A PUBLICATION OF

About this HortiBiz...

HortiBiz informs you about what’s going on in the world of horticulture. We do
that online with HortiBiz.com and our daily newsletter, but also 5 times a year with
a special publication. Full of articles from our correspondents and professionally
translated stories from the Dutch magazine KAS. About technology, biology,
marketing and more. In this issue of HortiBiz special attention for seed treatment
and efficient use of water.

IN THIS EDITION… Make the right choice and

use of your water buffer
Cultivation on water finally taking hold The choice of the right amount of water buffer (or available water)
P4. and its use can influence: better plant balance, an efficient and
healthy root system and better yield. There are many factors which
influence this decision. Cultilene can help growers to make the right
decision. P10

Biological seed treatment promising Also:

Seed treated with micro-organisms in order to achieve higher production
volumes or as an alternative to chemical agents is up and coming. The practical
experiences with crops like wheat, maize, soy, carrots and peas are truly
promising. It is only a matter of time before the horticultural sector will reap the
benefits from these technologies. P6
Mastronardi buys Backyard P3   Kenya eyes Chinese market P3
Healthy finances Royal FloraHolland P9   Partnership for Mucci
Farms P9 FleuroStar Award P13   Storage diseases should not be
exaggerated P14

Colophon Address: M
 iddel Broekweg 3,
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info@hortibiz.com - www.hortibiz.com
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Editor in chief: Jacco Strating
Contributing authors: Suzan Crooijmans,
Jan Janse, Ellis Langen, Ank van Lier, Jacco Strating
and Tycho Vermeulen
Disclaimer/copyright: The publisher and authors
declare that they have compiled this media product
carefully and to the best of their knowledge.
However, no warranty or representation is made to
Publisher: Hans van Renssen the accuracy or completeness of the information
contained in this document. The publisher and
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Hans van Renssen, tel. +(0)6 81 02 76 88 damage resulting from the use of this product or
hans@hortibiz.com its content.

Photography: Cultilene, Horti-Images, Glenn Office management:

Mostert and Gerard Vellekoop Jolanda Bredewoud en Brenda Hanemaaijer

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Send an email to: sales@hortibiz.com
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 READ ON HORTIBIZ.COM…
Mastronardi Produce buys
Backyard Farms
Mastronardi Produce Ltd., a Kingsville, ON-based grower and distributor of specialty and commodity
greenhouse produce that operates under the Sunset brand, announced June 9 that it has acquired
Backyard Farms, a Madison, ME-based grower of year-round greenhouse-grown tomatoes in New England.

The Backyard Farms brand name will be retained
and continue to represent high-quality locally grown
produce, and greenhouse operations in Maine will
continue uninterrupted. Together, Mastronardi and
Backyard Farms will supply flavorful, world-class, non-
GMO verified tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers
to the top food retailers in North America. The
combined company will be better positioned to serve
the northeastern region of the United States, where
retailers focus on meeting consumer demand for
locally grown, fresh produce.
The addition of Backyard Farms will increase
Mastronardi’s internal greenhouse network to six
locations across North America, and will increase the
combined company’s headcount to approximately
3,000 employees. In total, Mastronardi produces
and delivers fresh, locally grown flavorful produce to
retailers from more than 4,000 productive acres of
growing capacity.
“We have long been impressed with Backyard
Farms’ commitment to fresh, high-quality tomatoes,”
Paul Mastronardi, president and chief executive
officer and the fourth-generation family member to
lead Mastronardi Produce, said in a press release.
“Backyard Farms not only is a growing, customer-
focused tomato grower with a strong and well-known
presence in the northeastern United States, but it
also shares the same community-centric ethos that
drives Mastronardi. Being a family-operated business,
we have long prioritized our local communities and a
‘fresh from the farm’ commitment to our customers
that we believe are critically important to our success.
“With Backyard Farms’ complementary capabilities,
loyal and passionate customer base, growing
footprint and enthusiasm for premium, vine-ripe
tomatoes, we are excited for what our future holds
together,” Mastronardi added. “We look forward
to working alongside Stuart Jablon and his talented
team as we continue serving customers the great
produce they have come to expect from the familiar
Sunset and Backyard Farms brands.”
Founded 10 years ago, Backyard Farms operates two
greenhouses totaling 42 acres in Madison, ME, from
which it produces and delivers fresh tomatoes to the
northeastern United States year-round. Backyard
Farms’ high-quality produce, including tomatoes-on-
the-vine, cocktail tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes,
appears on the shelves of grocery stores from Maine
to Maryland.

Kenya eyes Chinese market

to diversify exports
Players in Kenya’s flower industry are looking to uncharted markets in Asia specifically China
in a move to diversify export markets. According to Kenya Flower Council, there’s a huge
population in China and growing demand for quality flowers provides flower farmers with a
viable customer base to capitalize on.

