THECOMMERCIALGREENHOUSEGROWER
•
FEBRUARY 2017
6
•
N
EWS
NewHot CropAccount
Manager at Rijk Zwaan
Rijk ZwaanUK are
delighted to announce the
appointment of Sarah
Mayne as Account
Manager for Hot Crops.
Sarah joinsRijk Zwaan
from her previous rolewith
ADASUK Ltd as a
Horticultural Pathology
Consultantmanaging a
number of high level trials,
workingwith industry
professionals,
growers and universities.
Prior to this Sarahworked
in environmental research
andwill alsobring to her
new role her experience of
laboratory and fieldwork.
Stockbridge study confirms
LED benefits
The changingof the intensity andwavelengths of LEDs can
improve the quality and yields according to recent research by
Stockbridge TechnologyCentre (STC).
The study, fundedby AHDBHorticulture, has shown that
adjusting the quantity andquality of LED lighting, improves
both the yields andquality of ornamentals andother crops
highlightingmore conclusively that there aremore benefits to
growing under LEDs and not just energy savings.
The research at STC has been looking at the underlying
biology of plant responses to various lightingmixes andwhat
thismeans in terms of plantmorphology and speed of growth.
This year, light quality tests have been focusedon finding out
whether it is possible toproduce plants that are both compact
and early flowering, whichmany ornamental growers are
looking for, through combining red, blue and far-red in the light
spectrum in definedproportions. The tests have been
conductedwithout any natural light source. This has revealed
that it is possible toproduce beddingplants, in this case pansy
andpetunia, that are both compact and early floweringwithout
the need for chemical plant growth regulators, by selecting
LED output for an optimumblue percentage and red:far-red
ratio.
An in-depth economic analysis of using LED lights togrow
plantswill be undertaken during the final year of the project.
WayneBrough, Knowledge TransferManager at AHDB, said:
“Our aim is not to come upwith specific recipes for specific
responses in particular crops, but togenerate baseline
information that can be built on in further R&D, either by AHDB
or by individual businesses themselves, avoiding toomany
blind alleys.”
Danziger has announced the appointment of Anna
Chernyavsky asDirector of Sales for beddingplants and
perennials anddirectly in charge of theUSA andUKmarkets.
“We are sure that with her experience, knowledge and sharp
business skills, Annawill leadDanziger to further growth, and
together with our partners, will bringour industry another step
ahead,” saysGaby
Danziger, CEO.
Ms. Chernyavsky
joinedDanziger inAu-
gust 2016, with vast
experience in global
B2B sales.
In her previous posi-
tion, Anna served as
Senior SalesManager
for theEuropeanmar-
ket at Keter Plastics,
a leading Israel-based
company. She has
beenworkingwith
top executives includ-
ingglobal and local
businesses, buyers
andother senior level
decisionmakerswith
the largest retailers in
Europe.
Danziger Director of Sales for
bedding plants and perennials
Introducing far-red light to
themix of LED light in a
tomato crop is being trialled
on a commercial nursery in
the Netherlands following
work at Wageningen
University &Research last
winter which suggested it
could increase production
even further than LEDs at
‘standard’ wavelengths.
Together with Philips light
manufacturers, the university
tested two levels of far-red
light added to a standard
red/bluemix on grafted
plants of large-fruited vine
Dutch trial far-red LED light
on tomatoes
variety Komeett. The
modification to the spectrum
increased yields by between
6 and 15%, mainly due to a
higher average fruit weight.
In the new trial which
started inNovember, 30µmol
per sqm per second of far-
red light applied from above
the crop is being compared
with far-red applied as
interlighting at two intensities
of 10 and 30µmol. All
treatments are being
delivered alongside light from
high-pressure sodium lamps.
