Monthly Archives: August 2015

BBSRC to invest in farm research

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and 12 industry partners are to fund six research projects to improve the sustainability of UK farming.

The grants totalling £4.7 million are part of the first round of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Innovation Club (SARIC), which was developed by BBSRC, NERC and industry partners, which pay a subscription fee to be part of SARIC, to support innovative projects that will provide solutions to key challenges affecting the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of the UK crop and livestock sectors.

Dr Celia Caulcott, BBSRC Executive Director, Innovation and Skills, said, “These studies will help address important challenges for the UK’s farming industry, which is worth billions to our economy, and help progress towards sustainable agricultural systems for the future.

“The collaboration between industry and the Research Councils as part of SARIC will streamline the translation of findings from these studies into tangible benefits for producers and consumers, and help us meet the challenge of sustainably feeding a growing world population.”

The funded projects include a study to look at the impacts of different vegetation in riparian buffer strips on hydrology and water quality.

The second call for SARIC applications is now open for grant proposals with up to £5M available in research grants and research translation grants. The theme of the call is ‘predictive capabilities for sustainable agriculture’. For more information about the second SARIC call visit: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2015/saric-apply/

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Waitrose moves to 100% UK sweetcorn

West Sussex based Barfoots has begun harvesting the English sweetcorn crop and the weather has helped supermarket Waitrose which is preparing to stock 100 per cent fresh British sweetcorn over the next couple of months.

Workers at Sefter Farm near Bognor Regis began harvesting the first of the crop at the end of July. Despite the weekend’s rainy weather, the glorious temperatures in June made for perfect growing conditions, resulting in a bumper crop of British sweetcorn.

Patrick Keane, Waitrose buyer commented, “All eyes are on South America this summer when it comes to food, home to some of the tastiest sweetcorn recipes, but with our own sweetcorn tasting this good, Bognor is giving Brazil a run for its money! Sweetcorn is robust enough to cook on the barbecue and makes great finger food, which is what the summer dining is all about.”

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European FSA to investigate glyphosate cancer report

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed that it will assess the findings of a report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which concluded that the herbicide glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans.

The report, which was published at the end of July, will be considered as part of EFSA’s on-going peer review of the re-evaluation of glyphosate. The re-evaluation was carried out by the BfR, the German risk assessment body. Germany is the rapporteur Member State (RMS) for glyphosate.

The IARC, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, published a summary of its findings in March 2015, concluding that there was evidence of an association between exposure to glyphosate and development of cancers such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma and lung cancer.

EFSA’s finalised conclusion will be sent to the European Commission and published later this year.

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Barfoots create specialised chilli greenhouse

Barfoots is one of a number of growers which is now helping Sainsbury’s stock 100 per cent British chillies.

This is thanks to the Chichester grower’s new investment in producing the crop in a dedicated greenhouse which utilises a range of sustainable technologies to extend the British chilli season from four to seven months.

Thomas Lapraik, who joined the Barfoots team in the autumn of last year to manage the cultivation explains, “Location, as ever, is key. We’re on the Chichester peninsular within a stone’s throw of the coast, so the greenhouse utilises the best natural light levels in the UK. To support this natural sunshine, we’ve introduced hi-tech environmentally-efficient heating controls and modern low-impact growing systems. We plan to achieve seven months of supply from this glasshouse which breaks all previous records for chilli production in the UK.”

Outside of the British season, Barfoots has been farming chillies under protective growing structures for Sainsbury’s at their award-winning farm in Senegal since 2010. “Senegal has really been a game-changer in terms of the quality of imported chillies into the UK market,” adds Harry Wilder, Barfoots international agronomist.

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Langmead opens fully automated glasshouse

West Sussex based Langmead Farms has opened the UK’s first fully automated greenhouse.

The £3 million facility will grow 5 million pots of herbs a year for UK supermarkets and other outlets. It features a unique automatic potting; sowing and growing system that can run 24 hours a day and requires minimum human input. The 1.2-hectare site grows potted basil, parsley, mint, thyme and chives for retailers, as well as an organic range for Abel & Cole.

Featuring biomass heating, UV treated reservoir water irrigation and robotic bench control; Langmeads say the new glasshouse has been designed to be a ‘model of radical thinking and sustainability.’

Ian Summerfield, CEO at Langmeads commented, “This is a very exciting development for us. Our customers are getting five-star reviews for taste and quality from their customers – as can be seen on the Abel & Cole website. We have embraced the innovation, technology and investment required to create cutting-edge environmental and stock management for our customers.”

Langmead Farms are also carrying out market-leading research at the site, with trials of herb varieties and seed crops and a major trial is underway, in conjunction with the University of Nottingham, on lighting technology to provide the conditions for optimal growth and disease prevention.

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Elsoms seeks apprentices

According to local reports, Spalding-based plant breeder and seed company Elsoms is looking for two horticultural trial apprentice assistants to join its workforce.

