Categories
Integrated Pest Management Technical

Pollination

Bees Bees Bees

 

Has your bumblebee marking been an issue for you this year?  Every few years it pops up as an issue. I have already heard, and seen, from two growers with some flowers not being set.  From personal experience the most difficult period to achieve a good flower/fruit set is springtime.  This is a good time to remind growers how important your bumble bees are.

Very quickly an entire truss can be missed if you don’t notice or realise the flowers have not been marked.  As spring has arrived, and summer is right on our doorstep, growers and greenhouse workers will be extremely busy with all the tasks at hand.

The best way to check if your bees are setting is by observing the markings as part of your weekly crop recordings.  While collecting data take a very close look at the marking of the flowers.  When I noticed too many flowers were still open, or there was faint or not many visible bruises/marks on the flower, there were a few things I would check.  Firstly, I would open previously closed flowers to examine if there was a visible marking.    Secondly, I would go and check the most recent bumblebee hive to check on the activity. 

Very poor pollination at the start of the truss.  Only after a booster hive was introduced was set improved.

 

I would order an additional hive or two to boost things.  Then I would check at least three times a week, in different parts of the glasshouse, until the setting had improved.  At this time of the year the bees may be lured out of the greenhouse by other temptations.  My old property was close to an orchard, when it blossomed each year, it was noticeable the drop off in setting in the greenhouse.  This may or may not have been coincidental, but I think not.

I would also advise to get a leaf analysis or runoff sample and check your plant is getting the correct nutrition.  Plant stress may also play a role, not just a lack of bee pressure, so I suggest you cover all your bases.

Bees are the cheapest workers in the greenhouse – I always joke about this, but they never rest on weekends or public holidays.  At this time of the year, with increasing growth and flowering rates, maybe the amount of bumble bees, that were enough to do the job in the winter, are not enough for the summer.  Monitor and react because without your fruit set you won’t earn an awful lot.  

Same property with poor pollination after a booster hive was introduced.  Three to four flowers for this variety are all that should be open at any one time. 

 

Article written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic

All Article’s checked and edited by Marie Vogrincic

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Categories
Technical

Warm Nights

Good for the energy bill but not ideal for the crop

Recently it has been noticeably muggy and warm during the night.  This is great for the energy bill but if you are growing tomatoes and are in the warmer parts of the country fruit size could be affected.  If you are a capsicum grower you will be quite happy if the light is sufficient, and plants will not abort after several days of dull humid weather.  With the warm nights has also come some patchy weather.  The light meters are all over the place, with high light readings one week and much lower than expected the following week.  Over a month it will average out but the inconsistent in and out weather will be causing some irritating issues.

For older crops protecting the plants and the fruit quality is going to be critical heading towards Christmas and historically low prices.  ReduFuse, or diffused coatings, is a no brainer especially if you are having quality issues and the vigour of the crop has diminished.  This is not just for tomatoes but all crops that will perform much better with protection (not shading) from the harsh sun.  Some nursery crops may benefit from Reduheat products. ReduHeat is a removable coating that reflects the heat rays (infrared) of the sun. The transmission of grow light (PAR) remains high. … It is suitable for crops that thrive on large amounts of light but need protection against heat.

It is also very important to monitor the irrigation daily and decide if you are starting the watering early enough and ending the day at the correct time.  Certainly, if it is warmer than normal at night then the natural evaporation/dry-down occurring may catch you off guard.  Some substrates may be drying more than you would expect for this time of the year. You may require night shots or adjust your start times to maintain target figures.  If you have graphs of water content or weigh scales, then I would be looking for that sharp drop in the morning period when the plant is actively taking up water again.  If you see a sharp decline or drop then you have started the irrigation too late.

There is a train of thought that if you don’t wait until you see the drop how do you know when it is too early? This is fair and I agree with that in the winter but not now when plants in New Zealand have extreme weather to cope with.  Our climate is harsh on crops during the summer. Making sure they have replenishment early and are ready for the long day ahead is very important.

To navigate what could be a challenging growing summer consider what you may require to ensure crop health.  The weather has been unsettled enough and with a hot summer predicted I would consider protecting an older crop with a coating on my roof.

Article written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic

All Article’s checked and edited by Marie Vogrincic

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Categories
Greenhouse News

Is it time for our own research facility?

It is long overdue

 

Holland has Wageningen University, Australia has Western Sydney University.  Both of these universities have high tech modern greenhouse structures, researching protective cropping methods.  The leading and most well-known is Wageningen University, that researches multiple cultivars using different scenarios, from cultivation methods, heating requirements, artificial lighting and everything to do with irrigation, the list goes on.  You name it and I believe they are researching it.

