemploys over a hundredstaff. Its range of activitiesincludes breeding ofvegetables and ornamentals,plant pathology andenvironmental control inprotected horticulture. Bruce Harnett’s presentation

was sub-titled ‘Man versusMachine’. One successfulexample of robotics at workin horticulture that he quotedwas pot-spacing machinesfor handling and spacinglarge plants grown on theglasshouse floor. Themachines were designedprimarily for pots of size2.0U.S. gallons – 8 litres.Costing US$28,000 each,the estimated paybackperiod on one nursery wasjust fifteen months. In the Netherlands,

automation of the sticking ofchrysanthemum cuttings by

Deliflor had speeded theprocess to 3500 cuttings perhour per machine. This isabout 40% faster than theaverage performance ofexperienced workers. Aneven greater advantageduring periods of very highdemand is that the machinescan work almostcontinuously.‘Horticultural Technology

from a UK Perspective’ wasthe title chosen by thespeaker Dr Simon Pearson ofFreiston Associates, and ofthe University of Lincoln’sInstitute of Food Technology.His principal concern was toset the scene for the wideruse of automation. In UKhorticulture, he said, therewas a serious skills shortageand an ageing workforce.There were imminent largeplanned rises in wage rates.For many growers theavailability of suitable workerswas a problem, and thiscould become worse if theUK electorate voted to leavethe EU. Investment inautomation provided asolution to some of theseproblems, but in exchangecapitalization will become anincreasingly big issue forgrowers.

Water DisinfectionThree presentations dealtwith a range of issues arounddisease and pest control. DrTim Pettit of the University ofWorcester spoke on thedisinfection of irrigationwater. Slow sand filtrationwas widely used and couldbe very effective. The use ofChina clay sand, which hassub-angular particles, resultsin an accelerated rate ofdisinfection, coupled withless need for filter cleaning.In one large nursery,changing to the use of thismaterial resulted in theinterval between cleaningsbecoming a year instead of amere two or three weeks.ADAS entomologist Jude

Bennison and Dr MartinMcPherson, science directorat Stockbridge TechnologyCentre, covered some oftheir current work on pestand disease control. Aphidcontrol on fuchsia, pansy andprimroses has been underthe spotlight, and JudeBennison highlighted theproblem that could be posedfor bio-controls byhyperparasitoidal wasps.These are parasites on theinsect species introduced bythe grower to control aphids.Growers could minimize therisks of reduced effectivenessby using mixtures ofparasitoids, rather than singlespecies.Martin McPherson spoke on

the MOPS programme(managing ornamental pestssustainably). This aimed togenerate efficacy and cropsafety data for new productapprovals. Rust on Bellis andpowdery mildew on Asterwere in the ongoing trialsprogramme.Neil Bragg, product

development director forBulrush Horticulture, spokeon plant nutrition. Samplingcrop foliage and growingmedia for analysis demandedthought and care by thegrower, he said. Consistencyin the time at which sampleswere taken was important inenabling advisors to identifytrends, with early mornings

probably best. Growingmedia samples fromcontainers were best takenfrom knocked-out plants asfinger and thumb pinchesaround the mid-depth of thegrowing medium.

Bedding centreFor growers of protectedornamentals, the Bedding &Pot Plant Centre nearCoventry is a very welcomerecent addition to the scene.Progress to date and newinvestigational projects for2016 featured in the BPOAconference programme.The Centre was established

at Baginton Nurseries, initiallyas a two-year AHDP project.The BPOA played apioneering role in its launch.Dr Jill England of ADAS is thework programme leader forthe Centre, with ChloeWhiteside as projectmanager. Results in 2015,the first year of operation,included comparison ofrecently introduced seed-raised varieties of calibrachoaand begonia with varietiesthat are vegetatively-propagated. Other workestablished the impact ofgrowing temperatures on thelength of time needed forproduction. This showed thatverbena (Quartz series) wastemperature-neutral in theconditions of the trial, whilesalvia (Vista) and petunia(Frenzy) were highlyresponsive to smalltemperature changes. For 2016 Jill England

reported that there will bework on over-winteredperennials, glass coatingswith spectral filteringproperties, verbena nutrition,and methods of improvingsuccess rates in rooting zonalpelargonium cuttings. Thereare to be three open days, on12th and 21st April, and -coinciding with the NationalPlant Show at nearbyStoneleigh – on 21st June. ◆

Jude Bennison of ADAS,speaking on biologicalcontrol of aphids.

Dr Tim Pettit of the Universityof Worcester, speaking onwater disinfection.

16 • IPM HIGHLIGHTS


BILLED as the world’s leadinghorticultural trade fair, thebiggest news at IPM 2016concerns global collaborationbetween Visser and Mayer.The first result of which wasavailable for visitors to see onthe Mayer stand and thecombination of a Visser Pic-O-Mat Greenline transplanterwith a Mayer potting machinecapable of handling as manyas 10,000 pots per hour.The co-operation between

the two family-ownedcompanies started 12 yearsago, but petered out a fewyears later. However, bothcompanies are under newmanagement and Mayer’sThomas Bassmann and CEORené de Vos of the VisconGroup (Visser), see manyopportunities in combiningstrengths.Mayer specialises in potting

machines and soilpreparation, while Visser all the handling equipment

needed for young plantproduction. Mr de Vos saysthe move makes soundbusiness sense. “This makesfor great partners ininternational horticulturalprojects and is good news fordealers providing them withone solution from twoexperts,” he says.The Dutch company is now

responsible for the marketingof Mayer products in theNetherlands and Mayer is theVisser dealer in Germany. Thecompanies will partner inworldwide turnkeyhorticultural projects and thecombined sales network willprovide opportunities tofurther business and toexpand to new markets. Now they are looking to see

which dealers are best in the

new set up. “It is too early tosay much just yet but thelong term goal is to have onedealer selling both brands percountry,” continues Mr deVos.He was able to say more

about the possibilities theagreement brings to the twopartners with R+D. “This isone of the big strengths, andat GreenTech in Amsterdamthis year we will show lots ofnew systems.” Weunderstand one of these willinclude a completely newtransplanter which we willshow on a Mayer pot filler.Hall 3 was devoted entirely

to technical matters, andfilled with a wide range ofcompanies offering everythingfrom greenhouseconstructions to grow lights,and from pots to potting and

planting machines. On thesubject of potting machines,Javo used the German showto reveal what is believed tobe the first App for a pottingmachine. Called the JavoApp, the company admits itwill not appeal to all users,but there are sometechnology-minded growerskeen to follow their machinesremotely from a smart phoneand check hourly outputs.Providing it is fitted with aPLC, and there is a Wi-Ficonnection, then the systemcan de fitted to any of thecompany’s machines. Thecompany reckons thetechnique could beinteresting for growersworking with a wide range ofdifferent products andproduction sites.Danish-firm Ellepot’s wide

