Dreamstime: Somphoto

A brief insight into Thailand’s vertical farming sector

"There’s quite a big difference between Thailand and other Asian countries in terms of the advancements in vertical farming technology and business”, Siriwat Sakhonwasee says. After obtaining his PhD on plant biology from the University of California Davis in 2009, Sakhonwasee is now a lecturer and…

SchermNed

SchermNed completed first phase of a 'unique screening project' for Duijvestijn Tomaten

It's one of those projects that makes your heart beat faster, according to SchermNed, and they're in the middle of it. Duijvestijn Tomaten is building a 20 hectare greenhouse and chose SchermNed to install the double screen installations. It is a project full of unique techniques and innovations, like…

ScoringAg

Maintaining the integrity of the sanitation

“You have to sanitize everything,” says William Kanitz with ScoringAg. “If you don’t protect your product, the consumer gets sick.” The company sells and produces sanitizing equipment for fresh produce and its packaging. Due to the Coronavirus, things have changed. It’s increasingly important to reduce…

"The challenge is to keep the overview in big horticultural projects"

Freelancers wanted, urgently, Laurens van der Sande of BG Installatie recently proclaimed. In these times of corona, that can be called remarkable, because although plenty of greenhouse horticulture projects are ongoing, it is also difficult and people were (temporarily) unemployed. "We look positively to…

Bayer and Temasek team up to develop vegetable varieties for vertical farming

Leaps by Bayer, the impact investment arm of Bayer AG and Temasek, the global investment company headquartered in Singapore, announced the joint investment and formation of a new company, Unfold. The new venture will focus on innovation in vegetable varieties with the goal of lifting the vertical farming…

TAPKIT

i-Droponix has new features

After a successful pilot period of its basic version of i-Droponics, some more features are coming to TAPKIT. Tapkit is a small, 500m2 hydroponic greenhouse with an NFT system, packing facilities and a nursery. The system has already been installed in Israel, South Korea, the Philippines and Mauritius, twenty five in total. The…

Still little movement in tomatoes, price situation for other fruits & vegetables predominantly more positive

It is the middle of summer, so it is very hot in the greenhouse. But does all the hard labour yield something for the grower? In most cases it does with the (slightly) rising prices since the beginning of August, with the exception of tomatoes and courgettes. It remains difficult there, notes Benny…

CA: Farm Boy to start selling Cornwall greens

Cornwall company Fieldless Farms will soon have their products on Farm Boy shelves. Farm Boy itself - founded in the City of Cornwall, Ontario - has made a deal with the…

Albertsons Companies partners with Plenty

Albertsons‌ ‌Companies,‌ ‌Inc.‌‌ ‌and‌ ‌vertical-farming‌ ‌company‌ ‌Plenty‌ ‌Unlimited‌ ‌Inc.‌ ‌announced‌ ‌an ‌agreement‌ ‌that‌ plans to ‌provide‌ ‌shoppers‌ ‌in‌ ‌more‌…

Information for workers returning home to Guatemala

Unfortunately the airport in Guatemala continues to remain closed to commercial flights and will likely remain closed until the end of summer or longer. The only way for…

Dutch Berries tests misting installation in newest section of huge strawberry greenhouse

The largest strawberry greenhouse in the Netherlands was officially opened on 21 September 2018. At the time, the Dutch Berries greenhouse was 20 hectares in size and had space for two million plants. Less than two years later, the company has added 4.5 hectares of greenhouse on an adjacent plot of land,…

Delphy cultivates in the Middle East

Delphy has been approached by investors to take the primary sector in the Middle East to a higher level. “The primary sector itself wants to grow into a high-tech sector as quickly as possible. This requires appropriate customization, but it is also a great challenge”, says Gerjo Engbers, Manager Team…

Seasonal workers able to cross Australian state borders

'Since the 31st of July, seasonal workers who have resided in the defined New South Wales and Victoria border zone, which includes towns such as Mildura, are able to cross the…

Bennet has acquired 7 former Auchan hypermarkets

Portugal: Continente introduces 'Zer0 Waste' fruit and vegetable boxesPortuguese supermarket chain Continente has launched a new initiative with the aim of preventing food waste. The 'Zer0 Waste' boxes are boxes that contain 5kg of fruit and vegetables that are ready for immediate consumption, on sale…