Research at New Zealand universities and other tertiary institutions (in regards to food production systems) is predominantly concentrated on agriculture and arable crops. I am not aware of many collaborative research institutions in NZ concentrating on protected cropping.  Several universities/technical institutions have out of date structures, which I doubt are keeping abreast with worldwide research facilities.

I believe it is time New Zealand had its very own protected cropping – high tech research facility to investigate the feasibility of growing techniques and cultivars that could provide profitability and improve New Zealand’s food security.  It could also help prove what not to grow.   Currently we are heavily dependent on the entrepreneurs to ‘take a punt’.

 

Why is it time?

young banana plants in a North Waikato greenhouse

 

As the cost of shipping sky rockets food increases at the shops, surely what covid has taught us is that we are too heavily dependent on importing certain food.  We have what appears limited food security.  This does seem rather ridiculous considering New Zealand exports huge volumes of fresh and processed food every day and we have some of the best growing conditions on the planet.

 

Examples of food imports I believe we could grow in larger volumes during the winter are berry fruit and some tropical fruit.  There is the available technology to grow strawberries all year round, it will come down to the cost to invest in high tech structures and the cost of the energy.   Bananas could be grown in cost effective tunnel houses in the warmest parts of NZ.  However, all of these ideas require full business case studies to prove they are commercially viable.   Without understanding (researching) the growing systems required including: varieties, plants per ha, production volumes etc, then producing a feasibility/business case is reliant on overseas information that may or may not relate to NZ’s climate.

   

New Zealand relies on exporting our horticulture and agriculture products and this will keep growing, container ships will continue to bring goods to New Zealand and be backloaded with what we do best.  International trade is not going to stop if NZ reduces the amount of food we import.  I sincerely believe there are huge possibilities to commercially and profitably grow a huge array of greenhouse crops in the future – we just need proof to provide assurance to business.   I would fully support a NZ university to examine the possibilities and opportunity. 

 

Article written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic

All Article’s checked and edited by Marie Vogrincic

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Categories
Irrigation/Substrates Technical

Roots in three year-old substrate

Outstanding 

 

Over the past year, due to delays in shipping, some growers have been growing in their substrates for much longer than they normally would- some for two years or in some cases longer.  I recently visited a cucumber grower who is growing his 10th cucumber crop in the same substrate.   At an average of 4 months per crop this means the substrate will be up to 40 months old when replaced!   It is quite remarkable and a testament to the substrate it has lasted over 3 years.  The current and last crop in the substrate looks as good as the first with extremely good fruit quality and excellent production levels achieved.

Growing continuously in old substates requires skill.  With every crop the water content increases and the potential to control diseases gets harder.  Whatever substate you are growing in; with each new crop it will fill up with roots.  These old roots don’t disappear when the new crop is planted.  With each new crop the substrate will have less air space than the previous crops.  The majority of the roots will form towards the bottom of the slab.   Over time the compounding effect, from old roots at the bottom third of the bags or slabs, make this area difficult to drain effectively.  The water contents can be very high in this area and over time reach 100%. 

Ten (cucumber) crops on the same substrate means you will have to take this into consideration.  You may even find that the drainage holes are blocked with the build-up of old roots making it hard for water to drain Electrical Conductivity (EC).  If you do end up with compounding EC build up you will require more volume to flush this out.  If there is already a higher water content then adding to this could increase disease issues.  You may want to consider cutting new drainage holes in your slabs/bags at different points to help reduce water content at the base of the slabs, this in turn helps to ‘push’ high EC out.   Each time the slab is used it in essence holds more water so the technical ability of the grower is crucial to manage the irrigation and change direction as the substrate properties change.

 

Growing 10 crops on the same slab is not what I would ever recommend, but if you are forced into this scenario then you will require some very strict hygiene protocols.  I would definitely apply a biological option between crops, especially the top of the substrate, to reduce any spores that could cause gummy stem blight or pythium from effecting new plants. 

 

Tomato Growers:

For tomato growers that are infected with PepMV – reusing the substrate is a big concern.  You will run the real risk of carrying the virus over to the new crop.  It is, in my view, too risky.  The best option for businesses that can not change substrates is to contemplate growing a completely different cultivar for at least one crop rotation to hopefully eliminate PepMV.  Not ideal and your market may be an issue. However, until we collectively know more about the longer-term effects of PepMV I don’t really have any other advice to offer.