10-hectares of stand space was needed to house the 1,585 exhibitors at the34th edition of IPM. Steven Vale joined the crowds at the Essen ExhibitionCentre to round-up some of the highlights from the popular four-day event.

New products and offerings from IPM

IPM visitors were able to see the first results of cooperation between Visser International andMayer and the combination of a Visser Pic-O-Mat Greenline transplanter with a Mayerpotting machine.

IPM visitors were able totake a first-hand look atModiform’s newly-launchedPlantPaper paper pots.


17IPM HIGHLIGHTS •

range of potting machinesincludes the H111 for pots upto 50mm, and the H211 forsizes from 50-80mm. Thesetwo machines continue to beavailable but the companyused the German show tomeet customer requests for asingle machine that is notonly capable of working withall pot sizes from 15-80mm’s,but also with two different potsizes at the same time.Called the H202 Manual, andon show for the first time atIPM, the company says it willappeal to growers workingwith a wide variety of differentpot diameters. Prices startfrom around €22,800, and forpot diameters in excess of80mm the Ellepot price listincludes the H311 (80-120mm).Featured in a previous issue

of this magazine, the newly-designed paper pots madeby Danish-firm PlantPaperwere a major highlight on

Modiform’s stand and thefirst opportunity for growersto see the concept in theflesh. At the opposite end ofthe company’s attractivestand was a new range ofcoloured pots. Modiform hasproduced such pots forseveral years and hasdiscovered that the ‘staticelectricity’ generated duringthe colouring process canresult in pots ‘sticking’together in potting machines.Modiform’s new Prestigiouspot, which is made by slightchanges to the raw materialand a new pot base, isdesigned to eliminate this.There is more because thecompany has invested in anew colour printing machine.Able to print eight colours ata time, the design on displayat IPM was made especiallyfor the show.Another Dutch-firm, Logitec,

has established a thrivingbusiness for its compressed

Logitec’s MMB 100 breaks up bales of compressed substratesup to 320-litres.

Ventilation netting for pest controlAs growers have had to become less dependant onpesticides, they are turning to ventilation and insect nettingsystems as a way of protection and control says MarcelSchulte of netting solutions company Holland Gaas.The company have provided their flame retardant netting to

growers in over 45 countries and their stand at this yearsIPM Essen included examples and choices available. The insect net system is made to specific requirements

from small scale to very extensive projects for both glassand plastic houses – for side ventilation or roof.The netting, has a ‘permanent fold’ ensuring a perfect tight

folding on closure of vents, whilst offering maximumventilation with minimum light loss.The mesh size and permeability can be decided by the

grower in consultation with Holland Gaas and installation iscarried out by the company’s experienced and certifiedtechnicians.



substrate bale shreddingmachines and the companyclaims to have sold in excessof 100 of its big bale DB40sin the UK. The company

reckons most British growerswill continue to stick with bigbales, but those seeking asmaller bale shredder mightlike to know the company

now offers a mini balebreaker called the MBB 100.Described as a simple, low

maintenance and economicmachine to break bales ofcompressed substrates up to320-litres, tests show thefully-automatic machine iscapable of handling 20-30bales an hour. MBB 100prices start from around€5,000.Well-known for its mobile

tray/pot washers, LimexCleaning Solutions is notjust celebrating its 30thanniversary this year but also

the production of its 1,000thmachine. During recent yearsthe company has seen thedemand for its disinfectionmachines increase, so whatbetter way to celebrate thana two-in-one machine that iscapable of both washing anddisinfecting pots and trays.Called the Puraflow T280D,and shown as a prototype,the company has engineeredenough space in the lowerhalf of the washing machineto incorporate thedisinfection equipment.The space saving benefit is

Shown in prototype form, Limex Cleaning SolutionsPuraflow T280D combines pot and tray washing with adisinfection unit.

Priva says its Vialux M-Line brings water disinfection withUV light technology within the reach of all growers.

Danish-firm Senmatic brought its new FL100 LED top lightfixture to the Essen Exhibition Centre. We hope to have moredetails of this in a future issue of The CommercialGreenhouse Grower .

Promise of plentyEvanthia has been in the news lately for its award-winning Sunsation Yellow and Sunsation Lemonsunflowers, both of which were on display at IPM2016. There is a third colour (Flame), and thecompany says there will be plenty of seed of all threefor the UK this summer. In addition to moreSunsation colours, the company also promises uslots of exciting new products in the future, includingmore ornamental cabbages, and describes MistyBlue (Lisianthus) on display at the Essen ExhibitionCentre as ‘exciting’ for professional British growers.


19IPM HIGHLIGHTS •

not the only one and thecompany reckons the pricetag of the T280D (2.8cleaning line) is roughly 20%cheaper than a stand alonedisinfection unit. With amaximum output of 800-900pots an hour, prices startfrom around €33,000. Thedisinfection system can also

be retro-fitted to existingmachines but then as a bolt-on unit.Bringing water disinfection

with UV light technologywithin the reach of allgrowers, Priva’s Vialux M-Line decomposes all fungi,bacteria and viruses inirrigation water. Easy to use,

it is possible for growers toreplace the UV lamp, quartztube and UV sensor and thesystem is protected againstlamp failure, overheating andrunning dry. Maintenance is also easy

and rinsing with acid issufficient to remove thedeposit from the quartz tube.

