Category Archives: HortNews

Sainsbury’s introduces anti-greening pack for potatoes

As part of its ‘Save Our Spuds’ campaign, Sainsbury’s has introduced new packaging which will prevent potatoes from going green and developing a bitter taste. Designed to be 100% opaque – whilst still breathable – the new packaging prevents any light from reaching the produce, the most common culprit for greening.

The green discolouration develops thanks to a build-up of solanine which is triggered by too much light. The retailer estimates that this is responsible for the wasting of 5.8 million potatoes every day.

Jane Skelton, Head of Packaging for Sainsbury’s, commented, “Potatoes are a British favourite. But exposure to sunlight means many of our spuds never make it to the table. That’s why we’re calling ‘lights out’ in our latest effort to help tackle food waste. We’re confident that this will improve the shelf-life of our potatoes and, while the packaging might be opaque, we’re hoping the results will be clear to see.”

The new packaging will be rolled out across Sainsbury’s stores, across King Edwards and Lady Balfour potatoes – two varieties which are most susceptible to greening. The retailer continues to recommend that all potatoes should be kept in a cool, dark place.

Photo Caption: Lady Balfour and King Edwards will be the first to benefit from the new packaging

This story first appeared on HortNews.

NIAB EMR consortium wins crop research funding

An industry consortium, led by Berry Gardens Growers Ltd (BGG) and NIAB EMR, has won a BBSRC collaborative training partnership (CTP) award to provide a £1.9 million postgraduate programme for scientific research on fruit crops.

The programme, which will be based at NIAB EMR in Kent and run from October 2017 to September 2023, includes 16 four-year PhD studentships in core research areas such as plant breeding, plant pathology, entomology, soil science, plant physiology and crop agronomy.

Dr Nicola Harrison, NIAB EMR CTP science co-ordinator, said, “The CTP award will help us produce an innovative and exceptional postgraduate research training programme that will engage and train the next generation of scientists to deliver strategic research that will help secure the future of UK horticulture. Researchers from Cambridge, Nottingham and Reading, and colleagues at NIAB EMR, will produce a research portfolio that ensures the translation of cutting-edge research through to the wider industry.”

The industry partners forming the consortium span the supply chain and include Berry Gardens Growers Ltd, Worldwide Fruit Ltd, M&W Mack Ltd, Univeg UK Ltd, and the National Association of Cider Makers, as well as Marks & Spencer plc. The over-arching knowledge exchange capability is provided by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

BGG’s Richard Harnden said, “This pioneering partnership between businesses, research providers and AHDB will provide a world-class horticultural and bioscience UK research training programme to address the scientific challenges faced by agri-businesses, from crop production, food quality and supply, through to consumer preference and reducing waste in the supply chain.”

Photo Caption: East Malling will be the base for the new students

Photo Credit: NIAB EMR

This story first appeared on HortNews.

LED lights attract fewer insects than other lights

New research from the University of Bristol has revealed that domestic LED lights are much less attractive to nuisance insects such as biting midges than traditional filament lamps.

Although the initial findings are of interest in terms of public health and preventing the spread of diseases such as malaria and Zika fever, there may be implications for the use of beneficial insects and pollinators in horticulture.

The study, which was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and UK lighting manufacturer Integral LED, used customised traps at 18 field test sites across south-west England. Over 4,000 insects were carefully identified and overall LEDs attracted four times fewer insects compared with traditional incandescent lamps, and half as many as were attracted to a compact fluorescent lamp.

Dr Andy Wakefield led the field research and said, “We were surprised by the number of biting flies drawn to the traditional tungsten lights. We do not know why this is but we know that some insects use thermal cues to find warm-blooded hosts in the night, so perhaps they were attracted to the heat given off by the filament bulb.”

Photo Caption: Research shows that LEDs attract fewer biting insects like mosquitoes than tungsten lamps

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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Are you an innovative farmer?

Are you interested in innovation and trying new techniques? Do you perform your own on-farm trials or develop novel solutions to practical problems? If so, you might be eligible to take part in the Innovative Farmers programme.

