On September 12th, CTIFL opened its door in Carquefou, France for a test viewing day. Some 60 equipment manufacturers, (seed) producers, technicians, experimentation engineers and other professionals of the sector came together to learn about the experiments currently carried out at CTIFL on greenhouse crops (cucumbers and tomatoes above ground), and about the first results obtained.
After welcoming the guests, Eric Brajeul (director of the operational center of Carquefou), Serge Le Quillec (experimentation engineer in charge of the greenhouse crop techniques program at the greenhouse unit of Carquefou) and Emilie Legast (research engineer) invited the participants to discover the greenhouses and the tests carried out on the cucumber crops and on a dozen varieties of tomatoes, all resistant to powdery mildew. It was also an opportunity to present the biogenerator (partnership with Divatec), an innovative system with the shape of a filter column in which are created conditions favorable to the development of bacteria that are beneficial to the plants. An innovation which allows for an integrated management of nutrition.
The biogenerator
Then, Serge Le Quillec and Emilie Legast presented the results of the tests carried out, according to the variation of parameters such as the type of heating used, dehumidification management, pH, FORCAS position as well as the impact of the variation of these parameters on different factors like: agronomic yield, leaf area index, flowering, stem diameter, fruit quality, harvest stage, fruit temperature, average weight of the fruit, or even the marketable yield.
About CTIFL
CTIFL is the leading applied research organization of the French fruit and vegetable sector. Through its research and innovations, the organization works towards developing and diversifying production and marketing methods for each of the actors involved. The research focuses on themes such as maintaining the fruit and vegetable quality all the way to the consumer, reducing the use of fossil fuels in greenhouses, searching for alternatives to pesticides, studying and developing solutions of mechanization and automation, as well as developing modes of consumption of fruits and vegetables.
For more information:
Serge Le Quillec
CTIFL
Centre de Carquefou
35 Allée des Sapins
ZI « Belle Etoile »
44483 Carquefou
Phone: +33 2 40 50 81 65
Fax: +33 2 40 50 98 09
lequillec@ctifl.fr
www.ctifl.fr