Suitable for us as a stand-alone system, it can also belinked to process computersfrom various manufacturers.All controls are fullyintegrated when linked to thePriva Connext processcomputer.Danish-firm Senmatic

brought a new LED top light

All for one and one for allThe company names and legal forms of the groupmembers remain unchanged, but IPM 2016 providedthe first opportunity to see a new look for the SelectaGroup, which will see all companies within the groupmarketed under the brand name selecta one.Featuring a new logo, the modern makeover is notlimited to the company’s stand because a newwebsite has also been launched.

Developed by Beekenkamp Plants, providing it is looked aftercorrectly then GineTato produces 4-5 aubergines and up to1kg of potatoes – all from a single plant!

Less pesticides More ventilation Less light reduction Durable material and system Perfect closure of the ventilation windows Easy to clean

Insect netting systems for all types of greenhouses & polyhouses

Honderdland 30, 2676 LS MAASDIJKThe Netherlands

T +31 (0)174 - 516 180F +31 (0)174 - 513 622

E [email protected] www.hollandgaas.nl

Less pesticides

eenhouses & polyhousesof grInsect netting systems for all types

Less pesticides

eenhouses & polyhousesInsect netting systems for all types

The Netherlands

Less pesticides Mor Less light r Durable material and system Perfect closur

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eduction Less light r Durable material and system

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.hollandgaas.nl

on

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fixture to the EssenExhibition Centre. Called theFL100, the newcomer, whichis based on the biggerFL300, could also be seenon another Danishcompany’s stand - Viemose-Driboga, which was showingthe prototype and scaled-down version of a newvertical farming system.Called the Multi GreenGrow, the system isdesigned to produce a widerange of herbs and lettuces.The Danish company hasproduced single layersystems (Single Green Grow)for nearly 15 years, but thisis its first attempt at a multilayer system. Available inversions from 5 to 8 layers,the company hopes to build3-5 systems this year.Apparently, each one isclaimed to produce thesame volume of plants as a

Danish-firm Viemose-Driboga hopes to build 3-5 Multi GreenGrow systems this year.

Show stand of the future?One of a couple of similar stands at the recently-heldIPM 2016, and one containing no squeaky newmachinery. WPS argues rather than portraying just asmall section of a conveyor belt it is better to showvisitors working TV pictures of all latest developmentswith experts on hand to discuss all the technicaldetails. Could this be the horticultural trade standshow stand of the future?

1ha greenhouse.Finally, at the same show a

year ago BeekenkampPlants was catapulted underthe spotlight with the worldpremiere of a grafted plantfor the home gardener thatproduces both tomatoes andpotatoes. Called TomTato,and the result of over 10years of R+D, the novelproduct is availableexclusively in the UK throughThompson & Morgan. Thetechnique has not justhelped to raiseBeekenkamp’s profile, but isalso proving to be a bigsuccess and we understandthat the limited supply ofplants quickly sold out.At this year’s show TomTato

was joined by GineTato,which if looked aftercorrectly produces 4-5aubergines and up to 1kg ofpotatoes. ◆


21LABELS •

Catching people’s eyeJust as pots and trays arecreating a bold statement inthe retail environment, so tooare horticultural labels. NickMathias, managing directorfor Floramedia UK, explains:“A lot of people are looking atthe way that they aremarketing their plants. Theretail world is healthier than ithas been for a number ofyears and what’s come withthat is an enthusiasm forlooking at the way that plantsare being labelled – improvingthem both from a brandingpoint of view and in terms ofthe information that’s onthem. People are lookingagain at the real purpose of alabel – such as the fact that itserves as a ‘buy me’ plug ina garden centre and also asa branding and marketingtool. They are more willing tomake a bigger statement witha bigger label.” Philip Mabon,group creative director forHortipak (Ryedale Group) hassimilar sentiments. He says:“Hortipak’s in-house designteam use research data fromorganisations such as the

Horticultural TradesAssociation and Pantone tohelp them in their designprocess. Fresh HTA researchhas found that ‘colour isshown to be critical in gettingshoppers to stop at fixturesand engage with plants.’”Mabon also emphasizes theimportance of having a largeimage of the plant on thelabel to help catch people’seye. “Large images of theplants have become thenumber one requirement,images that inspire and showthe plants at their verybest – essential if the plantsare being sold when they arenot in flower or [if they]change appearancesignificantly through theseasons.” Stuart Lowen,marketing manager for BallColegrave, also emphasisesthe importance of a goodquality image: “Ninety five percent of the space on the frontof the label is taken up by thepicture of the plant – which isvery important when theplant is being sold in itsgreen state, particularlybedding and patio plants.”

Duncan McLintock, directorat Bamboo Print, has alsonoticed a trend for bigger,brighter, labels. He says:“We’ve been involved insome re-branding exercisesthat seem to confirm thecontinued demand for morecomprehensive informationand more colour images.Larger labels also lendthemselves to the marketingof larger plants, for whichthere’s a noticeable demand.”

HomegrownMcLintock also points outthat, as is common in a lot offood packaging, there’scurrently a trend towardsproviding information onprovenance and origins. Hesays: “Our customers arevery keen to stress the factthat their products are‘homegrown’.” Mabon addsthat, in addition to icons suchas the RHS Awards ofGarden Merit and RHSPerfect for Pollinators, thewords “British Grown” areoften shown on the front ofthe label. Label providers arealso noticing that moresymbols are being used onthe back of the label. Mathiasexplains: “People are re-looking at what is being saidon the back of the label andtrying to write it for a youngeraudience. There’s moreenthusiasm for using acombination of symbols andwords to make the back ofthe label more readable.”

Innovation andingenuityThe need to produce highquality products as costeffectively as possible isresulting in a range of

innovative, state-of-the-artproducts that are making lifeeasier for both growers andretailers. PPC Labels’ TagWeld system, for example,sees the label welded to thepot. PPC Labels’ seniorproject manager CatherinePilling reveals that the TagWeld system is this seasonbeing used by Lincolnshire-based Neame Lea Nurseriesfor Tesco. She says: “TagWeld has caused atremendous amount ofinterest from other growersand retailers both in the UKand overseas. With now over50 machines installedthroughout Europe andinterest from Australia andthe USA it is great to see ourpatented label weldingprocess changing the way ofplant labelling around theworld. ” She explains that

Producing labels for the dynamic horticulture market requires both creativity andtechnological wizardry as customers continue to require innovative, high quality,cost-effective products. Rachel Anderson finds out more.