However a four percent import duty levied on cut
flowers from Kenya has made exports to the region
all the more challenging. Speaking during the
International Flower Trade Expo in Nairobi, Kenya
Flower Council chairman Richard Fox said while China
presented opportunities, there was need for the
government to intervene and have the levy scrapped.
“Currently supplying to China there is a four percent
duty, so we shall work with government to see if that
ten percent can be removed because China has a
large flower buying population. We know we can
compete; we just need that trade facilitation,” Mr Fox
said. The growth of the Chinese flower market has
been buttressed by the introduction of direct flights
between Nairobi and Guangzhou. The courting of
buyers from the east comes as uncertainty reigns
over the traditional markets in the European Union.
In part the slowdown emanates from the decision by
the United Kingdom to exit the EU as well as the East
African Community’s delay in signing the Economic
Partnership Agreement (EPA). Kenya Flower Council
chief executive officer Jane Ngige the situation
presents a case for flower farmers to look to new
markets also in the United States to ensure steady
exports.
“We do not need to reduce our volumes going to
the EU. However it does mean that when you have
diversified your markets, then you do not have all
your eggs in one basket,” Ms Ngige said. 133,658.3
tons of cut flower was exported from Kenya in 2016,
earning the sector Sh70.8 billion in revenue making it
the largest horticulture export. While Kenya currently
contributes to 35 percent of the world’s cut flower
market, it faces stiff competition from the likes of
Ethiopia.
Text Tycho Vermeulen and Jan Janse,
Wageningen University & Research
Only in June 2015 I wrote an article
with the following title: ‘Cultivation
on water: great potential, unknown
challenges.’ Since that time, these
unknown challenges were the cause
to stop a project with regards to
the production of chrysanthemum.
After three years of investing a lot of
energy, but harvesting a lot of disease
problems, especially during the summer
months, the company Kreling decided
to return to production in the soil.
When it comes to leafy crops, it can be
concluded so far that disease problems
(above the soil) could be prevented
and extensive infestation of the roots
remained absent. Because of further
developments in LED lighting, major
steps forward are now being taken. This
article summarizes the experiences with
cultivation on water at Wageningen UR
in Bleiswijk during the past few years. In
addition to subjects such as choice of
variety, distance between plants, water
temperature and ventilation, topics like
the role of micro-organisms in water
and the search for profitability by way of
a strategy of intensified production are
also included.
Cultivation risks are here to stay
‘Let’s get moving,’ is a strategy that
4 | HortiBiz
Confidence is growing:
cultivation on water
is finally taking hold
A number of recent, large-scale and high-profile investments show a growing confidence in cultivation on
water. The Dutch companies Van Dijck Groenteproducties, De Kruidenaer, Van der Staay-group, GrowX
and previously Delicious and Boer/Den Hoedt are constructing large scale facilities for the production of
herbs and leafy crops in gutters or ponds, in greenhouses or closed multilayer cultivation systems. Not so
works well in certain crops. Is that
the case as well when it comes to
the cultivation of lettuce? Can the
investment in a cultivation system
(gutters or ponds) be recovered
with a system of ‘extensive’ outdoor
cultivation, or is it necessary to build a
greenhouse and/or install an intensive
lighting system? In outdoor cultivation,
production has been increasing with no
less than 200% and when the water is
heated this can increase again to 250%.
The products are generally of better
quality (no sand, uniform production,
smaller losses), but still more expensive
than soil grown lettuce, while risks such
as wind and hail do not go away. In
addition, clients are demanding more
often a year-round delivery. In the past
few years we tried to achieve a faster
(slightly heated) winter production and
to harvest a better quality product in
summer by opening the ‘convertible’
greenhouse. In principle, we should
reach the same production level as with
regular greenhouse cultivation, but of a
better quality all year round. By way of
heating (space and water) and the use
of assimilation lighting (20 and 80 µmol/
m2.s) the final production was higher.
During a poor summer the convertible
principle cannot be used as it should:
long ago the general mood was much more prudent.
the tunnel must be closed with strong
winds or rain.
The next step is cultivation in a regular
greenhouse with assimilation lighting.
During the winter of 2015 and various
cultivation periods 210 µ mol/m2.s
SON-T-light was used. This particular
cultivation – implemented with
various varieties of lettuce – was quite
successful. We tried the same with LED
lights (140 µ mol/m2.s) under warmer
conditions and a total of 28 cultivation
rounds. These cultivation periods were
short (3,5 weeks with heads of lettuce
of 250 grams), but not yet adequate,
because they resulted in too much
edge and spots. This autumn we will
try a new strategy in order to achieve
a good quality. Our gross calculation
shows that the cost price is comparable
to the cultivation of lettuce in a glass
greenhouse. With more experience and
by optimizing the cultivation, intensive
cultivation with assimilation lighting
could become an interesting option.
Indoor
Indoor cultivation is the superlative. In
the Netherlands quite some research
has been done and a few international
companies are active in this field
already. The first large scale projects
in the Netherlands are now about to
start. On paper the cultivation seems
more expensive and this method is
certainly more energy intensive than the
other options. With a light efficiency of
more or less 20 gram fresh weight per
mol light and the need to control the
climate, you quickly calculate 6-7 kWh
electricity per kilo fresh weight. The
great advantage of these systems is
the constant and clean production, all
year round. On the other hand, learning
how to grow under these circumstances
is in full swing. The continuous
improvements of the efficiency of the
lamps and light interception by mobile
systems make ‘indoor’ cultivation
certainly more interesting.
The cultivation on water is not sterile
– far from it. Even in a new system,
we find a great diversity of fungi and
bacteria after only two weeks. We call
this presence of micro-organisms the
‘microbiome.’ The organisms are in
the water, on the plastic films and in
the tubes, on the roots and also in the
roots. The organisms on the roots and
in the plant (endophytes) are of course
the most interesting. We know from
literary sources that these endophytes
can influence the plant physiology and
play a role when it comes to disease
resistance for instance. The organisms they can make the plant stronger by
therefore can be compared to the symbiosis.
operation of the intestinal flora of
animals. The organisms on the roots Manipulate and influence
also live in symbiosis. The roots secrete It is therefore important to understand
sugars and the micro-organisms where micro-organisms come from and
facilitate the intake of nutrients. But how they can be manipulated. In the
this is of course the positive side of the past years we have seen in many ways
story. how important the initial situation is.
The negative part is that root We could influence the microbiome
pathogens via exo-enzymes more than once by adding 10% of the
(pectinases, cellulases) destroy cell water of a different cultivation to a clean
walls or that they penetrate directly and initial situation. The same 10% of the
grow into the plant. The microbiome is water did have much less effect when
relevant therefore, because a ‘healthy’ it was added to a running cultivation.
population can colonize the roots In addition to the outlet water, a thin
before the pathogens arrive and in layer of micro organisms develop on
some cases the positive organisms can the material – the plastic film and the
ward off the pathogens (many micro- tubes. Micro-organisms which are
organisms secrete antibiotics) and found here can rapidly colonize clean
Light efficiency from sowing and planting. Average for the types of Lollo Bionda,
Batavia and Butterhead.
From From
Gram fresh weight per mol of light (average) (total PAR-light)
sowing planting
Tunnel greenhouse winter (LED 80 mol/m .s) (iceberg lettuce)
2
8.5
Tunnel greenhouse summer (iceberg lettuce) 6.6
Intensive SON-T-greenhouse production winter (210 µ mol/m2.s) 11.2
Intensive LED-greenhouse production winter (140 µ mol/m2.s) 14.6 18.2
Intensive LED-greenhouse production early spring (140 µ mol/m .s)2
12.0 11.6
water and clean roots. It is said that
many cultivations on water after 7
years have built a layer that leads to an
uncontrollable cultivation system. This
phenomenon we have not seen yet in
the Netherlands. We have noticed more
than once that organisms are difficult
to remove once they have established
themselves in the system. Even a very
thorough clean-up is not enough in
such a situation. It is generally known
that the presence of pathogens does
not mean that the crop will get a
disease, but if the root is vulnerable to
these pathogens there is not much you
can do. A solution that seem to work
well is to add useful micro-organisms
(water from cultivations that do well
or commercial preparations), bring
in useful organisms continuously and
maybe even use a substrate block in
which the roots are being colonized
with a good quality microbiome before
they grow into the water.
In addition, in some tests we have seen
a significant delay in development after
a clean start in comparison to ‘used’
water. This suggests a strong effect of
symbiosis. The same symbiosis was also
noticed when we added water from
the cultivation of fish to the cultivation
of lettuce. The unsterilized ‘fish water’
led to better results than sterilized
water. The adding of a commercial
product, existing of several micro-
organisms, resulted over a large number
of cultivation phases in 3,5% extra
growth. Analyses of the water of a large
number of basins show however that
the microbiome is very different at each
company and even within the same
company. This untargeted colonization
therefore leads to totally different
eco systems, despite apparent similar
cultivation circumstances. Because
the microbiome can lead to either a
stronger plant growth (symbiosis) or
a continuous infection and therefore