 

Capsicums:

For capsicum growers, that are using substates for a second season, I’m interested to know how the last 3-5 months of the crops go.  I am relatively confident the first two thirds of the crop will see no ill effects.  It is a good test case to see if substrates can be successfully re-used for capsicum plantings.  I know some growers have grown for several seasons on pumice substrates but I have rarely come across Coir or Rockwool being used for multiple seasons.

 

Eggplants:

The root systems of grafted eggplants can be very aggressive, even though these are tomato rootstocks the roots, if not careful, will completely fill up a slab/bag of substrate in a short period of time.  The option to use for a second year needs to be carefully considered.

 

 

Article written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic

All Article’s checked and edited by Marie Vogrincic

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Categories
Technical

Leaf Area Index

Providing natural protection

 

Leaf Area Index (LAI) is a crucial tool for greenhouse growers, despite maybe not knowing it.  Now we are officially heading towards the end of spring and the beginning of summer the weather is rapidly changing with increased light levels and temperatures rising.  You only have to look at how much the lawns grow each week.

 

Many growers understand that if they increase stem density, they will increase production and with all the extra light we know the plant can handle a raised fruit load per m2.   Some growers do not take the extra stems due to labour constraints or they may not see the benefits.  The additional leaf panels created by increasing stem density has major benefits.

 

  1. Plants use all the available light to maximise productivity
  2. They provide more natural environmental control

 

The second point is what I believe to be a huge benefit when increasing leaf area per m2.  In my view the benefit is the extra natural shading and natural cooling functions.   Basically, an increased number of leaves per m2 are crucial to increase required transpiration to maintain leaf temperature and reduce high humidity deficit.   The greenhouse can handle more temperature as long as there is enough natural moisture around the plant to reduce plant stress.  Growers that do not add additional stems are reliant on the plant remaining vegetative and to maintain leaf length. For growers that do not increase stem density and plants become stressed, you will notice the leaf length shortening and you will be forced to either reduce fruit numbers or take flag leaves from the lateral shoots.   Other issues, such as Blossom End Rot, could also become a problem.  There are options, such as diffusing products, which have huge benefits even for crops that have increased density but possibly have even more benefits for growers that do not increase stem density/LAI. (Redufuse)

 

The LAI increase during summer is going to help protect the head of the plant, which is critical.   If stress can be minimised not only, will you increase productivity but the quality of the product will also be enhanced.  This is very important, especially during summer, when greenhouse produce is historically abundant and any blemishes are punished by the market.  This week’s changeable Auckland weather is the perfect example of how quality could be affected.  The weather has been changing from cloudy, wet and windy to unbearably hot all within the same day.  These ‘tricky’ periods are hard to deal with when growing greenhouse crops, if the greenhouse environment changes too much you could end up with skin quality issues and weaker plants that insects could cause increased damage on. 

 

There are multiple benefits to increasing LAI for summer, it is extra work but necessary to naturally protect crops such as greenhouse vegetable crops.  

 

Article written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic

All Article’s checked and edited by Marie Vogrincic

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Categories
Technical

PepMV Update

Summer key

 

For tomato growers that have been infected with the Pepino Mosaic Virus (PepMV) the next three to four months will be a key period to observe the effects during high light levels and naturally increasing temperature.  Recently I was fortunate to be part of a meeting with experienced growers and virus experts in England, I was interested to learn how different factors, such as age and variety of crop, will affect production and fruit quality.

 

For plants already infected and under a high fruit load it will be important to observe how they cope with several days of bad weather or intense temperatures.    I am interested to find out if normal whitefly levels make it increasingly more challenging to maintain vigour while the plant has PepMV.  On a recent visit to a site, that was identified in autumn as having PepMV, the crop was still producing with minimal symptoms, the leaves on the plants had less curling compared to the middle of the winter.  This is a cherry crop so the actual weight on the plant from the fruit is much lower than a standard large round.

 

Information collected and shared by growers will be the best way to understand the impacts from the virus. I hope from gathering this information we would, as an industry, plot a strategy for best practice to combat PepMV.  If we don’t document the actual physical impacts then it will make it difficult to provide the best possible decisions for the entire commercial tomato growing industry. 