When every labels tells a story

Bamboo's label showing theUnion Jack

TagWeld on Tesco pots.


22 • LABELS

the system’s fast, automatedlabel application offersgrowers a substantial savingin man hours. It also enablesthem to combine pricing andbarcode details onto onelabel that is securely fixed tothe pot. “With every labelwelded to the pot in thesame way it ensures auniform display,” explainsPilling. The Tag Weld systemis evidently helping tosimplify the productionprocess in the nursery – asare many other labelproducts and services.Mathias reveals, for example,that Floramedia is currentlyworking on making the orderprocess much more efficient.He says: “We are producingweb services that support usand the growers in terms ofprocessing orders.” Mabonadds that Hortipak is alsohelping its clients with theordering process. He says:“At Hortipak we plan thevery best yields from oursheets, often recommendingslight changes to requesteddimensions allowing for morelabels on a sheet.” Moreover,IML Labels and Systems ishelping growers with thetricky process ofproduct/stock identificationthanks to its HLS labellingsoftware. General managerJustine Newman says:

“Using IML’s HLS labellingsoftware allows users tocustomize all of the data fieldon their label in-house andadd high quality images,either via our imagedatabase or by importingtheir own. In today’s market,replacing informative text onthe labels, for example careinformation, with symbolsand icons makes labelseasier to understand andovercomes languagebarriers.”

Bespoke designsAs retailers seek to createdistinctive brands forthemselves, many labelproviders are receiving morerequests for bespoke labeldesigns and pictures.Mathias says: “A lot ofretailers are interested inhaving their own bespokeimages. That’s a trend that’sbeginning to evolve and weare working on that trend.Whereas in the past imageswould come from an imagelibrary some retailers arebeginning to look atdeveloping their own libraryof images so that they canbe distinctive. It’s about thedesire to differentiate.” Pillingnotes that PPC Labels hasseen short runs of bespokelabels of 250 varietiesbecome “more and more

popular withgrowers.” Shesays: “This givesthem theopportunity tohave a qualitybespoke labeldesign for themajority of theirrange, or trial newvarieties, withouthaving vast stocksof labels at theend of theirseason.” Mathiasadds that,because moregrowers and retailers arenow selling plants on theInternet, Floramedia is alsodeveloping a lot of onlinepackaging for customers.“Online packaging combinesthe need for practical,economic use of thematerials with graphicalbranding,” he asserts.

Point-of-sale materialAs the industry constantlylooks for ways to attractshoppers’ attention, labels ofall shapes and sizes areproving to be popular.Mathias reveals, for instance,that Floramedia is producingincreasing numbers ofprinted pot wraps –particularly in the springwhen he says they are beingused to build impact at aparticularly competitive timeof year. Meanwhile, Pillingreveals that trolley point-of-sale material is an area inwhich PPC Labels has seena huge increase in demand.She says: “We producecustom design trolley endboards, post strips and shelfedge strips to dress up aDanish trolley and turn it intoan eye catching retail display.Quantities can be from tentrolley boards up tothousands of a design.”

QR CodesQR (Quick Response) codesenable consumers to use

their smartphones to scan acode that directly routesthem to a website wherethey can find moreinformation about aparticular plant. Whilst QRcodes are becomingincreasingly common, labelproviders agree that thistechnology has yet to reachits full potential in thehorticulture market. Mathiassays: “The uptake has notbeen pervasive in theindustry. But I think that’smore because of the webpages at the other end andthat experience the QR codeitself. It’s about theexperience for theconsumers. I think a lot ofpeople are stillexperimenting how to createweb services but there aresome retailers and growersworking together on thatand we are helping peopleto do that.” Newman adds:“No doubt there is widerpotential to use QR codes ina horticultural environment.However, unsurprisingly, theidea of waving a smartphonearound in a garden centrecertainly does not appeal toeveryone. Maybe their truevalue could be recognized inEPOS and stock control, itremains to be seen.” Mabonbelieves that QR codes arejust one “doorway” to furtherdigital information “but theyremain a popular device to

IML label.

Bamboo label showing distinct style forretailer.


23GROWING MEDIA •

When it comes tohydroponicproduction systems

and the use of non-organicgrowing media the UK is stilldominated by stone wool(sometimes known as rockwool) products with perlite,pumice stone and NFT allused to a lesser extent, andother media working hard tobecome more widely used bygrowers.Grodan stone wool, which

was the first growing mediumfor professional growers to beawarded an EU Ecolabellicence, is made from Basaltrock, melted and spun intofibres using a controlledmanufacturing process. Thefibres are one hundred percent inert and hydrophilic,”explains Stuart Lambie,Sustainability Manager forGrodan. “As it is an inertgrowing medium it containsno nutrients when it isdelivered to growers.Consequently they have theopportunity to start thecultivation with a balancednutrient solution and aprecise watering strategy.This ensures maximumgenerative control over thegrowth of the crop at thestart of production whichleads to an earlier initialharvest. Another benefit overorganic substrates is that thenutrient solution which drainsfrom the substrate can be100% recycled afterdisinfection, which improvesthe efficiency of water andfertiliser use, lowering costsand reducing theenvironmental impact of cropproduction.” He points out that

improvements in substratedesign over the years havemade it easier to control

access this through.” Hesays: “The content that theQR codes link to is of themost importance and willcontinue to be so asconsumers look for moredetailed information andadvice and smartphonesusage across age groupscontinues to grow.”