a useless system, it is crucial to
understand more about the microbiome
and a reliable colonization of the roots.
The projects which are featured in
this article have been realized with
investments from the Dutch Product
Board for Horticulture, Ministry of
Economic Affairs and the participating
companies: De Sarskampen BV,
Gipmans BV, B4Agro and Dutch
Growers, Dry Hydroponics, Puur
Groenten, Gebr. Pater-Broersen, De
Kruidenaer, Rovero and Electravon-
Haket.
HortiBiz | 5
Text Suzan Crooijmans
Since a few years now, seed treated
with micro-organisms has been normal
practice for wheat, maize and soy. These
experiences in agriculture give way to the
implementation of these methods in the
(greenhouse) horticultural sector as well.
It is no longer a matter of if, but rather
when this will happen. In the meantime,
developers keep moving forward. Roger
Boer of Koppert Biological Systems and
Rob Pronk of Incotec provide a glimpse
in the world of technology of biological
seed treatment.
On a roll
Both Koppert, being a producer of
micro-organisms, and Incotec, a specialist
in seed applications, have been on a roll
in the development of possibilities to
treat seed with micro-organisms. Useful
bacteria and fungi that – to a different
extent – have positive effects on the
development and resilience of the plant,
abiotic stress, the development of the
root system and the productivity of the
crop. The first explorations took place in
the open field, the large scale agricultural
production sites in the United States and
Brazil. But both Koppert and Incotec
identify great opportunities for this kind
of technology for a wide range of crops,
in Europe and beyond. They say: ‘This
6 | HortiBiz
Biological seed
treatment promising
Seed treated with micro-organisms in order to achieve higher production volumes or as an alternative to
chemical agents is up and coming. The practical experiences with crops like wheat, maize, soy, carrots and
peas are truly promising. It is only a matter of time before the horticultural sector will reap the benefits
technology contributes to making the
production methods more sustainable
and serves as an alternative to the
application of chemical substances.’
Koppert Biological Systems, market
leader in biological crop protection and
pollination, started five years ago with
the development of seed treatment
by way of micro-organisms. By using
this technology the company not only
expanded its range of activities, but
could also target a completely different
range of crops. Instead of only working
with superior, intensive vegetable crops
like cucumber, sweet pepper, tomato
and eggplant, the company now also
deals with extensively grown agricultural
crops like soy, maize and wheat. The
organization wanted to enhance its
expertise in the field of microbiology
and make it available towards a wider
range of crops. ‘Especially because
microbiological products can be widely
used in outdoor cultivation,’ explains
Roger Boer, product manager at
Koppert. ‘The focus when it comes to the
opportunities for microbiology mainly lies
with arable crops and outdoor vegetable
crops,’ says Boer. Koppert, with 25 years
of experience in microbiology under its
belt, knows exactly how useful fungi and
bacteria can be for the development of
from these technologies.
crops. When it comes to treatments of
the soil, the effectiveness of fungi and
bacteria like Trichoderma, Mychorrhiza,
Bacillus and Pseudomonas is well known,
but as a seed treatment product, the
method is still in its infancy. ‘You do not
need to explain a lot to understand that
a treatment of the seed is more effective
than a treatment in the soil,’ say both
Pronk and Boer. ‘We already know that
principle from chemical seed treatments.’
Boer once more sums up all positive
characteristics of microbials and
does mention that not all of these
characteristics are united in one
organism: micro-organisms secrete
substances that kill harmful fungi; they
stimulate induced resistance; they
help enhance the resilience of plants
against infections; they compete with
soil diseases when it comes to space
and nutrition; they repress the harmful
fungus; they promote the absorption
of nutrients in the soil and they secrete
useful substances which the plant needs
and promote its development.
Challenges
The principle of the treatment
technology seems simple: to apply
microbiological substances on the seed.
In practice this appears to be more
difficult. ‘It is essential to maintain the
microbials alive in the product and later
on the seed. That means that the product
quality must be guaranteed during a shelf
life of various months,’ says Boer. ‘There
are registrations for the application
of microbials in the soil, but also for
applications on seed you will need an
authorisation of crop protection products
when combating diseases. When the new
fertilisers act comes into effect you may
introduce products without a disease
claim which have only bio stimulant
effects. If you want to sell your product as
a plant protection product you need to
make a lot of research data available. The
European regulations are complex, and
with regards to sustainable substances I
think these rules should be more flexible,’
says Boer.
‘Now they are looking into simplifying
the procedures for low-risk substances.
In Europe, only bio fungicides Cerall
and Cedomon have so far been allowed
as seed treatment product for wheat
and barley. More recently, the product
Cedress, a derivative, has been allowed
for pea and carrot.’
The American and Brazilian markets are
much more interesting for Koppert at the
moment. ‘The American regulations for
product registration are much simpler.
There toxicological effects are very
important, is the product safe for humans
and the environment, while in Europe
the effectiveness is also being taken into
account.’
It would be great if all micro-organisms
with each of its beneficial characteristics
could be united in one product and this
product could be applied to all seed
varieties. But Boer has serious doubts if
it will be possible to develop a product
that can be applied to each and every
seed. ‘Not all crops suffer from the same
diseases and react in the same way to an
organism. In addition, various crops have
different requirements when it comes
to formulation and dosage. Various
factors play a role, such as the thousand
grain weight, the amount of substance
that goes on the seed, the application
(or not) of a chemical coating and the
way the microbial integrates with such
a coating. Combinations however are
certainly possible. An example is the new
substance Panoramix, in which the fungi
Endomycorrhiza, Trichoderma sp. and the
bacteria Bacillus sp. have been combined
and together they are active against
abiotic stress in wheat. Under the new
manure law, this product will be included
as a bio stimulant.’
Accessible
Incotec, with its head office in the Dutch
town of Enkhuizen, is market leader in
the field of seed enhancement. The
company has offices in the United States,
the Netherlands, Brazil, Japan, India,
Australia, China, South Africa, Malaysia
and Argentina. The name Incotec derives
from a description of the company’s
activities, INtegrated COating and seed
TEChnology. ‘We consider ourselves
as service provider to the whole seed
industry by applying among others
various preparations on the product,’
shares Rob Pronk, chief marketing
of Incotec. Generally speaking, seed
treatment is the easiest way for growers
to add something to the plant, he thinks.
‘It is effective, accessible and easy
compared to drenching or spraying.’
In order to optimize the performance
of the seed, Incotec uses a number
of technologies: upgrading, priming,
disinfection, film coating, encrusting and
pelleting, the application of actives and
additives and the implementation of
analytical quality tests. Seed treatment
with micro-organisms is still in its infancy
and asks for a completely different
approach. ‘The microbiological products
must be compatible to the substance you
apply to the seed, be it a pill or a film coat
liquid. It is important the components
are compatible to the organism so it
does not dehydrate and does not contain
harmful substances. Besides, the shelf life
must be guaranteed,’ indicates Pronk.
‘Our microbiologists know how you
maintain micro-organisms alive and which
components need to be added in order
to apply everything successfully on the
seed.’ To be very clear: Incotec does not
have or produce micro-organisms; the
company receives them from its client.
Spin-off
Pronk welcomes the addition of
microbiology. ‘Everyone we talk to
is concerned about the fact that the
government regulations when it comes to
approval of crop protection products are
becoming stricter. Both retail outlets and
consumers are putting more pressure on
the production of residue free products.
There is a strong tendency towards
biological alternatives. The fact that
crops like soy and maize are frontrunners
when it comes to this biological seed
technology is related to volumes. Costs
of developments are being recouped
sooner. Spin-off towards other crops,
like vegetables, is guaranteed and the
value of vegetable seeds is much higher.
Chemicals also moved from arable
crops to vegetable crops and that will
happen again now with microbiology.
The pressure on the traditional chemical
industry is growing and each year more
biological substances will be registered,’
expects Pronk. He does not rule out that
this will be the new standard for seed
treatment. ‘I am convinced that more and
more biological products will find their
way to the market and these products
will indeed become serious alternatives
to chemical solutions.’
For Incotec however, this is a secondary
effect. The company first and for all
serves the interests of the agricultural
entrepreneur. ‘The goal is to improve the
revenues of farmers and growers and it
does not matter if we do this by priming,
selection, the addition of chemicals
or the application of microbials on the
seed. It is our challenge to combine the
available knowledge in a way that the
grower benefits most.’
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 READ ON HORTIBIZ.COM…
Royal FloraHolland’s
finances are healthy
Royal FloraHolland’s finances are healthy according to the information
presented at the General Members’ Meeting in Aalsmeer on Thursday
evening, June 1. Over 300 members of the cooperative got together
to approve the annual accounts for 2016 and to talk about how the
cooperative is developing. The CEO, Lucas Vos, summed it up, “We
want to remain the leading global marketplace for flowers and plants.
We are working hard towards this goal, together with our members.”

