Hort Americas

The role of silicon as a nutrient in hydroponic recipes

Silicon (also known as silica, Si) is found in high quantities in open field production but is absent in hydroponic nutritional recipes. The lack of knowledge about the role of silicon (Si) in horticultural crops became apparent when using soilless / hydroponic systems.  Research has demonstrated that silicon…

Practical applications of plant biostimulants in greenhouse vegetable crop production

The research interest on plant biostimulant applications in vegetable crop production is gradually increasing and several reports highlight the beneficial effects that such…

WUR

Plant roots grow towards soil fungi

Plant roots not only release odours themselves, but also appear to react to odours that beneficial and harmful fungi in the soil release. They do this by actively growing towards fungi, or ignore them. This 'sense of smell' has a positive influence on the eventual health of the plant. Exposing plants to…

Agronomy

Promising composts as growing media for the production of baby leaf lettuce in a floating system

The floating system is a successful strategy for producing baby leaf vegetables. Moreover, compost from agricultural and agri-food industry wastes is an alternative to peat that can be used as a component of growing media in this cultivation system. In a new study, researchers experimented with three…

Agronomy

Growth, yield and quality of sweet pepper fruits fertilized with polyphosphates

The aim of a new study was to investigate the effect of phosphorus application in the form of polyphosphates on the yield and quality of sweet pepper fruits grown with LED (light-emitting diodes) assimilation lighting. Phosphorus is absorbed by the root system of plants mainly in the form of…

Five college students may transform sustainability in food production

A group of five college students from Ashesi University in Ghana, EARTH University in Costa Rica and the Trinity College in the United States have created a new way for rural farmers to access affordable and environmentally friendly fertilizer. They came together as a team for Wege Prize, an annual…

Lettuce in a hydroponic system: 100% organic nutrients

Van der Knaap is known for their substrate knowledge, but did you know they also developed a sustainable cultivation system? The liquid nutrient solution rich in organic NO3 that is produced with this system is also extremely suitable for other cultivation systems, such as growing lettuce in a hydroponic…

CAN (SK): Cleanfarms is collecting unwanted agricultural pesticides

This fall, farmers in southern Saskatchewan can safely dispose of unwanted agricultural pesticides and old, obsolete livestock and equine medications through a Cleanfarms…

Management of abiotic stress in horticultural crops

Horticultural crops are exposed to multiple abiotic stresses because of ongoing climate change. Abiotic stresses such as drought, extreme temperatures, salinity, and nutrient…

Plant growth-promotors and their effects on tomato seedlings

Plant biostimulants are of interest as they can stimulate plant growth and increase resource utilization. There is still no information on the use of plant growth-promoters under variable nutritional conditions in the nursery and the effects on tomato seedling growth and plant performance after…

Van Iperen International celebrates its 10th anniversary

October 1, 2020, marks the 10th anniversary for Van Iperen International, Dutch producer of Specialty Fertilizer solutions for fertigation and foliar application. Being part of the nearly 100 years old Iperen group, Van Iperen International has challenged the international specialty fertilizer market…

Function and management of potassium in hydroponics

Potassium is recognized as a nutrient required to keep good quality in our plants and fruits. This nutrient has a huge impact on many plant processes due to its function as enzyme activator. Also, potassium has a strong role in stomata opening and closure due to its function as an osmotic regulator.  If we…

Tessenderlo Kerley International and Van Iperen International sign a Global Distribution Agreement

Van Iperen International, Dutch producer of Specialty Fertilizers and Tessenderlo Kerley International, business unit of Tessenderlo Group NV, and Belgian producer of premium…

Growlink

Automated nutrient delivery systems and how they work

Automated nutrient delivery systems can be expensive, and sticker shock can intimidate growers into putting off the upgrade. However, the vast majority of growers admit that the upfront investment pays off. Lower labour costs and reduced resource waste, along with saving time are enough to get many…

Effect of bacterial inoculum and fertigation management on lettuce plants

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria have been applied to different vegetable crops but there is still no information on the effect of bacterial biostimulant application under variable nutritional level on lettuce seedlings and their performance after transplanting in the field. This study aimed to…

"Weak plants that were planted during heatwave have recovered very well"

In recent years, the availability of crop protection products has decreased considerably due to strict regulations. Also, increasingly fewer new products are allowed. This makes it more difficult for growers to comply with regulations and also the strict requirements of buyers. At Klep, they see that…

Effect of salt stress on antioxidant capacity of tomatoes

The effects of salt on the quality of fruits were investigated in order to compare the impact of salt on key fruit properties of the cultivated domesticated tomato species…

Renewed version of manual “Nutrient Solutions for Greenhouse Crops” available

Producers of fertilizers Yara, SQM and Nouryon, laboratory Eurofins Agro and consultant Geerten van der Lugt have combined forces to publish a renewed version of the popular…

Airborne fungus that can trigger plant growth

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) announced that a harmless airborne fungus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum strain TC09 (TC09), can…

How Liebig’s barrel can help a horticulture business

Guest blogger Ed Hardy recently wrote the following for AHDB GrowSave and it was an interesting thought worth sharing. I was recently reminded of Liebig’s Barrel, which…

How much nitrogen does spinach really need?

How much nitrogen fertilizer does winter-grown, high tunnel spinach really need? Cornell vegetable specialists had heard of some producers applying up to 600 pounds per acre.…

Effect of silicon in fertigation on strawberries

The University of Hertfordshire has conducted a study using Orion Future Technology's product 'Sirius' which contains bioactive silicon. They have investigated the effects silicon has on strawberries and how it makes plants more resilient to pest and disease attack. The effects include an increase in the…

The function and management of nitrogen in hydroponics

Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients in plant development. All vital processes in plants are associated with protein, of which nitrogen is an essential constituent. Therefore, nitrogen management can have a huge impact on crop production. Some of the most important effects of nitrogen in crop…

Enhancing sustainability by using compost tea spray applications

Compost teas (CTs) are liquid organic formulates obtained by prolonged extraction, with or without aeration, of a quality compost into an aqueous medium. They can significantly improve plant growth and development likely through nutritive and/or biostimulant mechanisms. In nursery production chain of…

Liquid nutrient supplement optimizes growth performance of leafy greens

Oasis Grower Solutions introduces Fortify, a liquid nutrient supplement, designed to optimize the growth performance and increase harvest weights while reducing production time by up to 20%. Fortify is an amino acid based nutrient supplement developed through extensive research and trials. Use of Fortify…

Microbial enriched growing media

The biological suppression of common plant diseases increasingly becomes the preferred alternative to chemical plant protection. Adding biostimulants to a growing medium can induce the required suppressing effects. Based on long-term research, Klasmann-Deilmann has developed TerrAktiv PLUS, a unique constituent consisting of…

RF Agriculture

Integrated plant nutrient management system

All growers know that a successful operation needs to have plans and procedures in place. The first thoughts that pop up when talking about plans and procedures may revolve around planting schedules, harvest dates, pest management, and overall safety procedures for staff and customers. However, there is…

The impact of micro carbon technology based fertilizers on pepper

The aim of a recent study was to determine the effects of new Micro Carbon Technology (MCT) fertilizers based on humic acids biologically digested on the growth and development of pepper plants. In this work, the biostimulant effect of MCT fertilizers was compared to conventional mineral fertilizers. In…

Plant-based fertilizers on par with conventional fertilizers in lettuce

Growing lettuce on water Biota Nutri's 100% plant-based fertilisers gives the same yield and quality as using conventional fertilisers. This was shown by a series of tests conducted at the HAS University of Applied Sciences in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. Left: conventional fertilizers; right:…

“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…