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Soft Fruit
2 December 2020
Screens have become an essential tool for energy saving, shading and climate control in modern protected horticulture. New screen materials which save more heat energy and transmit more light have been developed, enabling screens to be deployed more in the daytime, or in double layers. There has never been a wider range of screen materials to give the optimum balance between energy saving, light transmission and shading. Read more in this technical update.
2 December 2020
Energy makes the world go round and it can manifest itself in many forms including radiation, light and chemical. However, we are mostly concerned with it as heat, electricity or as fuel (i.e. oil, gas, wood etc.) which, for the most part we pay for. It’s important that we are able to measure it, so we can evaluate and compare its costs and assess how efficiently it’s being used. Read more about how best to measure your energy use in this technical updates.
2 December 2020
Circulation fans have been widely used in greenhouses for many years. A well designed fan installation will benefit the greenhouse climate by helping to maintain consistent temperature and humidity throughout the growing area.
20 July 2021
Find out what heat pumps are and how they work.
20 July 2021
Learn about the key factors involved in installing an effective heat-pump system.
21 December 2020
Biomass heating has become more popular over recent years, but one disadvantage has been that biomass boiler flue gasses can't be used for CO2 enrichment without cleaning them. Read this technical update to read about developments in biomass flue gas cleaning systems.
21 December 2020
The advantages of diffuse light in horticultural production have been long debated, and there’s now increasing evidence that using light diffusing technologies in a greenhouse can give production advantages that include yield increases in edible crops and reduced time to market and quality improvements in ornamentals. Read this technical update on diffuse light to find out more.
8 June 2022
Green manures, also referred to as fertility building crops, may be broadly defined as crops grown for the benefit of the soil.
8 June 2022
Green manures, also referred to as fertility building crops, may broadly be defined as crops grown for the benefit of the soil. This factsheet aims to help growers appreciate the financial implications of their use and the potential for computer models to help integrate them effectively into rotations.
24 May 2022
This guide has been produced to provide soft fruit growers with an easy reference to get the most out of their biocontrol use within an integrated crop management system
8 June 2022
Gooseberry sawfly, American gooseberry mildew and die-back caused by Phytophthora and Eutypa are a particular problem for many growers. This guide will help to identify regularly found pest and disease problems and how best to manage them. It also provides a resume of the current varieties available to growers along with some brief notes on cultural considerations.
30 June 2022
This report explains our knowledge of dormancy in raspberry and a new approach to modelling the dormancy response of floricane cultivars.