The members approved the annual
accounts for 2016. In the past year
the company posted a turnover of
€ 4.6 billion, slightly more than the
budget. The result after tax is € 3
million, and the solvency rate is 25.1%.
Royal FloraHolland has a lot of money
available. The members approved
returning some of it to them, resulting
in a risk-bearing capital base of 54.9%.
CFO Steven van Schilfgaarde added,
“We are a very healthy cooperative.
With this good balance, we can
renovate the cooperative, an essential
move for a flourishing future.”
The entire operational management of
Royal FloraHolland is focussed on the
2020 strategy. It has two solid aims: 1.
better margins for the members and
their buyers, and 2. more consumers
spending more on flowers and
plants. Royal FloraHolland wants to
strengthen the horticultural sector
enough so it can create international
growth and progress in a market that
is continuously changing. One where
digital is the new standard.
To become an even more global
marketplace, Royal FloraHolland
is focussing on digitising and A successful implementation of of the Supervisory Board, added,
internationalisation. Lucas Vos the 2020 strategy demands a “The interaction of members who
explained, “If you look at all the change-oriented organisation. One discuss policy among themselves is an
developments over the entire world, important consideration could involve essential part of this. We are going to
there are one or two major parties that strengthening the involvement of explore this aspect in the near future
share the market. We want to be the the members in its governance. by working together with advisory
leading global marketplace for flowers According to the Supervisory Board, committees and treating them like a
and plants. Growth is therefore an members’ councils can make significant members’ council.”
essential fact of life for us.” contributions. Jack Goossens, chair

