Will blue be the new yellow?

The Dwarf Cavendish is the most widely grown commercial banana variety in the Canary Islands, but it is not the only variety grown there. The archipelago also produces other varieties, such as the red banana, apple banana, macho banana, etc., which enrich the varietal range of the largest banana-producing region in Europe. Now,…

SaniTomato preserves the properties and freshness of tomatoes for longer

This year, at Fruit Attraction, Sanifruit will be presenting a unique and important innovation: SaniTomato, a post-harvest solution designed to extend the shelf life and…

Two new tomato varieties of interest to the world of producers and processors

When horticultural seed companies introduce new tomato varieties for industrial processing, they need to consider whether they can achieve the dual benefit of providing the best possible balance in both yields and quality. The new Syngenta tomato varieties are a step in this direction. Fantix (an…

“We help growers in 17 countries bring their produce to market”

Back in 2015, Pablo Borquez Schwarzbeck, a fourth-generation farmer from Mexico, founded ProducePay. The company offers a financing solution for growers and distributors of fresh produce and was founded with the idea to help Latin American farmers export their products to the United States. “About…

Plant-based waste streams beneficial for basil production indoors

“Waste streams are an extra good fit for vertical farming and CEA in general for several reasons. Firstly, CEA has a predictable usage requirement that rarely changes as a result of the highly optimized method of growing. When valorizing a waste stream, it is vital to understand the demand and that the…

Efficiency and profitability play leading roles in potato sorting

"Efficiency is a word that comes up repeatedly regarding potato sorting," begins Kees Kelders, responsible for sales at the Austrian company Insort, which focuses on developing customized grading technology for the food processing sector. Jokingly, he cites making two kilograms of French fries from one…

Using mushrooms to make more sustainable surfboards

Amelia Martin loves to surf. She’s also an environmentalist and a budding researcher. Martin is the founder of Mud Rat, a company that makes surfboards with cores made of…

Green light for laser trial to protect Australian pome and stone fruit

Baudin’s black cockatoos are notorious for their love of pome and stone fruit, which is something growers in south-west Western Australia aren’t too happy about. Current…

Varietal innovation for midi and mini-plum tomato segments

"Midres and Basoche are probably the two most interesting varieties for counter-season cycles, and they are included in Harmoniz's 2023 tomato assortment," according to Giuseppe Busacca, Product Development Harmoniz Italy." The resistance of these varieties contributes to their success; it is a very…

"HREZ-resistant varieties provide an answer for at least 90% of the tomato assortment"

The Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) has held the tomato world in its grip in recent years, but now, growers can breathe again. Last season, Enza Zaden succeeded in making its entire range resistant. Growers now cultivate HREZ-resistant varieties on over 500 hectares in the Benelux and 1,000+…

Three new varieties introduced after successful product trials

"We're excited to unveil the latest developments in vertical farming, proudly brought to you by us. While certain constraints have previously limited the range of crops in indoor vertical farms, our dedicated team has been diligently exploring new horizons," the Sananbio team shares. Watermelon Sananbio,…

New software system helps predict the start of apple harvest

Using artificial intelligence and computerization to assess the size and quality of produce. That’s what Canada-based Croptracker has been doing for the past 17 years. Since 2006, the company has worked with growers, packers, and other companies involved in the produce value chain to enhance productivity…

Revolutionizing food waste reduction with AI quality control inspection

Israeli startup Neolithics is has used Artificial Intelligence software algorithms to develop "Crystal.eye," a software application that helps address the issue of discarded produce.Neolithics Crystal.eye Global food waste landscapeRecent data highlights that a significant proportion, estimated at 40% to…

Organic biostimulant brings rhizosphere back into balance

“When BioCat+ is added to irrigation, results have shown that it acts as a broad-spectrum biostimulant that enhances root growth and resistance to diseases, also leading to a reduction in the use of herbicides and insecticides while improving yield,” says Henry Madders, the Managing Director at Citadel…

Hybrid breeding in soybean has the potential to increase the productivity

Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most economically and societally impactful crops in the world, providing a significant percentage of all protein for animal consumption on a global scale and playing key roles in oil production, manufacturing, and biofuel applications (American Soybean Association,…

Japanese firms produce leather from apples and mushrooms

In May of this year, an apple leather was unveiled by Sorena, a fashion accessories company from Shinshu, an upland region that roughly matches the boundaries of Nagano…

Carnegie Mellon Qatar students win top foodtech idea for printing vegetables

Two students at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university, won the top prize in the FoodTech category at a Qatar Development Bank competition. Mohammad Fadhel Annan and Lujain Al Mansoori created an idea for 3D-printed vegetables, an alternative to farming that…

Innovate UK-funded research project aiming to boost strawberry plant yield

Vertical Future was appointed as the lead organization on a DEFRA-funded research project through Innovate UK, aiming to optimize the propagation environment of strawberry plants in indoor vertical farms while maximizing yield potential to reduce the UK's reliance on imported produce. "Strawberries have…

The Region of Murcia becomes the international meeting point for the table grape sector

The Region of Murcia has recently become the international meeting point for the table grape sector. Producers from 5 continents have come to the region to learn about the new…