Part of the Duchy Future Farming Programme and funded by the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation, the scheme aims to bring together and support farmers who want to test the latest thinking on their farm. The network is backed by a team from LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), Innovation for Agriculture, the Organic Research Centre and the Soil Association, and supported by Waitrose.

It works by bringing together groups of farmers with researchers from top agricultural institutions in practical ‘field labs’. This means you can get reliable results and practical solutions to the challenges your business is facing. Over the last three years 750 farmers and growers have been involved in 35 different field labs covering topics from antibiotic use in dairy cattle to controlling blackgrass.

Half the farmers who have taken part say they have made changes to their farming practices as a result of being involved in the field labs, with nine out of ten saying they learned something from the experience.

Membership of the scheme costs £240 plus VAT per year, although sponsorship of up to £2,000 may be available for groups of up to 24 farmers. Participating groups can get up to £10,000 research funding per field lab.

The scheme can match farmers and growers with the necessary expertise and interest to set up a new field lab, or put them in touch with an appropriate existing one. For more information on the scheme, visit: www.innovativefarmers.org

This post first appeared on HortNews.

Aldi to open doors to farmers during Red Tractor Week

Discount supermarket Aldi has pledged to help support Red tractor week, with members of the scheme visiting Aldi stores in Bramley, Caerphilly, Enfield, Salford, Cowes and Edgbaston.

Farmers will meet customers and talk about how products are farmed and produced during

Red Tractor Week, which aims to highlight the standards behind the scheme and encourage shoppers to buy Red Tractor-labelled food and back British farmers.

Aldi says it is ‘committed to building long-term relationships’ with farmers, suppliers and growers and was the first supermarket to sign up to the NFU Fruit & Veg Pledge. Tony Baines, Joint Managing Director of Corporate Buying at Aldi, said, “We are proud to be able to offer our customers high quality, Red Tractor assured products, which recognise the best of British.

“We look forward to welcoming Red Tractor farmers to our stores to share their knowledge and experience with our consumers, and also to reinforce the fact that you don’t have to break the bank to buy responsibly sourced, quality food products.”

Photo Caption: Aldi is supporting Red Tractor Week

Photo Credit: Aldi

 

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Flower Show Forum returns for gardening clubs to review the fruits of their labours

Gardening clubs and horticultural societies from Dorset, Somerset and beyond are currently reviewing the success of this year’s flower and horticultural show calendar, as they prepare for the second Flower Show Forum of the year, being held at Castle Gardens on Thursday 15 September. Following the momentum gained at the inaugural forum in March, where gardening clubs, horticultural societies and flower show organisers shared their concerns and devised a plan to rejuvenate membership and revive the traditional shows, Mike Burks, managing director of The Gardens Group, will chair this second Flower Show Forum in Sherborne, Dorset.

Mike explains; “I am really looking forward to hearing how the advice given by our panel, which included Susie Corr from the Royal Horticultural Society’s Affiliated Societies team, has been implemented by these clubs and societies. It will be a really valuable exercise to review what worked and what didn’t, as we gather to evaluate and reassess the barriers that shows are still coming up against. These discussion points will help shape the topics for the next forum, which is scheduled for March 2017. We will also be announcing an exciting new initiative, which we’ve been working on, as we continue in our efforts to help grow membership of gardening clubs and increase entries into shows.”

The Flower Show Forum is free to attend and will be held in The Butterfly House at Castle Gardens in Sherborne from 7pm.

Photo Credit: Iwerne Minster Produce and Horticultural Association’s Summer Show

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“Over 7,000 jobs to disappear in Dutch agriculture and horticulture”

According to a report by the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency (UWV), more than 7,000 full-time jobs could disappear from Dutch agriculture and horticulture by 2020. However, there may be more opportunities for gardeners and growers.

The number of jobs in the agricultural and horticultural sectors has been falling for several years, with 51,000 full-time jobs being lost since 2000. Declining employment is partly due to increases in efficiency and automation as the industry tries to increase productivity while reducing costs, including labour. However the growth of the housing market means there is a higher demand for landscaping and garden services.