Label longevityWhilst label providers aremindful of the need to carefor the environment, theyassert that durability remainsa priority when it comes thelabel material. For thisreason, the majority ofcompanies find that therecyclable plasticpolypropylene is ideal.McLintock says:“Polypropylene is good toprint on and it gives us arobust label, which isincredibly important.Bedding plants moveincredibly quickly – they canbe in and out of a shopwithin 24 hours – whereashigh-ticket ornamentalplants can stand in thegarden centre for two yearsand so the label has toremain at its best.” He addsthat he is keen to use abiodegradable material “ifone was available at theright price” whilst Mabonsays that Hortipak, whichalso uses polypropylene forthe majority of its labels, is“developing and triallingrecyclable andbiodegradable packagingsolutions with our growerand retailer customers.”Mathias adds thatFloramedia has worked withits suppliers to develop amaterial named B500. “It’san eco-friendly,biodegradable, coated card.It is being offered to growersas a hanging label, andlooks especially good whenused with our bambooinformation sticks.” ◆

substrate water content (WC)and electrical conductivity(EC) more efficiently byenlarging their potentialsteering range making itpossible for growers toenhance root developmentand control the crop’sgenerative and vegetativedevelopment. This impliesmaximum production of highquality fruit. “As well as stone wool,

perlite is often used inconjunction with COIR toimprove structure and bothcoir and stone woolsubstrates are often used inslab form as this negates thelabour costs associated withfilling pots,” points outStephen Fry of Hydrogarden.“Stone wool, such as VLHydro Max products, is

treated as a pure hydroponicgrowing media as it iscompletely inert whereasgrowers using coir-basedsubstrates have to take intoaccount the P and K contentof the coir itself.”As Stuart Lambie explains,

“One major issue with coircan be large amounts ofsodium (Na) which has to beflushed away and can make itimpossible to recycle drainwater in 100 per cent closedsystems on coir.”Stephen points out that

while nutrient film technique(NFT) is used less in the UKthan elsewhere in Europe dueto low prices for many crops,it is still popular for herbs andsome short-term salads.Stephen agrees with Stuartthat, “Stone wool substrates

Alternatives to stone wool still tocatch up

Propagation of tomato plant in Plantop Delta block.

24 • GROWING MEDIA


give the greatest degree ofcontrol to the grower in termsof moisture and nutrientcontent and their control.There is also increasinginterest in recirculatingsystems which do not releaseparticles into the system andare completely inert, howeverthe economics of recirculatingsystems favour largercommercial operations due tosignificant initial investment.”In the UK and in the vast

majority of EU countries coiris not permitted in organicproduction where soil is theonly acceptable growingmedia in organic greenhouseproduction under the EUorganic regulations. “Coirdoes not give the samecapacity for moisture controlwhen compared to stonewool,” says Stephen. “This isnot saying that it doesn’t holdmoisture uniformly throughoutbut with stone wool thespeed of saturation, howquickly it will dry in givenenvironmental conditions andhow wet different strata withinthe profile will get can all bevery precisely controlled.There are continual advancesin the structure of stone woolslabs giving greater controlover steerability. There are amyriad of characteristics thatcan be built into a given rock

wool slab that become highlyplant/environmentallyspecific.”In many cases the decision

whether to grow in a coir orrock wool based medium willbe based on theenvironmental credentials ofeach, with coir oftenperceived to be ‘greener.’However manufacturers ofstone wool point to recyclingschemes and the fact thatLife Cycle Studies haveshown that either mediumcontributes less than 1 percent of the totalenvironmental impact for acrop of tomatoes or peppers.Both offer a high degree ofcontrol but the cost of gettingslabs to site will varysignificantly depending onlocation and access to theright markets. However,Greek-based Dalkafoukishopes to increase the use ofpumice stone as a growingsubstrate in Northern Europe,including the UK.Evagelos Kikilintzias, the

company’s Export Manager,explains: “Based on a recenttrip to Amsterdam I haverealized that most companiesin Europe, except fromgrowing their crops in the soilthey also use perlite. Bycontrast in Greece there is anincreasing use of pumice

stone. This is mainly becauseit is a totally natural productwith extraordinary benefitsand can add value togrower’s products.”He says that pumice stone is

perfect for growing plantsand vegetables depending onwhen it is used in the growingseason. “Besides that pumicestone is a total naturalproduct and perlite and otherproducts have gone throughindustrial treatment beforethey can be used,” he adds.“Pumice is environmentalyfriendly, thermally insulating,soundproofing, non-combustible and has ahomogenous quality. It hashigh mechanical strength, lowspecific weight, it holdsmoisture and improvesventilation of the root systemwhile enhancing theproperties of the plant soiland helps in draining thewater.” He admits that onedisadvantage of pumicestone is that, like some coir, itcan require washing beforeuse to remove unwantedmaterials. Dalkafoukis’s Agrolava

product also has EU Ecolabelcertification, and as well asthe Agrolava product, whichis aimed at large scalegrowers the company alsoproduces Oikialava for in

house production andblending.Other proposed alternatives

to stone wool and coir arealso being presented by anumber of companies. Theauthors of a recent studypublished in HortScience saythat biochar, a charcoal-likematerial produced by heatingbiomass in the absence ofoxygen, can help “close theloop” when used as asubstrate for soilless,hydroponic tomatoproduction. “This methodcould provide growers with acost-effective andenvironmentally responsiblegreen-waste disposalmethod, and supplementsubstrate, fertilizer, andenergy requirements,” saidthe study’s correspondingauthor Jason Wargent.The scientists used tomato

crop green waste consistingprimarily of vines and also thestem clips and string used totrain tomato vines during theproduction cycle (in this casethe non-plant wasteaccounted for about 7.5% ofthe waste dry weight).Substrates were preparedconsisting of biochar,sawdust, or mixtures of thetwo materials, and thentomato plants were grown inthe different substrates for

Tomatoes are one of the most common crops grown onRockwool.

GroSense monitoring equipment from Grodan.