South Korea ready to export bell peppers to Vietnam

South Korea has completed negotiations to ship paprika, a type of bell pepper, to Vietnam. Seoul had been negotiating with Hanoi since 2008 on export terms for paprika, whose…

USDA PACA sanctions update

As part of its efforts to enforce the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act and ensure fair trading practices within the U.S. produce industry, the Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions…

thezebra.com

Agrihoods are a rising trend in American agriculture

As interest in organic produce and sustainable lifestyle continues to rise, many have found an alternative community that meets both these needs and more just outside of the city.  Agrihoods are neighborhoods built around a working community farm or garden. Residents are encouraged to volunteer their time,…

Testing a new raspberry variety on video

The James Hutton Institute has a new raspberry variety: Glen Carron. They wanted to give everyone an unbiased opinion on the shape, taste and flavour, and therefore asked friends and family to taste it, resulting in the cute, honest video below.  Source: The James Hutton Institute. 

Sustainable cucurbit breeding and producing in Asia

The mission of the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) is research and development to realize the potential of vegetables for healthier lives and more resilient livelihoods. WorldVeg operates across Asia and Africa, and its breeding portfolio comprises global as well as traditional vegetables. Cucurbit…

Colombian researchers develop cherry tomatoes that have greater anti-cancer properties

Researchers from Colombia's National University's Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, led by Professor Mario Augusto Garcia, have managed to develop a selection of cherry tomato…

New strawberries on their way to Australia

Australians will soon have access to delicious new varieties of strawberries, thanks to a partnership between Perfection Fresh and Plant Sciences, Inc. Perfection Fresh CEO Michael Simonetta said: “In today’s COVID world, encouraging people to eat fresh fruit and vegetables is more important than ever.…

TTA launches Feeding Dreams campaign

Dreams. Everyone has them. Dreams make you move, grow, create and innovate. TTA dreams of a world in which sufficient and healthy food is available to everyone. They are committed to this by supplying high-quality equipment for automating the production process of vegetables. This they would like to show…

Bejo

Ramping up organic seed production in Portugal

The market for organic seeds has increased tremendously in recent years. Its rapid annual growth poses a challenge for seed production. Managing growth and maintaining stock levels requires the best efforts of Bejo’s production team and growers. "To ensure we’re ready for future challenges, we’re…

enzazaden

UK: COVID-19 outbreak at Evesham food packaging firm

Hundreds of workers at afood packaging site are to be tested for Covid-19 after 14 staff tested positive. Evesham Vale Growers Limited in Worcestershire is being supported by…

The Hazera Experience Days go digital

Hazera has enjoyed welcoming customers to their annual open days for many years, but this year, owing to the current Covid-19 situation, Hazera will offer a three-day, digital…

Macfrut

Macfrut Digital sold out

Macfrut Digital, is sold out and has added a new virtual pavilion. In addition to the nine pavilions planned during the launch phase, there is now a tenth pavilion dedicated to international exhibitors, the 'Country Pavilion'. In fact, a huge number of participants from China has joined the event along with many others from…

Learn in depth aspects of plant nutrition management in these Training Online courses

Train yourself and your staff to make better crop management decisions by learning in depth aspects of plant nutrition management. Nutrient Management 2 (Advanced) is the third course of the award-winning Greenhouse Online Training courses offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension. This course…

Webinar on how O2 and photosynthesis influence cultivation

In an upcoming 30MHz webinar, Aryan Aziezie will bring you up to speed on the Sendot sensor portfolio and the insights their optical sensor technology provides. Sendot has…

New high-tech polyhouses constructed in India

New high-tech polyhouses have been constructed by the Jammu and Kashmir government in Srinagar to boost vegetable cultivation. "These high-tech polyhouses with a cost of Rs 10…

ncagr.gov

North Carolina’s 'tomato man' saves and shares heirloom tomatoes

Many North Carolinians may know Craig LeHoullier simply as 'the Tomato Man' or maybe 'the North Carolina Tomato Man' if they’re being specific. But he never even ate a tomato until he was a teenager. It’s an odd fact in a love affair that certainly didn’t begin with love at first sight. His fame in the…

DA Communications Group

Philippines Department of Agriculture aims to modernize the country’s agri-fishery sector

