Technical specialist Rob van der Lans relocated with the Bayer greenhouse tests to the World Horti Center (WHC) in Naaldwijk at the beginning of this year. He is very satisfied with the test location in the new innovation center for greenhouse horticulture. "We have all modern facilities at our disposal here," he says. "The spaces are brand new and the location has a professional appearance."
The greenhouses are rented by Bayer from Demokwekerij Westland. With the arrival of the World Horti Center, the Demokwekerij moved from the old site in Honselersdijk to the new location in Naaldwijk. "The old building was originally a production company, which was gradually converted into a test location," says Van der Lans. “In the winter it was often too cold and dark, while in the summer it was too warm and bright. At this location we have spacious departments, with good light, a stable climate and an advanced water system. The tests we do here are comparable to those at the old location, but the working conditions are much more pleasant.''
The technical specialist considers his own office another great advantage. It also includes a binocular microscope with which he can count small insects. Van der Lans also regularly collaborates with Bayer Crop Advisor Jan Hulst. “As a technical specialist I do research in a process until we have an authorization for a product. Jan takes care of the guidance of the product from the moment it is introduced. The transfer of knowledge to the sales people is smooth. Jan and I are in contact at the office and can coordinate matters easily.''
Van der Lans sees the professional image of the World Horti Center as a business card for Dutch greenhouse horticulture. “We regularly receive foreign peers from greenhouse horticulture and other sectors, at the WHC we can show them all facets of horticulture. In addition, there are a lot of visitors from distribution and trade here, and if we have an interesting test, we can easily bring someone in to show something." In the innovation center there are also three green vocational schools, which also make use of the greenhouse facilities. "We are not doing anything with education yet, but that may be a possibility in the future."
Rob van der Lans looks at an aphid test in cucumber. He has two larger greenhouses for fruit vegetables at his disposal.
Simulating practical situation
Bayer rents four greenhouse sections from Demokwekerij Westland in the World Horti Center: two sections for floriculture and two larger greenhouses for fruit vegetables. In the greenhouses, technical specialist Van der Lans has the same facilities as a modern greenhouse horticulture company. “We are performing research on new substances and registration tests to get admittance to the Dutch market. During the tests we try to simulate the conditions as close as possible to the practical situation, with lighting and climate screens. We have a water unit available, where seven different nutrient recipes can be mixed, depending on which plants we cultivate in the greenhouses.''
Van der Lans is currently running several tests in the greenhouses, such as a whitefly test in peppers, a thrips test in chrysanthemums, an aphid test in roses and cucumber and a Pythium test in chrysanthemums. "Sometimes we can do two tests in one department, if the pests do not frustrate each other," he says. During the tests various resources are tested on small fields, each field is in a test four times to achieve reliable results. Often the products have already been tested on a small scale at the Bayer headquarters in Germany, but are tested in the Netherlands for crops that are on the Dutch market. "Greenhouse horticulture is a relatively small market for Bayer, but an important part of the market in the Netherlands," according to Van der Lans.
The technical specialist is busy with tests with Sivanto Prime, a new insecticide that has recently received an authorization in the Netherlands. The product may be used in, among other things, non-soil bound floriculture crops and in the covered cultivation of strawberry, raspberry and fruit vegetables. With the arrival of Sivanto Prime, growers have access to a modern, fast-acting and reliable insecticide that fits well in sustainable cultivation, Van der Lans states. It has a broad effective spectrum against a wide assortment of sucking insects, is effective against both nymphs / larvae and adult stages and fits well into an integrated system.
Infection
Van der Lans starts a test with the infection of a crop. Infection is the art of carrying out tests, he says. "It is not that difficult to infect a cucumber plant with aphids, but if you want to get Botrytis in cucumber, you have to pull out all the stops," he says as an example. Once the infection is established, then a first count follows to determine the initial situation. Next the crop is sprayed with the substance and the effects are assessed with several counts.
The counting takes place after three, seven or fourteen days after treatment. Sometimes counting is done at 21 or 28 days, in case a product has a long-lasting effect, he explains. "With new drugs we test several doses to see which dose is the right one. We compare it with a standard substance or product that works similarly to see if the new product is actually an asset." In recent years Bayer has been testing more and more biological resources. "We are getting more and more demand from the growers", says Van der Lans. "It is crucial in greenhouse horticulture that the resources can be combined with natural enemies such as predatory mites against spider mites and predatory bugs against whiteflies. In greenhouse horticulture, cultivation is fully integrated.''
Rob van der Lans sees good future opportunities at the new test location in the World Horti Center. “We have everything we can wish for. Here we are in the midst of developments in greenhouse horticulture. If there are new developments, there’s a good chance that they will be tested here. In addition, we look beyond crop protection, the Demokwekerij also conducts research into issues such as LED lighting, climate, varieties and various cultivation systems. The advantage for us is that we are kept up-to-date with the new developments and we can do research into the impact of these developments on crop protection products.''
Source: Bayer Glastuinbouw Koerier