25GROWING MEDIA •


110 days. After harvesting,the plants were evaluated forsubstrate physical andchemical properties, alongwith plant growth, leafnutrient content, andbiomass.“The properties of biochar

produced from tomato cropgreen waste were generallyas would be expected,” theauthors said. “Tomatoesgrown in substratescontaining or consistingentirely of biochar did notdiffer significantly in terms ofgrowth, yield, or fruit qualityto those grown in pinesawdust. The results of ourstudy support the concept ofcreating a closed loop systemwhereby biochar producedfrom tomato crop greenwaste is used as a substratefor soilless, hydroponictomato production.” Theyadded that biochar used as asoilless substrate could haveconsiderable advantages forgreenhouse tomato growers.“For example, turning tomatocrop green waste to biocharwould utilise 10-60 t/ha ofgreen waste for each cropcycle.Capillary matting has also

been suggested by some asa basis for hydroponicproduction. Trials by Horti-Technology using this type ofsystem suggest that it canensure that plants at the backof the system perform as wellas those closest to the fresh

water source. The company’sVan Adrichem recently toldjournalists, “The system usestwo channels in a profile: onewith fresh water and one forthe plants. A capillarymedium ensures that thewater from the fresh waterchannel draws toward theplant channel. As a result, thecomposition of the water inthe whole profile remainsequal.”Despite its dominance in the

UK market, providers ofstone wool substratescontinue to innovate.Cultilene, the growing mediadivision of Saint-Gobain hasrecently developed acombination of RootmaXXpropagation blocks and ExactAir slabs which are beingused for tomato production inthe Netherlands and thecompany claims that thecombination results in thedevelopment of strongerplants.Grodan is not standing still

when it comes to newdevelopments either. “Grodanslabs are most frequentlyused for the production oftomatoes, cucumber, sweetpepper and egg plants,”points out Stuart Lambie.“One of our products, GrotopMaster has proved its qualityall over the world and is nowthe most frequently used slabfor tomatoes in professionalhorticulture, while wedeveloped Grotop Master for

Precision Growing. As well asslabs, we also offer PlantopDelta blocks for thepropagation. Optimumcoordination of blocks andslabs can offer growersimportant added valuethroughout the entirecultivation season: what wecall the best Block SlabCombination. WorldwidePlantop Delta is the mostused block for thepropagation of plants.Growers who use slabs andblocks made of the samecapillary stone wool will enjoythe benefits of this addedvalue.” Grodan also holds theaward for the EuropeanEcolabel, the EU’senvironmental seal ofapproval for non-foodproducts.“Within Precision Growing,

the Grodan Group focuses on‘root zone management’, orin other words, steering ofthe root environment,” heexplains. “Everything thathappens in the stone woolsubstrate has an impact onthe functioning of the rootenvironment and thereforethe development of the plant.So, we continually investigatehow our products, tools anduser advice can respondperfectly to changingcircumstances, so that theplant is given the very bestcare, without wastingresources.”The company’s latest

development is a newwireless measuringinstrument, the GroSensHandHeld which providesgrowers with information onthe water content, EC andtemperature of the stonewool substrate. With themulti-measurement facility,different places in thegreenhouse can be measuredand it is simple to read outthe WC and EC averages.Sustainability is also a key

concern for non-organicsubstrates and growingsystems. “In the UK we offerrecycling services, from whichthe product ends up in theUK brick industry,” addsStuart Lambie. Although thisoption is not taken up widelyat the moment by themajority of UK growers, weare continuously working onincreasing the recyclingresults.” ◆

The Cultilene 1mOpTIMAXX slab.

26 • SALADS


If only there were morepeople like Neal Ward in theindustry. Bright,

enthusiastic, positive, forwardthinking, he is exactly what isneeded in the horticulturalsector at a time when everycompany is under pressureand every pressure seems tobe increasing.Somerset based Cantelo

Nurseries must be thankful heis part of a new managementteam at the company, whichgrows sweet peppers andcucumbers for thesupermarket and organic boxschemes. As Technical andSystems Manager at Cantelo,

Mr Ward is no stranger totalking about growingsystems or analysing seasonspast. As well as all thingstechnical, another of hisresponsibilities at thecompany is looking after theorganic pepper glasshouse.So how would he assess lastseason?“I think it was pretty

successful,” he tells TheCommercial GreenhouseGrower. “But it certainlydropped off towards the endwhen the weather conspiredagainst us and we ended upwith some botrytis in the cropwhich affected yield,” he

adds. “The previous year(2014) was an excellent onein terms of growing andyields and for most of lastseason we matched it butdidn’t quite get there,” hesays. Moving forward, there is lots

to think about. “Like allgrowers in the glasshousesector and beyond, we areunder pressure from thereturns we get and thatmeans we really need tofocus on managing costsmore effectively andefficiently. Labour is obviouslya big factor-especially wherethe organic block isconcerned, but there areother areas too,” he says.“We have investedsignificantly in thermalscreens for our glasshousesand obviously our energysystem is optimised as well.We have managed to harvestgood data from our Priva

system and are very muchusing that as a centre pointfor what decisions we makeand when. Energy is gettingcheaper-specially comparedto 2012-14 but labour isincreasing with the LivingWage and other inputs too.”He adds: “For us, it is notabout cutting out labour butmaking sure it is workingmore efficiently. We are quitebig on training here atCantelo and we want tomake sure we are finding outwhat people are good at andmaking sure we get the bestof them at crucial timesduring the season,” says MrWard. But automation is something

still out of the reach ofCantelo Nurseries. For thetime being anyway. “It is ahuge investment for anygrower and until we becomeeven more financially stable itis a step too far at the

The constant challenges to achieve success

Being one of the largest organic pepper growers in Europe is never an easytask. Adrian Tatum talks to Technical and Systems Manager at CanteloNurseries, Neal Ward, about the constant challenges faced by glasshousegrowers and the development of biopesticides.

Neal Ward, enthusiastic, positive and forward thinking.