Mucci Farms
partners
with private
equity firm
Mucci Farms (“Mucci”), one of the largest growers,
packers and shippers of greenhouse vegetables in North
America, is pleased to announce a partnership with
NOVACAP, one of Canada’s leading private equity firms.

will provide invaluable support to our
company as we enter this next phase
of growth.” said Bert Mucci, President
of Mucci. “This partnership will allow us
to focus on operations and growth as
we aim to become the preferred quality
supplier of our industry”.
Located in Kingsville, Ontario, Mucci
grows its own produce and is involved in
marketing over 700 acres of greenhouse
produce from growers throughout
North America. The company also
operates warehouse and distribution
facilities in Ontario and Michigan. Mucci
is Kingsville’s largest employer with
more than 1,200 full-time employees.
“This partnership is a great opportunity
for NOVACAP to support a highly
qualified management team and to
partner with a leader in the industry’’
said Domenic Mancini, Senior Partner
at NOVACAP. ‘’The company has an
established track record and strong
customer relationships and we are
looking forward to working with the
team and take the business to the next
level.”
The company is adding capabilities
to its Canadian operations with state-
of-the-art equipment allowing them
to produce high quality vegetables all
year round, as well as building new and
modern facilities in Ohio to provide a
secure and healthy food supply to the
consumer across all of its operations.
10 | HortiBiz
Text Ank van Lier