 

The main message I ‘took home’ from the video meeting, with the overseas experts, is inoculation strains were the most effective way to mitigate the negative impacts from the virus.  Even though the English growers were weary when the inoculation was introduced, as it was unknown how it would react (or possibly mutate), it proved to be both effective and not have adverse effects.  This does not mean the exact same scenario wouldn’t occur here but this is basis for why I believe the sooner we work alongside government agencies and use quarantine facilities to start carrying out tests, the sooner we could have a safe option available if or when we might require it.  To do nothing is simply to do nothing and, in my view, would be a mistake that may come back to bite our growers in the backside.  Even if it is proven we will not require inoculation or the inoculation strain could pose a risk if released, I would gladly support industry funding this process.

 

With new crops about to be planted please make sure you have a deep clean between crops.  I suggest products such as Virkon and Hydrogen Peroxide.  Cleaning foams would also be useful.  If you can have your greenhouse empty for three weeks and remove all of the organic material from your greenhouse you may have a chance of eliminating the issue naturally.  This will not be practical for most operations that work on short crop turn arounds.

 

 

 Article written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic

All Article’s checked and edited by Marie Vogrincic

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Categories
Energy

Energy Crisis in Europe

Skyrocketing Gas prices disrupt planting schedule

 

Spare a thought for our counterparts in parts of Europe as gas prices sky rocket.  For those grower’s dependent on natural gas the staggering increase in the price will have consequences. For Dutch and Belgium growers this current energy crisis has serious implications, for Ukrainian growers it could be terminal.

 

I understand due to the sudden increase in gas prices (Spot gas prices in the EU at the end of September are about ten times higher than at the same time in 2020) that some businesses that had plants ordered from nurseries/plant raisers have deferred them, leaving greenhouses empty until December and for some cucumber crops into next year.  As Europe is now heading into winter, unless growers have access to alternative energy sources it seems some greenhouses may be empty for a prolonged period.    The downstream effect of this must be enormous for staff, suppliers and the local market.  For countries not affected, by these increases in costs, they will be in a much stronger position to supply what could be a market short on local supply in the early part of next year.  For every grower that will loose from these high gas prices there will be growers in other parts of Europe that could prosper, ultimately, I believe the consumer will be the biggest looser with either increased prices or having less options to eat locally grown produce.

 

I remember in the early 2000’s, during one period in spring, we were seeing returns much higher than I budgeted for or anticipated, at the time there were floods in Australia.  It was a bonanza for NZ growers harvesting but must have been a terrible time for those growers in Australia.  That was a natural disaster, the gas price increase in Europe is not a natural disaster.  High production from a high-tech greenhouse is actually relatively easy to achieve, you plant, give water and fertiliser, heat it and watch it grow.  The difficulty is the innovation required to keep producing with less inputs or with increased efficiency to sustain profitability.  The grower and direct employees, are the heart of the industry, if they do not have a viable business all of the support industries become collateral damage with decisions out their control – like the cost of energy.  The cost of energy, and the lack of alternative sustainable clean or non-fossil fuel options, will determine how our industry looks in ten years’ time.   In New Zealand we have a head start on what is on the horizon so we will hopefully have enough time and support to adapt with a lot of assistance.  I am not sure how growers in the Netherlands or Belgium will cope without alternate energy options of which I understand at this point in time are limited.

 

I recommend reading the following articles:

https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9369365/more-spread-out-growing-now-and-hopefully-back-to-normal-later-this-winter/

https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9370490/record-gas-prices-and-prospects-for-the-greenhouse-business-in-ukraine/

 

 

Article written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic

All Article’s checked and edited by Marie Vogrincic

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Categories
Greenhouse News Technical

Botrytis in Strawberries

Water management is important

 

Botrytis can be an issue for strawberry growers. For tomato growers’ botrytis has always been a constant pain in the you know what.   There are controls to help reduce botrytis and limit losses without physical intervention (spraying). However, in my experience, these will only reduce the need for spraying not entirely eliminate it.

The weather is a major influence on the spread botrytis within a crop.  Growers know warmer temperatures, higher humidity and a vegetative canopy provide optimal conditions for botrytis to spread within crops. 

Strawberry growers, that use some form of protected cropping structures, generally do not use heating systems common in other greenhouses.  Heating systems provide the opportunity to have more control and help reduce botrytis.  Most high wire vegetable crops have large leaf area index (LAI) that make it difficult to maintain humidity balance, especially when the weather is unfavourable, and therefore the heating systems play a crucial role in ‘drying’ a climate.

Fertiliser balance is important, this can be achieved via testing.  All crops generally require a vegetative growth stage, I understand that excessive nitrogen may make a plant softer and not enough calcium will make cell walls weaker.  I think there is an easy solution – test regularly and make adjustments to your feed.   Discuss with your advisors the stages critical for testing and make the necessary adjustments. 