27SALADS •


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moment,” says Mr Ward. His organic crop is a

constant challenge but ‘greatfun’ he says and Cantelo isrightly proud of what theyhave achieved over the yearswith the organic sweetpepper crop. “We havegrown slightly less over thelast few years but the organicsector is starting to comeback and the popularity isstarting to grow again.People are still very muchdemanding to know how theirfood is grown and where itcomes from, but growingorganically is a real challenge.It is hard work. There are lesspest controls around, lessorganic pepper varieties, thegrowing is more intensive andmore costly and theconversion period is verylong,” he says, “but it isworth it in the end.’The company markets all its

crops through TangmereNurseries and between themand Cantelo a significantamount of new crop trailstake place every year, butwhat is more important yieldor taste? “I think they have tobe both equally important.Obviously yield has to be afocus otherwise we can’tmove forward as a businessbut taste is vital because thatis what makes people comeback for more,” says MrWard. “I would say that 90%of growing is down to themanagement of the crop nomatter what variety you have.We have had considerablesuccess with conventionalvarieties but when we havetried them organically it justhasn’t worked. It is verydifficult to find specialistorganic pepper varieties thatare suitable for the UK marketso we have to strive to make

the conventional ones workunder organic conditions. In away we are always workingwith one hand tied behindour back,” he adds. “Butthere are always littlechanges and tweaks to what

we do. Currently we aretrying to work out ways ofgetting a little more fruit fromour current variety. We needto push them a little bitharder next season. Weperhaps need to consider

We are quite big on training here at Cantelo and wewant to make sure we are finding out what people aregood at.

The organic crop is a constant challenge but ‘great fun’he says and Cantelo is rightly proud of what they haveachieved over the years.


28 • SALADS

giving them slightly lesswater, assess our fertiliserregime and the approach tohow and when we trim theleaves. All this could make adifference and these are thethings we are constantly

analysing.” These words are a real

insight into the working brainof a glasshouse grower andthe constant analysis,challenges and issues thathave to be addressed.

Mr Ward’s other passion isincreasing the industry’sknowledge of biopesticides.He was part of an HDC studyentitled: Getting the best frombiopesticides, where Cantelowas used as a grower bestpractice case study. “There is a lot of work going

on with biopesticides,” hesays. “ Growers are beingpushed towards IntegratedPest Management (IPM)because of legislation and thewithdrawal of key activeingredients and slowly we aregetting to find out more aboutthe subject of biopesticidesand how to make best use ofthem. But, in my opinion,there is not enoughinteraction between theacademics and the growers.My great fear is that many ofthese scientific reports thatget produced sit unread ongrowers shelves. How manymanagers and owners ofhorticultural companies get tosee them? Having worked inacademia briefly, I haveexperienced what hashappened and can see itfrom both sides. If you are ascientist and you’ve donesome research then there ispressure to get it published inhigh impact journals but oftenthe grower, who pays thelevy, is sometimes leftwondering how this piece ofresearch can be appliedpractically on the nursery. Iwould like to see morescientists on nurseries-theyshould be asking as manyquestions of us as we areasking of them,” he says.“But it is up to industry andthe companies who sell theseproducts to do their bit aswell. Growers need to know,first and foremost, how to getthe best out of theseproducts and have the in-depth knowledge of thembefore they even get to thepoint of trialling them. I thinkthat would be mostbeneficial. I realise theseproducts are complicated but

if we could just close thatgap between academia andgrowers’ businesses I thinkwe could be on to a goodthing.”Mr Ward says the battle

against aphids and furtherdevelopment in aphid bio-control is something he thinksneeds constant investment interms of research. “It really isa sense of frustration whenyou think you have overcomea problem to find another onehas come along anddeveloped but that is part ofwhat we do,” he says. “That is what the industry

needs to focus on when itcomes to research-understanding how better tosolve practical problems thatgrowers face everyday andthat requires a closer workingrelationship betweeneveryone in the sectorwhatever their responsibilitiesare.”The subject of pest control

also brings the inevitablequestion of whether GM foodwill be developed further inthe future. “Personally I cansee the benefits,” he says.“The bad press is oftencreated by people that don’tunderstand what it really is,”says Mr Ward. “If we don’tembrace it properly then wecould be regretting thatdecision in the future. Thereare many things that can bedone with geneticallymodified food and it may wellbe the answer to many of ourproblems,” he adds. Finally, he says there are

many opportunities for thesector, “I think we need tocapitalise, encourage andsustain the growing publicinterest in the provenance oftheir food. More interactionwith the end-consumer andpublicising the highstandards we set ourselvesand achieve, could go a longway towards securing thefuture of the UK protectededible crops sector,”he says. ◆

Cantelo are looking at ways to get a little more fruitfrom their current variety.


29RESEARCH •

Research Diary LED lighting increasespansy growthAverage daily temperature effects

on paclobutrazol efficacy of fourfloriculture crops

Pansy is a facultative long-day plant and during thewinter months, low light levelscan limit plant growth anddevelopment. Light emittingdiodes (LEDs) can providesupplemental lighting whichproduce same light intensitywith less energy thanconventional incandescentlighting. Turkish researchersevaluated the effects ofsupplemental red-orange LEDlighting on the growth anddevelopment of pansy cv.Blue Blotch grown in plastictunnels (HorticulturaBrasileira).The energy to power the

LEDs was provided by a solarpanel system. Five hours ofsupplement LED lighting wasapplied after dusk starting

from November to February.Pansy growth anddevelopment parameterswere compared with unlitcontrol plants. LED lightingsignificantly increased plantbiomass weight, flowernumber and leaves numberat the rate of 52%, 72%, and47%, respectively. LEDlighting increased plantgrowth rate (0.109 and0.306 g of fresh weight),compared with the unlitcontrol but had no effect onlength of stems, number ofbranches and the diameter offlowers. Pansies are lightlimited during the wintermonths and supplementalLED lighting can significantlyincrease pansy growth anddevelopment.

The baby leaf market isbeginning in Brazil as areproduction systems to meetdemand. Some farmers whogrow leafy vegetables innutrient film technique (NFT)

The effect of paclobutrazoland average dailytemperature (ADT) ongeranium, petunia, marigoldand pineapple mint werequantified by work atMichigan State University(HortTechnology). Fourpaclobutrazol sprayconcentrations (0, 15, 30,or 45 ppm) and three ADTs(constant day and nightgreenhouse temperaturesset to 16, 22, or 28 °C)were compared.The effectiveness of

paclobutrazol wasdependent on species.Greenhouse ADT wassignificant for all species forboth growth index (GI) anddry weight (DW). As ADT

increased, the levels ofpaclobutrazol tested wereless effective. The species, except

petunia, had a significantADT and paclobutrazolinteraction for dry weight.The 0 ppm paclobutrazoltreatment for geraniumexhibited a larger dryweight at 28 °C comparedwith 16 °C, whereas the 30and 45 ppm paclobutrazoltreatments each hadsmaller dry weights at 28°C than at 16 °C. Marigoldand pineapple mintgenerally had larger dryweights at higher ADTs thanlower ADTs within apaclobutrazol treatment.