As part of its thrust to modernize the country’s agri-fishery sector, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is laying the groundwork to digitize its operations starting with the upgrading of its management information system (MIS). “The upgraded MIS contains the digital registry of farmers and fisherfolk,…

New client for British Growers

"We are extremely proud to announce that International Plant Propagators Society (Europe) has chosen to join British Growers for the provision of their business services." Starting in North America…

US: Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation awarded 13 grants totaling $131,440.00 dollars

The Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation, Inc. Officers and the Board of Directors met virtually on June 12th, 2020 and awarded 13 grants totaling $131,440.00 dollars. Since the…

Cinnerate expands use for aphid & disease control in vegetables

Sym-Agro’s Cinnerate broad-spectrum insecticide, fungicide and miticide gives vegetable growers a new tool to protect their crops from disease, aphids and more. “Aphids can…

“This fungicide is a game-changer in the US”

The first-ever hybrid fungicide was recently approved by the EPA in the United States. It has been used successfully in 14 countries around the world outside of the USA already. STK Bio-ag Technologies is now rolling out this product in America with the help of its partner in that country, Summit Agro…

TomatoesNZ

The tomato red spider mite in New Zealand

At the end of May, Biosecurity New Zealand (the Ministry for Primary Industries) found two small populations of tomato red spider mite (Tetranychus evansi) on nightshade weeds at two Auckland locations during routine surveillance. Industries potentially affected by this pest include tomatoes, capsicum,…

"Well-founded, independent selecting in horticultural lighting market increasingly difficult"

The current lighting market is still very product driven. Understandably, given the number of product suppliers of luminaires who all want to profile and position themselves in the market. The extreme increase, especially of LED products, is in itself good for the end customer, because it stimulates…

AHDB

How retailers collaborating on decarbonisation could impact horticulture

Twenty retail businesses have recently joined forces through the British Retail Consortium (BRC), pledging to develop a blueprint for decarbonisation of the industry [1]. Among the signatories are several supermarkets that have committed to reduce emissions not only in their shops, but also through their…

“Quality is everything”

“The quality and purity of our fertilizers is everything to us,” says Sanda Jovasevic with Plant-Prod, producers of high productivity plant nutrition. Strong controls are directed at raw material inputs to ensure that there are no contaminants in the fertilizer blends. “Everything blended into Plant-Prod and mixed into solution…

Automated shuttle car optimizes packhouse flow

Many packhouses are looking to reduce the amount of forklifts operating on the floor and for that reason Somerset West-based Gossamer Packaging Machinery have designed an automated shuttle car for the circulation of empty and full pallets or bins without the use of pallet jacks or forklifts. The shuttle…

New crates for Looye Kwekers

Looye Kwekers manages the complete process, ranging from cultivation to custom consumer packaging, in-house. A packaging process with fast throughput without any malfunctions is highly desirable. Until recently, Beekenkamp's existing low-height AGF crate was used for harvesting at multiple sites and for transport to the central…

Agrovista

Improving performance of re-used coir with biostimulant

Fortafol-D from Koppert UK contains humic and fulvic acids and is ideally placed to support healthy growth in newly transplanted strawberry plants. It works by actively supporting a plant’s root zone, encouraging root growth, cell activity and mineral uptake during the critical early development stage.…

RF Agriculture

Keeping cool in summer

One of the best aspects of the summer months is the increased temperatures and plenty of sunshine. After the cold winter months and damp spring, summer is a welcoming sight for many. However, in a commercial greenhouse, this can be a double edged sword. Summer has increased daylight and higher temperatures leading to less need…

Chemical composition of lettuce biofortified with Iodine

According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), due to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease, the daily consumption of table salt should be reduced. To avoid the health consequences of iodine deficiency, it is necessary to include alternative food sources of this trace…

It could be a good summer for vegan barbecues

Waitrose is set to see a sizzling summer for vegan and veggie barbecue food as sales soar by 80% in preparation for the heatwave due this weekend. The supermarket, which is expecting to sell more meat free barbecue products than ever before this summer, has already seen searches for ‘Vegan BBQ’ on…

Agritecture

Is indoor farming critical to the local food economy?

Over the last few years, we have witnessed a steady rise in demand for locally sourced food. Markets are carrying more local options, restaurants are growing their own food, even cocktails have “craft, local ingredients” stirred in them. What’s driving this trend? It seems that our palates have been changing, together…

Water love