Not only does this affect those who work as gardeners, where there is a shortage of workers during the peak season, but there are also opportunities for specialist growers such as flower bulb producers. The report also points out that while the number of permanent jobs is dropping, the use of flexible workers in agriculture and horticulture has increased to compensate. Currently nearly a fifth of employment in the agricultural sector consists of flexible workers.

Photo Caption: Cost reduction measures are reducing full time employment opportunities

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

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Research casts light on cabbage differences

White cabbage and Chinese cabbage have a lot in common despite the fact that two crops originate from two different Brassica species used and domesticated by farmers on two different continents.

Together with scientists from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wageningen UR scientists have explained how it is possible that these two Brassica varieties at two very different global locations developed into so many diverse, but often very similar crops.

While the domestication of a crop is a long and complex process, there are rare examples in history of something called convergent domestication, in which a similar type of crop develops in different places and at different times. According to Guusje Bonnema, plant breeding scientist at Wageningen UR and one of the authors of the article in Nature Genetics, the cabbage crops we have in Europe and Asia are a fine example of this process. “These two Brassica species were apparently both relatively easy to domesticate, sometimes into crops that are very alike, such as heading cabbages and turnips and kohlrabies. There are Brassica crops in both Europe and Asia which are cultivated for their floral organs, like cauliflower, broccoli, broccoletto and caixin,” she said.

“Because a cabbage contains three copies of a specific gene, one copy can develop a mutation which makes the leaves fold, for instance, while other copies retain their original function.”

This research is the first proof that genome triplication increases the opportunity for diversity and convergent domestication of the two Brassica varieties. “It provides a fascinating insight into how domestication works and creates opportunities for domesticating new crops,” says Bonnema. Moreover, by giving a greater insight into how the underlying genes work, breeders can cultivate the perfect cabbage cultivar.

Photo Caption: Guusje Bonnema, associate professor Wageningen University

Photo Credit: Wageningen UR

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Supermarket sales drop below £100 billion

Supermarket sales have sunk below the £100 billion mark for the first time in six years as competition in the grocery sector, particularly between discounters and traditional retailers, increases.

Food retail revenues dropped by 3 per cent to £99 billion in the second quarter, according to a study by The Share Centre. Industry observers say that the UK launch of online grocery service AmazonFresh could make the sector even tougher.

Helal Miah, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, said that intense price pressure and competition from discounters have made it a difficult time for Britain’s supermarkets: “It has been a tough couple of years for UK plc, battling against global economic headwinds and sector-specific problems that have beset commodities, energy, and food retailers.”

He also warned that economic uncertainty, triggered by the EU referendum result, could also harm retailers’ sales. “The implications of the economic slowdown will mean lower demand for sectors such as house builders and retailers, while the travel industry is already feeling the effects,” he said.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

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Tomatoes with virus attract bees

Plant scientists at the University of Cambridge have found that the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) alters gene expression in the tomato plants it infects, causing changes to the scent emitted by the plants. Bees can smell these subtle changes, and glasshouse experiments have shown that bumblebees prefer infected plants over healthy ones.

Scientists say that by indirectly manipulating bee behaviour to improve pollination of infected plants by changing their scent, the virus is effectively paying its host back. This may also benefit the virus: helping to spread the pollen of plants susceptible to infection and, in doing so, inhibiting the chance of virus-resistant plant strains emerging.

CMV is transmitted by aphids – bees don’t carry the virus. It’s one of the most prevalent pathogens affecting tomato plants, resulting in small plants with poor-tasting fruits that can cause serious losses to cultivated crops. As well as being one of the most damaging viruses for horticultural crops, CMV it also persists in wild plant populations, and the new findings may explain why.

“Bees provide a vital pollination service in the production of three-quarters of the world’s food crops. With their numbers in rapid decline, scientists have been searching for ways to harness pollinator power to boost agricultural yields,” said study principal investigator Dr John Carr, Head of Cambridge’s Virology and Molecular Plant Pathology group. “Better understanding the natural chemicals that attract bees could provide ways of enhancing pollination, and attracting bees to good sources of pollen and nectar – which they need for survival.”

Photo Credit: University of Cambridge / Alex M Murphy, Sanjie Jiang and John P Carr

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