What lies ahead for the dessert fruit market?
There is a noticeable trend in Poland away from berry crops intended to supply processing plants and towards growers moving towards selling fruit on the fresh market. This offers more stable

Tesco goes peat-free on bedding plants
Tesco has announced it has become the first UK retailer to go peat-free on its British-grown bedding plants. The move, which the supermarket said was aimed at lowering its carbon footprint,

How tolerance to stress can be improved for cherries and other tree crops
“The role of the cuticle, whether it’s on the fruit, seeds or foliage, is very important for plant health and leads to healthy plants and high-quality fruit. However, the cuticle can be

Frost is coming! How do you protect your plants?
Although the calendar winter is over, night-time temperature drops below 0°C may still accompany us for several more weeks. Now that the vegetation has started, this is particularly dangerous. A

Study: Moroccan mobile app helps reduce water consumption by 20-25%.
Morocco is facing its worst drought season in 3 decades. Due to the persistent drought, dam reserves and water tables are exhausted in several regions. The depletion of the water table has even

"The recent months' fluctuating temperatures mean cherry tomato supplies remain limited"
"It remains a difficult tomato year," sighs the Spanish company Horticola Guadalfeo's Ellen van Kester. "After a major shortage, numbers seemed to return to normal, both price and volume-wise. But

Cosmic Crisp, new season starts with sprint
The new season of Cosmic Crisp® has begun, with the South Tyrolean consortia VOG and VIP engaged in marketing in Italy, Spain, Germany and other European countries. Thanks to the entry into

Strawberry patent infringement unsuccessful for Driscoll’s
A strawberry patent infringement lawsuit against the former chief of a breeding institute hasn't borne fruit and is running out of steam. The case stems from an underlying dispute between the

Fall in Huelva’s berry production
Freshuelva (The Association of Strawberry Producers and Exporters of Spain’s Huelva region) projects a 30% fall in strawberry output and a 25% smaller blueberry crop compared to the last

Plans underway for Australia's biggest vertically-integrated exotic mushroom farm in South Australia
One of Australia's most iconic car manufacturing plants in South Australia is set to become one of the largest exotic mushroom production facilities in the world. Earlier this year, the Epicurean

Ukraine: Using a bomb shelter to grow crops underground
A Ukrainian farmer named Viktor Shuleshko rebuilt his vertical farm business after it was destroyed by Russian troops shelling the Dnipro airport. Despite the damage, he did not give up on his

A nursery producing 100 million plants a year
One of the leading vegetable nurseries in Emilia Romagna, Vivai Garattoni Umberto in San Mauro Pascoli, produces around 100 million plants every year. The main products are leaf vegetables,

BLE/BZL: Bring strawberry plants out of hibernation now
Spring is starting and in the garden it is time to prepare strawberry plants for the new season. The Federal Agricultural Information Centre (BZL) reveals how, with a little care, the plants will

Excitement builds before China’s first domestic durian harvest
China’s first crop of home-grown durian is drawing near, leading to growing excitement. Orchards on the island of Hainan are expected to produce over 2,000 tons of fruit starting in June. The

The Moroccan tomato industry is increasingly relying on seawater desalination plants
While the tomato industry in Morocco is facing many hardships this season, drought is not the biggest one thanks to the Chtouka Ait Baha desalination plant. The facility became operational in 2022

Medicinal plants, an opportunity for producers
From a marginal presence in the sector, today medicinal plants - as well as aromatic plants and spices - occupy increasingly important spaces. A growth that has contributed to the development of

"Our preservative sachets help extend the shelf life of stone fruit"
The stone fruit season in Europe will officially start at the end of May. Most of the fruits currently on the market come from Chile and South Africa. But production from both origins has fallen

By mid-April, the first domestic open ground produce from southern Hesse should be available
The first sets of vegetable plants are in the ground. At the BEHR farm in southern Hesse, planting of iceberg lettuce began at the end of February. The Gresse site in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

"Full forced rhubarb production arrives right on time for Easter"
In the Netherlands, tunnel production of forced rhubarb is in full swing at De Rond Agro. "At the beginning of last week, I still thought it would be quiet, but the warm (night) temperatures

MG finalises Southern Paprika acquisition
New Zealand grower co-operative Market Gardeners (MG) has finalised the purchase of Warkworth-based Southern Paprika (SPL). Featuring 27ha of modern glasshouses across five developments, housing

Rethinking conservation and fertilisation programmes (Part I)
Wielkopolskie Jagody (Wielkopolska Berries) is the slogan of a training event organised by Fagro in Tarnowo Podgórne near Poznan. The event features a large dose of knowledge on fertilisation and

BEHR starts the outdoor season
The first sets of vegetable plants are in the ground. At the BEHR farm in southern Hesse, planting of iceberg lettuce already started at the end of February. The Gresse site in Mecklenburg-Western

More than 600 million euros in live plant and flower exports by 2022
Spanish flower and live plant exports in 2022 amounted to 602,236,000 euros in 2022, representing a year-on-year growth of 7%, with live plants standing out with 495 million euros and an increase

Smoke exposure linked to smaller, misshapen potatoes, according to U of I, BSU study
Potato plants exposed to extreme smoke produced lower marketable yields than smoke-free plants, according to preliminary data from a joint University of Idaho and Boise State University study.