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THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • APRIL 2018
Front cover - Passion a newPrimrose
novelty variety. • Seepage 10
THECOMMERCIALGREENHOUSEGROWER
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COMMENT
Technologymeans everything to the horticultural sector throughout the globe
and certainly in theUK. It is innovation that is driving amore efficient and
effective sector anddevelopments in automationhave created aplatform for
growers to seek further advancements in the future.
Just before TheCommercial GreenhouseGrower went topress,Wageningen
University announced the launchof a new international competition toboost
cropproduction using artificial intelligence and autonomous glasshouses.
Wageningen says that with a risingglobal population, it is necessary to
exploremore technological breakthroughs that canhelp feedmorepeople,
deliver greater food security and createmore foodwith fewer resources.
The challenge is open tomulti-discipline teams from all over theworld to take
part. The chosen finalistswill then run their own full crops inglasshouses
under controlled conditions.Wageningen says that production inglasshouses
is on average 10 times higher than inopen fields and usesmuch lesswater.
Recent researchby the university has shown that in highly controlled
glasshouses only five litres of water is used toproduce 1kgof tomatoes,
compared to 40 litres if theywere grown inopen-fieldproduction.
More importantly perhaps, it goes on to say thatmore glasshouses and
automationwill be needed at a timewhen it is becoming increasingly difficult
to find enough skilledworkers. Automation, IT and artificial intelligencewill
be required to support growers tomake complex decisions as glasshouses
becomemore advanced.
But what does all this tell us? Itmeans that the horticulture and farming
sector is rapidly becomingone of themost technologically advanced
industries in theworld. The challenge now is to seewhat theUK can learn
from all this global development andmore importantly how all this advanced
technology canbemade affordable for all. UKgrowersmay feel some of this
technology is out of reach, but the truth is, developments are just around the
corner for all.
TheCommercial GreenhouseGrower is amember of the Independent Press
StandardsOrganisation.We abideby theEditors’ Code of Practice and are
committed toupholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have
notmet those standards andwant tomake a complaint, pleasewrite to the editor
at the address above. If youwould likemore information about IPSOor theEditors’
Code, visit:
APRIL 2018 •
CONTENTS
News
4-7
ShowReview
8-9
VarietyUpdate
10-11
Grower Update
12-13
Films
14-17
HortiContact Show
18-20
Lighting
21-24
Pollination
25-28
HortiContact Tour
28-30
Classified
31
W
E
E
K
2
4
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