Good air flow, positioning tunnels in a way that allows for the prevailing wind to travel ‘faster’ through the tunnels gable ends makes sense and is a good suggestion for a crop like strawberries that are grown on one level.  This will be good for certain times and stages of the crop cycle when you want to reduce high humidity.  However, there may be times when you want to reduce air movement to reduce stress on the plants.   This decision may also come down to location.   For example, the further North the more humidity therefore more air flow is required and the further South less humidity, therefore more protection from dry warm winds within the growing area.

 

Precision irrigation to help reduce botrytis

 

Over watering, especially in dull weather is a big no.  Overwatering continues to happen even in modern greenhouses if a grower doesn’t make the necessary adjustments based on the elements.  Most irrigation systems are triggered by light accumulated, some growers may have minimum or maximum rest times.  This rarely takes into account the humidity.  Basically, if the temperature and light levels are the same over two days but one day the humidity is high and the next low, the plants will basically and in principle transpire less if the humidity is high, therefore using less water, but if you are irrigating on accumulated light then you inevitably may well be providing extra water that could cause vegetative plant growth that equals more vegetation or LIA.   This could attribute to more fungal issues.

 

Water management, even if your fertiliser balance is correct, is tricky to control.   Precision irrigation is where big improvements could be achieved, I have always wanted to control irrigation using water content and EC sensors integrated with the computer system.  Growers that have lights are moving towards this scenario.  As an example, the irrigation may start when the substrate reduces to 70% water content, it lifts to 75% and then only irrigates again when the limit drops to 70%.  It is also possible to set parameters so that after a certain time of the day- if you require less WC going into the night period that you prevent the irrigation from starting.  You can then have a night shot only if your substrate lowers below a minimum desired water content – but this is technical and should be discussed with an advisor.

 

With any growing operation the grower will ultimately decide the direction of the water content and make adjustments as the seasons and crop stages change.  Precision application of water will have added benefits including reducing over or under watering incidence.    There are also major cost saving implications, but that is another article.

Growers that make investments into better systems will have more control and inevitably, I believe reduce their requirements for other costly interventions.

 

Cover is of my very own generative crop of strawberries.  Not much foliage, I did thin flowers out to let some vegetative growth but as I like to have a hard plant and not spray, I will sacrifice LAI and fruit size/production.  I have also restricted irrigation.  Note this is a home garden not a commercial operation that will require more vegetation to ascertain higher yields.   

 

Article written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic

All Article’s checked and edited by Marie Vogrincic

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

 

Categories
Greenhouse News

COVID growing pains

When will this disruption ease?

 

Food supply is an essential service, nothing will alter that as we have to eat.  However, since the official start of the pandemic, the past 18 months, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has indicated a gigantic rise in the price of fruit and vegetables.  The effects from the covid response and policies, rightly or wrongly, are major contributing factors to the rise in fresh fruit and veg. In turn this has deprived a huge portion of our population the opportunity to eat healthily, they simply cannot afford it.  https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/consumers-price-index-september-2021-quarter see Key Facts.

I saw a clip-on TV with a member of the public jokingly saying why go gold mining when you should go tomato mining.  This tongue and check comment was made in response to the high price tomatoes reached in the supermarkets.  For growers that achieved good returns recently – good on you for hanging in there and battling through last summer when returns were abysmal.  This winter’s prices were the highest in a long time.  The usual low winter production is always a factor and similar to last year there were minimal imports. Other factors, out of the control of growers, may have also caused a dip in supply. This is a supply and demand market; prices are determined by availability of product and the demand from consumers – basic.

Contributing factors such as rise in labour costs, consumables and energy prices have hit growers hard.  Energy restrictions, including gas volume allocations, increase in ETS (directly effecting coal prices) may have both restricted how much some properties could heat to optimal levels or could afford or were prepared to spend on heating.  Lowering temperature would lower production figures further reducing supply.  Some growers changed planting times to avoid heating during the coldest months of the winter – more disruption.  All of these factors combined exclude the elephant in the room I have not mentioned, this year’s incursion of the Pepino Mosaic Virus.   It is very unclear how much this has impacted on first grade supply.  Long term it is unclear also.

It is no surprise annual inflation is nearly at 5%.  The price of a shipping container, to bring goods to NZ, has increased 4-fold from reports I have received.  I expect any gains made by growers will simply go in increased costs. Currently, if it couldn’t get worse, fuel prices are sky rocketing, this will directly impact freight costs for growers and consumers.  To stay afloat I fully understand businesses need to increase what they charge for goods or services, or face going out of business.  Good strong competition will help keep prices down but there must be a tipping point.  