Australian mangoes and berries tracked by Escavox technology

Queensland’s Piñata Farms is using innovative Australian-designed Escavox technology to track the temperature and location of premium berries and mangoes along the supply…

Digital orchard: A new technology to help food production

John Mawson and his colleagues are building an orchard which will bear fruit of a very different kind. In fact, it is a digital apple orchard. The project is part of the work New Zealand scientists from Plant & Food Research are pushing ahead. It aims to solve one of the planet’s most pressing problems:…

Kirigami-inspired robot grippers combine strength and delicacy

North Carolina State University researchers have been working on a robotic gripping device with incredible versatility. The researchers said the single soft gripper could be helpful in food processing, electronics and pharmaceuticals manufacturing, agriculture, and deep-sea exploration. Co-author of a…

"We are convinced of the potential of vertical farming"

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary vertical farm, which is what Koen Vangorp of MechaTronix and Kim Vancauwenberghe of Colruyt Group Smart Technics stand for. Strawberry plants, purple light, watering, and ventilation, meanwhile, all very ordinary. Yet there is more to it. The new CoolGrow CV VF…

An innovative software for packaging

Innovation by Top Control: foodProcess is an innovative software solution that helps with packaging. It enables you to easily reduce waste while keeping labor costs under control and considerably increasing productivity. "Pressing one button is enough for foodProcess to determine weight information with waste,…

RMIT

RMIT scientists are researching fungi to create fireproof cladding

RMIT scientists have been looking into growing fungi in thin sheets that could be used for fire-retardant cladding or even a new kind of fungal fashion. Mycelium, an incredible network of fungal strands that can thrive on organic waste and in darkness, could be a basis for sustainable fireproofing. RMIT…

FDA approves purple tomato

Norfolk Plant Sciences (NPS) has successfully completed its consultation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its high-antioxidant purple tomato. Following a comprehensive review, the FDA stated, "We have no further questions concerning human food derived from Del/Ros1-N tomato at this time." This decision from…

"ToBRFV-resistant baby plums show promising trial results"

“The rugose virus is impacting all tomatoes—but especially the cluster markets such as snacking tomatoes,” said Stéphane Le Caro, Syngenta Vegetable Seeds Portfolio Lead for Indeterminate Tomato, Passive Greenhouse. “It’s very important to find resistance in snacking tomatoes like baby plum, and now…

UK company introduces biodegradable bodyboards, made from mushrooms

Surrey-based Magical Mushroom Company wants to produce bodyboards from mushrooms and hemp scraps. These innovative boards should reduce the impact of entry-level products used…

A flying autonomous Harvester robot would be as productive as eight workers

Tevel's Flying Autonomous Robots (FAR), which allows the automated harvesting of fruits, has already made its debut in Chile. The tests, the first of their kind in South…

Private drivers as a push for regional marketing

Can the involvement of non-professional drivers, i.e. people who simply pick up a package on their way to work or to the supermarket, increase the reach of regional food producers and small farmers? Researchers at the Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health at the University of Bayreuth in…

A solar-powered harvester arrives in the Netherlands

"Our latest machine to meet the needs of a customer in the Netherlands is an all-electric harvester for leafy vegetables, especially parsley, powered by solar energy," says Alberico Durso, founder of Dari Ecomeccanica, a machine builder from Eboli, in the southern Italian province of Salerno. It is Vertical,…

"Biodegradable soil spray keeps rainwater and irrigation water available longer"

"Everywhere in the world, agriculture and horticulture have a problem with water. Either there is too much, or there is too little." So says Rob van de Meer, who is involved as a business consultant with a company that seems to have a solution for those parts where there is too little water. Hungarian…

Intermediate Resistance (IR) to ToBRFV in tomato varieties confirmed

Sakata Seed announces that the company's phytopathologists have confirmed intermediate resistance to ToBRFV in 4 varieties of the specialties segment: Chocostar F1, Lemonstar F1, Royalstar F1, and Luciestar F1. "These varieties play a crucial role in growers' programs to help mitigate the significant…

“Producers can already place orders to acquire the only banana plant variety tolerant to Foc TR4”

Formosona-218 is currently the only somaclonal variant of the Cavendish banana that has a very high tolerance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4, the greatest threat to the world's banana industry; and Galiltec, which has the exclusive rights for the production and marketing of…

A sensor that measures EC the liquid component in soils above ground

The monitoring and control of the salt concentration of the nutrient solution (water + fertilizer) both at the starting point (fertigator) and at the end point (pot) is important in agriculture, especially in soils above ground. This can be further aided by the EC Pore Water sensor, which can measure the…

Eyeing a future where fruit pickers are trained by virtual reality

Training fruit pickers using virtual reality equipment, employing robots to move fruit containers, and wearing exoskeletons to support physical labor are all possibilities…

Application shows hours of cold and helps with Brazilian fruit cultivation

The Institute of Rural Development of Paraná has presented an application that informs growers of the amount of accumulated hours of cold throughout the year. The objective of…

“Invention for instant fresh produce shelf life prediction and QC maximises value”

The next-generation remote sensing AI system from an Israeli technology company, Neolithics, provides comprehensive internal and external quality control and analysis to optimize the value of fruits and vegetables and minimize food waste. According to Amir Adamov, CEO and co-founder of Neolithics: "We established…