Public Funding for Stourgarden Limited

Standard growing practices for field crops such as alliums must be updated to overcome challenges presented by climate change and the increasing prevalence of soil-borne diseases. Onions (the main focus of this project) are a staple for UK households - in constant demand throughout the year as a foundation ingredient in dishes prepared by families across the nation. Onions are susceptible to diseases such as Fusarium, white rot, neck rot, and downy mildew, and land used for growing onions can only support their growth for one in every six/seven years, as any traces of plant matter left in the ground post-harvest can lead to re-infection. It is becoming increasingly difficult to secure suitable 'clean' land for farming onions to meet demand. Alongside land pressures, farmers are being urged to contribute to improving UK food security and reducing food miles by growing more produce locally. One approach to addressing land scarcity, reducing CO2-heavy inputs, and better controlling disease in the growing of onions is to move this traditional 'field crop' into a CE. **Aeroallium** Through this project, Stourgarden will be the first UK growers to test the viability of protected growing for onions on a commercial scale. We anticipate the following benefits flowing from the development of a CE system for onions: -Reduction in water use through capture and recycling -Avoid infection of soil borne diseases such as Fusarium -Significant reduction of nutrient inputs, and elimination of any risk of nutrient run-off impacting waterways and ecosystems -Removal of the need for heavy farm machinery for growing and harvesting processes -Increased automation leading to decreased reliance on low-skilled labour, with new, skilled technical and engineering roles created as Stourgarden develops its CE capability -Significant reduction in land pressure - freeing up land for growing other crops, enabling land to be rested more often, improving soil quality and rewilding margins -Remove reliance on importing onions to cover gaps in the UK growing season (vastly reducing transport-related emissions and improving the UK's trading position) -Remove impact from climate change-related adverse weather during the growing season, which can typically affect crop yield by up to 30% -More reliable crop will deliver supply chain security for retailers and households -Reducing need for cultivation of soil which releases significant amounts of stored carbon -Increased company profitability and growth in sector with traditionally low margins, and thus gains for the regional economy and UK Plc

Project Description UK onion growers have invested heavily in technologically advanced drying, curing, refrigeration and controlled atmosphere storage systems designed to maintain availability of UK onions for up to 10 months, with gross annual production of around 400,000 tonnes, over 50% of UK annual consumption. The storage systems are effective in prolonging postharvest life, yet still the industry suffers from sporadic and unacceptably high incidences of internal disease. Rejection of complete lots with low levels of internal disease is a major problem. Main diseases are principally caused by Botrytis allii (neck rot) and various bacterial pathogens. Neck rot has become an increasing problem due to the recent withdrawal of thiabendazole (used as a seed dressing) in January 2010 (91/414/EEC). In this project novel technologies are sought to address these issues, including the development of non-fungicide-based seed and set treatments as alternatives to thiabendazole, also a grower-friendly Botrytis-specific PCR/immunosensor field test to assess pathogen load and help assist managemant of the curing regime to suppress neck rot. Novel non-invasive technologies to rapidly detect internal disease in onion bulbs during grading and packing will also be researched to enable automatic rejection of internally diseased onions which cannot be seen by visual inspection.