Make the right

choice and use of
your water buffer
The choice of the right amount of water buffer (or available water) and its use can
influence: better plant balance, an efficient and healthy root system and better yield.
There are many factors which influence this decision. Cultilene can help growers to
make the right decision.

The first choice for a good crop is the
right volume of substrate. As a grower
it is important to have enough volume
for the roots as well as the water,
nutrients and oxygen availability for
the plants. The selection of the right
slab starts with good substrate system
design. “In Cultilene we recommend
7 to 9 liters of stonewool per square
meter depending on the dripper
system” says Kim Harding, Manager
Application Vegetables at Cultilene.
Differences in water availability
The water buffer - the amount
of water in the substrate which is
available for the plant - is crucial
for a successful crop. This buffer is
not only determined by the volume
of substrate, but also by the water
content of the substrate. The
water content, which is measured
by a sensor or by weight, gives an
indication of the amount of water
that is in the substrate. Not all of this
water is necessarily available to the
plant. “There are major differences in
the water availability of substrates. In
stonewool is a relatively large amount
of water available”, Harding explained.
A fully saturated stonewool slab, in
which the drain holes are already
made, has a water content of about 85
percent. The stonewool fibers occupy
approximately five percent of the
substrate volume, leaving ten percent
of the substrate with air. As the plant
takes up water, then the space is filled
with air, and therefore oxygen. This
means that the ratio between water
and oxygen (O2) can be controlled by
the irrigation strategy. This strategy
also affects the distribution of
available water and nutrients and so
the root distribution in the slab.”
Large or small water buffer?
Several factors are important to get
the right amount of water buffer.
Local climate and growing conditions
for example. A smaller buffer can
be used when there is low light, low
temperatures and high humidity when
transpiration is lower. “The smaller
water buffer is used quicker by the
plant, which means you have a quicker
reaction and can achieve dry back
target levels easier,” Harding explains.
The ideal water buffer also depends
on the crop stage and target levels.
“The water buffer must be adjusted
accordingly. Not only does the plant
need sufficient water and food, it is
also important to take into account the
drying back of the slab. A stonewool
slab with a large water buffer dries
back slower than a slab with a small
buffer. When you have a small water
buffer and you reduce it by 1 liter, it
has more impact than if you reduce
by 1 liter on a large water buffer. The
effect on the plant is also different.
Cultilene cares
The Cultilene Substrate Calculator
helps growers in good substrate
design. This online tool provides a
quick and easy way to choose the
slab size and volume. The Substrate
Calculator is in the Smart Root Zone
Management (SRZM) Cultilene app,
which can be downloaded free from
the App Store and the Google Play
Store. This app contains guidelines
for the cultivation and production of
tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers
and can help growers to achieve
optimum plant balance. Cultilene has
suggested in the Smart Root Zone
Management (SRZM) target values for
the water content in the substrate, the
changes during the night and between
the watering’s during the day. The app
also explains how each grower can
use the irrigation strategy to achieve
certain changes. As well, Cultilene
has specalists who can help Cultilene
growers choose the correct water
buffer and help to manage it properly.
In short Cultilene Cares.

This tomato grower has gone for 8.5 liters per

square meter of substrate. This is consistent with
the growing system of the company, in which
there are two blocks per slab of 1000 x 150 x 100
millimeters, with each block having two heads, and
one dripper. The total slab volume is 15 liters, this
means that each dripper 7.5 liters of substrate.

HortiBiz | 11
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FleuroStar
Award for
Selecta one
The FleuroStar Award 2017/2018 goes to Calibrachoa MiniFamous
Double PinkTastic from Selecta one. Anita Stöver, breeder of Double
PinkTastic accepted the prize from FleuroStar Committee Chairman
Heike Gronemann and Fleuroselect President Herman Hamer.

Calibrachoa MiniFamous Double PinkTastic from
Selecta one was competing against Calibrachoa
Conga Sunset Kiss (Florensis), Dahlia LaBella
Maggiore Rose Bicolour (Beekenkamp Plants),
Helianthus interspecific Sunfinity (Syngenta
Flowers), and Pepper Mamba-Red F1 (Prudac).
a different Contest Location, kicking off this year campaign, marketing agency Pull Position a
with Beekenkamp Plants. During the FlowerTrials, tailor made promotion project at retail level and
the entire horticultural industry is watching The DeschPlantpak a full spread in its lifestyle brochure.
Netherlands. Therefore, it is the ideal moment to
put the pot or bedding plant with the highest wow
factor in the spotlight.”