Rapidly rising utility costs and struggling to make ends meet is not what I want for anyone in our communities.  Fresh fruit and vegetables in diets is turning into a luxury that too many people, during the winter especially, are struggling to afford.  If we want a healthier community, we need everyone to have access to affordable produce all of the time.  Everyone in the chain from growing to distribution, that works hard are fully entitled to make a living.  Supply and demand are key drivers of price but the only way to lower price is to produce more and do this at a lower production cost.  If rising costs for growers are not controlled then expect constant increases in the CPI for fruit and veg in the next 12 months.  It is simply out of growers control.

 

Cover photo – prices in Wellington during this past winter. 

 

Article written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic

All Article’s checked and edited by Marie Vogrincic

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Categories
Seeds

Bayer Launches New “Vegetables by Bayer”

Brand Platform to Reaffirm Commitment to Customer and Partners

 

Melbourne, 4 October 2021 – Bayer has unveiled the “Vegetables by Bayer” brand platform, uniting two trusted brands, Seminis® and De Ruiter®, under one shared purpose with a new brand identity, positioning, and global website (vegetables.bayer.com)

Seminis and De Ruiter have long provided cutting-edge solutions for customers in diverse open-field and protected environments. Now, they will join forces as part of “Vegetables by Bayer” with refreshed branding and an even deeper commitment to delivering value at every step – to growers, partners, consumers, and the planet.

 

“By bringing together world-class experts and resources from across Bayer, the new ‘Vegetables by Bayer' umbrella enables our Seminis and De Ruiter brands to provide value to our customers and partners in new and exciting ways,” said Darren Wood, Commercial Lead of Vegetable Seeds Australia and New Zealand at Bayer.

 

That value is reflected across four core pillars: partnership, innovation, performance, and sustainability.

 

  • Partnership: The recently opened De Ruiter Experience Center in Australia is one example of Bayer’s commitment to partnering with our local community in the produce industry. Utilising a seven metre high purpose-built glasshouse in partnership with local grower SA Tomatoes, Vegetables by Bayer focusses on bringing the latest breeding, cultivation and digital technologies for sustainable tomato production under local growing conditions.
  • Innovation: New varieties within Bayer’s High Rise™ broccoli series grow tall and feature strong, clean stems with few large leaves and visible crowns that are firm and heavy. The uniform maturity, strong yield potential and consistent product quality help growers to achieve efficient harvests through less harvest passes and the ability to adopt mechanised harvesting.
  • Performance: From best-in-class seeds to an expert agronomic service with tailored digital solutions, Bayer have developed a 360° virtual tour of the De Ruiter Experience Center where customers can experience and interact with all De Ruiter has to offer, remotely. We bring our customers direct access to all the latest varieties from overseas faster and provide opportunities for growers to collaborate on a regular basis to share knowledge or ask questions.
  • Sustainability: According to the FAO, approximately one third of all food produced for human consumption globally is lost or wasted each year. With its Seminis and De Ruiter vegetable seeds, Bayer is committed to helping reduce food loss and waste, ensuring high-quality, nutritious produce reaches more consumers.

 

The launch comes as the United Nations celebrates the “International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021” which aims to raise awareness of the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption. “From our industry-leading R&D to tailored solutions that go beyond the seed to meet the evolving needs of the market, ‘Vegetables by Bayer’ reflects our commitment to helping our customers grow their businesses so together we can foster a healthier, more sustainable world,” said Mr Wood.

 

Learn more at vegetables.bayer.com

 

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care, nutrition and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. The company has operated in Australia since 1925 and has a long term commitment to the health and nutrition of all Australians. Locally, Bayer currently employs almost 900 people across the country and is dedicated to servicing the needs of rural and remote communities. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. For more information, go to crop.bayer.com.au

 

Contact:

Lachlan Bird, phone +61 407 885 209

Email: lachlan.bird@bayer.com

 

ljb                   (2021-0927)

 

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

 

 

New Zealand Contact:

 

Marco Lozada

De Ruiter Business Manager

Bayer Vegetables New Zealand

 

////////////////////

 

Bayer New Zealand Ltd

Vegetable Seeds Division

704 Harrisville Road,

Pukekohe RD2 2677

Tel: +64 09 239 0666

Mobile: +64 27 222 2432

Mail: maco.lozada@bayer.com

Web: http://www.bayer.com I http://www.deruiter.com