EC and plant spacing for babyleaf production in hydroponics

hydroponic system areadapting their systems togrow baby leaf, but withoutthe technical support.Therefore, researchers set

out to verify the effect of

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nutrient solution electricalconductivity (0.4, 0.8, 1.2and 1.6 mS cm-1) and thespace between plants (2.5,5.0 and 10.0 cm) on thedevelopment and yield ofwatercress and rocket saladfor baby leaf in NFThydroponic systems (ActaHorticulturae 1107).

The harvest was carriedout when the leaves of eachspecies reached length ofapproximate 15.0 cm. There

was no significantinteraction amongtreatments but there werestatistical effects for thetreatments separately. Thebigger yields of 4.1 and 3.3kg m-2 were obtained at 1.6mS cm-1 for watercress androcket salad, respectively. Aspacing of 2.5 cm resultedin the highest yields,particularly 5.9 and 4.0 kgm-2 for watercress androcket salad, respectively.

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propane, natural gas and electric.Tel: 02476 357960 Fax: 02476 357969

E-mail: [email protected]

01428 683505 - 07818 4552992ND-HAND MACHINERY LIST7 Potting Machines, 3 Seeders,

2 Labellers, 2 Mixers, 2 Tray Fillers,1 Steam Steriliser, a large selectionof Wide Conveyors in mixed specs,

32 x 6m x 25cm Wide PoweredConveyors, 1 Prins Fork Lift,

2 Pot WashersCall Mike Berry for further details

For our full range of both new & used machinerywww.mechanical-botanical.com

TRAYS & POTS ....

MANUFACTURERS AND SUPPLIERS OFTRAYS, POTS AND CONTAINERS

PROMPT DELIVERYTel:- 01268 733088/ 766292

Fax:- 01268 560561Email: [email protected]

For Sale:Mayer Bale Breaker.

Complete Visser drum seedingline inc.

tray destacker, elevator, covering and watering cabinet,

2 drumsfor 240 + 216 trays.

Quantity of module trays and stillages.

Phone 07968289002 Kent

MACHINERY FOR SALE ... MACHINERY FOR SALE ...MACHINERY FOR SALE ...MACHINERY FOR SALE ...

THERMAL SCREENS

EUREKA GROWINGSYSTEMS LIMITEDSupply and Installation of

Thermal Screens, Irrigation,Benching, GreenhouseMaintenance and repair

service Anywhere in the UK.Tel/Fax:

01482 354131 Mobile:- 07841 706584 Email:

[email protected]:

www.eurekagrowingsystems.co.uk

www.greenhousegrower.co.uk

TTHE COMMERCIALGREENHOUSEGROWERWHEREBUSINESSCOMESTOGROWDON’T GET LEFT BEHINDVISIT OUR WEBSITE

THE COMMERCIAL GREENHOUSE GROWER • MARCH 2016 www.hortnews.co.uk Tel: 01622 695656

Classified Classified Classified Classified Classified ClassHORTICULTURAL AGENTS

TheBuildingWorksQuality glasshouses supplied and

erectedRe-glazing and

re-roofingAll maintenance work undertaken

Telephone:07957 420 57001243 821714

building-works.com

Glasshouses bought and sold.Venlo specialists. Structures for GardenCentres. All aspects of glasshouse work

including poly roofs, snow damage“composite panels”.

Tel: 01262 608831 Fax:01262 409004Email: [email protected]

Website: www.newcenturyglasshouses.co.uk

The Glasshouse Specialists

GLASSHOUSES & EQUIPMENT

PLASTIC HOUSES & TUNNELS

BENCHING

Tel: 01386 49094 [email protected]

With our Installation & Ventilation,it’s the perfect combination

The next generation ingreenhouses

Low maintenance & Proven to give up to 50% reduction on heating costs

10 Year Guaranteeagainst UV

degradation

APPOINTMENTS........ APPOINTMENTS......

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POLYTUNNELS

01962 [email protected]

Tel: 01386 765700E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.tlgcommercial.com

Specialist Horticultural Agents / Registered RICS Valuation SurveyorsBased in the West Midlands

If you are thinking of selling please contact Tony Rowland MRICS as we are experiencing high demand for

WE KEEP SELLING THEM AS FAST AS THEY COME IN!We also offer formal valuation services and can give advice on

landlord and tenant law

UNWANTED EQUIPMENT ORMACHINERY LYING AROUND?

WHY NOT ADVERTISE HERE ANDON OUR WEBSITE ...

Call Sandy 01622 [email protected]

The Netherlands - kgsystems.nl - keesgreeve.nl - T. +31 10 521 [email protected] - [email protected]

• Glasshouse projects• Heating installations• Thermal screens• Benching systems smets syhingcneB•

nseerc slamreh T•snioatllatsn ignieat• Hstcejor pesshousalG•

Used greenhouse glass for sale.

Offers please [email protected]

(Newbourne,Suffolk)

400@ 24"x 24" x 3mm 80@ 16 3/4"x 28 3/4"x 4mm69@ 49"x 28 3/4"x 3mm158@ 65"x 28 3/4"x 4mm

KNOX can extend shelf life by approximately two days. Thanks to this trait, fresh cut companies

do not need low-oxygen packaging for lettuce, which in turn lowers their costs and gives them

experience; pre-packaged salads will stay fresher for longer, resulting in happy consumers.

KNOX is the result of 10 years of development work by Rijk Zwaan. Following successful testing

in collaboration with growers and fresh cut companies. Read more on rijkzwaan.com.

Fresher lettuce thanks to KNOX

Sharing a healthy future

KNOX Delayed pinking in fresh cut lettuce

Inside

Extended shelf life

Happy consumers

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