Threedimensional colour pattern FleuroStar Jury

MiniFamous Double PinkTastic truly catches the eye
thanks to two bicoloured pink-white circles of inner
petals in each flower, which add to an in-depth
colour perception.
This excellent summer performer enjoys all the
benefits of the MiniFamous series, such as easy
growth, improved root system, the very early
flowering and mildew tolerance.
The new ‘Winner with the Wow Factor’ was
announced at the FleuroStar Evening on Thursday
15 June at Beekenkamp Plants in Maasdijk (NL).
Attended by approx. 90 persons, the first edition of
the event was a success. Herman Hamer, President
Fleuroselect: “We felt that the time was right
to dedicate an entire evening to the FleuroStar
Contest. Each year, this Evening will take place at
Frank Sonnenberg, Product Manager of the About FleuroStar
German high street flower shop chain Blume 2000, Fleuroselect is the
joined his colleagues from Intratuin and Obi in the international organisation
2017 FleuroStar jury. Also Arjo Maat, Dutch pot for the ornamental plants
and bedding plant grower specialising in Begonia, industry. The FleuroStar
offered his expert view. Over 30 professionals Contest is held annually
in breeding, production, trade and retail as well during the FlowerTrials week
as journalists and marketing specialists evaluate in June in the Netherlands
each entry on point of sale attractiveness and and Germany. Fleuroselect
commercial potential. members can enter their top
breeding breakthrough of
The new FleuroStar winner will receive the season to become the
considerable marketing support. Next to new ‘Winner with the Wow
conducting an international press campaign, Factor’.
Fleuroselect promotes the new winner at trade
fairs and industry events. Contest sponsors KAS
TuinbouwCommunicatie offer an advertising
Text Suzan Crooijmans

Problems with storage

diseases should not be
exaggerated
Infestations that shorten the shelf life in the horticultural chain are often difficult to eliminate. Products
look perfect when harvested and they pass sorting without any problems, but suddenly Fusarium,
Mycosphaerella, Botrytis or Alternaria pop up. These fungal infections ravage fruit vegetables and cut
flower after all. Fortunately this only happens sporadically and therefore growers and sales organisations
think ‘we should not try to make this problem more important than it is’.

On an annual basis, only a small
percentage of complaints in trade
is related to infestations by fungi
causing preliminary decay. In one year
there are more problems than in the
next and during certain periods it is
really not an issue. This is the case for
all so-called ‘storage diseases’ and all
crops. That can be concluded from
conversations with growers, sales
organisations, producer associations
and inspection services.
This does not mean, however, that
internal fruit rot in sweet peppers,
decay in the calyx of eggplants,
Mycosphaerella in cucumber and
Botrytis in tomato and cut flowers
should be neglected. On the
contrary, extreme care and attention
during production is a must. It is
certain the root of the problem
lies in the greenhouse. The fungus
strikes at times when there is an
imbalance between light, humidity
and temperature. Growers do the
utmost to prevent that infected
products are being sold. The very
few times this does happen, nobody
has a clue. There have been several
investigations on how to prevent this
late manifestation and solutions were
sought. As a result, storage diseases
are now manageable and they do not
appear regularly in the chain.
Sales organisations and traders are
not alarmed; apparently they can
deal with the problems, because the
supposed consequential damage is
acceptable. No fresh product has
a very long shelf life, even if stored
under ideal circumstances. Healthy
tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet
peppers become soft and wrinkled
in the end. Once the products have
been infected during production, this
ageing process goes faster,’ says Kees
van der Wind, quality coordinator at
The Greenery. He himself will never
refer to ‘storage diseases’, because
fruit vegetables must be eaten fresh,
you should not want to store them in
the first place.’
Prevention is a must
‘Problems are always smaller during
production than in the chain itself,’
says Annelies Hooijmans, netwerk
coordinator of the Dutch organisation
LTO Glaskracht Nederland, “because
the infections only appear once
the products are being traded.’
At the same time she confirms
that preventing diseases is quite a
challenge and growers are the first
responsible party. At the moment,
these same growers are worried
about Mycosphaerella in cucumber
and Fusarium in sweet peppers.
In 2012 internal fruit rot in sweet
peppers became a serious
problem and rang all alarm bells.
Investigation to the cause of this
specific infestation was boosted and
growers were extra alert to changes
in the greenhouse climate and were
extremely disciplined in implementing
and executing hygiene protocols.
‘Everybody was on guard and fully
aware of the urgency of the situation.
If you know what to do and what to
take into consideration, everyone will
do indeed what is necessary,’ knows
Hooijmans. ‘Internal fruit rot in sweet
peppers is now much better under
control. Every grower knows now that
preventive measures are a must.’
Producer associations also take
internal measures by consistently
carrying out storage trials, in which
products are being stored and
monitored so that growers can be
alerted in case of danger. ‘During
the season we regularly go on tour
and visit sweet pepper growers in all
parts of the country. Storage trials
are also being checked on internal
damage from week 20 onwards.
The prevention of internal fruit rot
fluctuates throughout the season.
There are weeks we really have
problems and you encounter some
2-6% of infected sweet peppers.
A few weeks later we can be down
again to 0%,’ says Van der Wind.
Storage trials with tomato, running
from May to November lead to similar
results. Infections of Alternaria are
only sporadically discovered. ‘Usually
in summer when the disease pressure
is high after a warm period, then
fungi strike. Only some five to 6 days
after the harvest disease symptoms
appear; black spots.’ It is not such a
big deal in practice, thinks Van der
Wind. ‘We do not encounter such
issues every week during the season.
Mycosphaerella appeared a few times
in the month of July, Alternaria is
very rare and we only seldom receive
complaints about decay in the calyx
of eggplants. It is only too clear that
growers do everything to prevent
these problems.’
Meticulous sorting
Producer organisation Kompany
from the Dutch town of Venlo clearly