Robin Wood, managing director of Elsoms Seeds, told the Spalding Guardian, “A culture of investment, passion, expertise and integrity has ensured the company continues to adapt and fulfill the changing demand of its customers, suppliers and partners. Investment in staff is key to our success.

“We believe investing in this apprentice scheme allows the opportunity to train new staff with a strong interest in the horticultural industry in various disciplines that could both benefit Elsoms and the appointed personnel in the future.”

Sue Kennedy, head of breeding at Elsoms Seeds, added, “Many of the staff skills we have at Elsoms in plant breeding, seed production and trials are extremely specialised. We are keen to ensure we maintain this expertise within our team while at the same time passing the knowledge on to a new generation.”

Elsoms is working with the University of Lincoln, Holbeach Academy to find the right candidates.

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‘Managing Blackleg’ event big draw for Scottish growers

A workshop held by AHDB Potatoes in Scotland last month attracted 60 growers and industry representatives to Gordon Rhind’s farm at Forres in Morayshire.

Gerry Saddler of SASA has been working on secondment with AHDB Potatoes looking at Blackleg management. He advised attendees that, “Blackleg is a problem all over Northern Europe and it is by far the biggest reason for the downgrading and rejection of seed in this country. In Pre-Basic four crops (PB4), post-harvest surveys revealed that 100% of crops tested were infected with Pectobacterium atrosepticum, the Blackleg pathogen. We still don’t have all the answers [but]there is no ‘silver bullet’ and the Blackleg problem needs to be tackled from several angles in conjunction.”

AHDB Potatoes stresses that, ‘Seed health needs to take all variables into account. Tactics such as separation of PB fields for years 1 and 2, isolation of PB fields from outside sources and diagnostic testing for contamination on the tuber surface and systemically are recommended.’ Ian Tooth of the James Hutton Institute pointed out that it was important to ensure good drainage and to harvest high-grade stocks as early as possible.

The event was developed with the host farmer by AHDB Potatoes’ Technical Executive, Claire Hodge who is also working on the Blackleg research project. Claire commented, “This meeting clearly demonstrated that industry are keen to learn more about what research is underway to understand Blackleg and even more importantly, what they can do to minimise Blackleg in their seed crops.”

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Cloth filtration unit for irrigation water

QEP Holland has announced a series of cloth filter units, made by Canadian company Zwart Systems, which filter various types of contaminated fluid in zero run off systems.

The system features a non-pressurized system which the company claims is economical, eco-friendly and easy to operate. The contaminated liquid flows through the filter fabric supported by a conveyor belt. When the filtered contaminants minimize the liquid flow, the rising liquid level actuates a float switch that runs the conveyor gear motor. The used fabric is automatically discharged in a waste bin and can be disposed of in an eco-friendly way. The cloth filtration system provides a highly efficient and reliable way of removing solids from process liquids. It features a non pressurized system which is economical and easy to operate.

QEP Holland is the only outlet outside North-America that supplies the cloth filtration system straight from the source.

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Natural repellent for Drosophila suzukii

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside have now identified a safe repellent that protects fruits from the spotted wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), an important crop pest in Europe and Northern California.

Butyl anthranilate (BA) is a pleasant-smelling chemical compound which is naturally produced in small amounts in fruit.  In laboratory experiments, the scientists found BA warded off D. suzukii from blueberries coated with it. The finding, when extrapolated to other agricultural pests, could provide a strategy for controlling them and increasing the productivity of crops and fruit.

“Toxic insecticides are often risky to use directly on fruits, especially when they are close to being harvested,” said Anandasankar Ray, an associate professor of entomology and the director of the Center for Disease Vector Research at UC Riverside, whose lab performed the research project.  “A safe and affordable repellent such as BA could provide protection and reduce use of toxic chemicals.”

To test whether BA can protect fruit from D. suzukii, Ray and his graduate student Christine Krause Pham conducted a series of experiments using two bowls of fresh, ripe blueberries – a preferred fruit of D. suzukii. “We saw decreases after only a single treatment,” Pham explained. “We saw substantial decreases at 2.5 percent of BA and nearly complete protection at the 10 percent concentration, strongly indicating that insect repellents with good safety profiles can be useful to reduce fruit damage during ripening.”

Professor Ray says that the next step is to test how efficacious BA is in field trials.

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Wildflower attraction boosts pollinator numbers

Syngenta used European Pollinator Awareness Week (13-19 July) to highlight the role that its Operation Pollinator seed mixtures can play in increasing pollinator populations in field margins and other areas.

“Against a backdrop of declining numbers of pollinating insects, we have seen encouraging results for some species, thanks largely to the efforts of farmers to establish wildflower habitats and the changes in cultivation techniques that help some ground nesting solitary bees,” advised independent entomologist Mike Edwards.

According to the company, monitoring of Operation Pollinator Annual Wildflower Mix habitats has identified a number of valuable solitary bee species, including Andrena flavipes, an important pollinator of oilseed rape, fruit and other crops. The Operation Pollinator Annual Wildflower Mix has now helped to establish more than 400 hectares of new habitat over the past year.

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