14 | HortiBiz
gives priority to Mycosphaerella in
cucumbers. ‘The problem with mycos
is that there is no ready-made solution
to prevent it. One year it almost does
not appear, the other year it cause
quite some problems. It is completely
unpredictable. This season it returned,
‘ says Arno Janssen, responsible for
quality and certification. Nevertheless
he thinks it goes too far to qualify it as
a serious problem. Generally speaking
of course, because at an individual
company it can have a great impact.
Meticulous sorting can prevent
trouble. The problem is however,
that infected cucumbers are hard to
recognize. Solutions are being sought
in advanced sorting equipment.
Kompany assigned Wageningen UR
to investigate the development of
a detection method to track down
infected cucumbers during the sorting
process. By placing an innovative
system of cameras on the sorting
machine, internal deviations could
be detected. The system was not
put in practice. ‘The camera is not
100% reliable: perfect cucumbers are
being taken out and infected fruit is
not detected. Furthermore, it is an
expensive solution when compared to
the actual problem. Technically it can
become an interesting solution,’ says
Janssen about it.
Elusive
‘Each sweet pepper with a problem
is one too many,’ says sweet pepper
grower Aad Sonneveld from the
town of Bleiswijk. He says that
internal fruit rot is an infestation
that must be spotted during the
production process, but at the
same time the problem should not
be exaggerated. ‘If I have a look
at our producer association, some
growers have sometimes problems
with Fusarium in certain parts of
the company.’ The worst thing is
that there is still no final solution to
ban Fusarium, despite all the hard
work. ‘We set the bar extremely
high, because we think consumers
should not be disappointed in their
purchase. Growers know well what
the consequences could be. People
always say to me I am a producer, but
I am consumer too. I know exactly
what a bad bargain can do to you,’
says Sonneveld. ‘When it comes to
internal fruit rot, foreign destinations
like the United States and Japan
can become a risk in autumn. The
longer a sweet pepper travels, the
more opportunity a fungus has to
develop. Fortunately the percentage
of produce infected with internal fruit
rot is not high. The frustrating thing is
that it remains elusive. That is why we
continue to search for a final solution.’
Ideal greenhouse climate
Cucumber grower Ed Classens of
nursery Vieverde from the village of
Castenray, mentions that infection
by Mycosphaerella is a very difficult
problem and hard to solve. The
grower tries to minimize the risk of
infection by creating and maintaining
the best possible climate in the
greenhouse. ‘If the crop is wet, fungi
develop fast, so it is important to
keep the crop dry,’ he says. But to
achieve this in combination with the
aim to save energy, that is quite a
challenge. Chances of infection are
the greatest in summer, during cold
nights and sunny weather. The fruit
that is growing on the higher part
of the stem is the most sensitive.’
One of the gateways to infection
is the little flowers. It is a labour
intensive measure to remove them
all and therefore that is no option for
Classens. ‘If we would have damages
of around 20%, that would be another
story,’ he says. The difficult thing
however is, that when harvesting,
the symptoms are hard to recognize.
Only a trained eye can identify
infected cucumbers. ‘You can tell
from the shape of the cucumber. Its
tip is more pointed and feels hard.
But it is impossible to inspect all
cucumbers that closely at the sorting
belt.’ Classens is doing everything to
prevent selling infected cucumbers.
‘That means that we sometimes throw
away a lot of produce,’ he says. ‘It
would be the best to tackle the root
of this problem.’ Until that day comes,
the grower uses new varieties that
are less sensitive and takes measures
such as improving the air flow in the
greenhouse and implementing a strict
hygiene protocol.
HortiBiz | 15
Key benefits of the e-Gro app:
• Mobile and easy to use
• Interactive with real-time alerts and
notifications, 24/7
• Improves decision making to maximise Get desktop version at
www.e-gro.grodan.com
production and fruit quality
Available in combination with Grodan slabs
www.grodan.com/e-Gro and the GroSens MultiSensor system

Expanding
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Precision Growing always at hand

New
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Part of the ROCKWOOL Group