Public Funding for May Barn Horticultural Consultancy Ltd

The DryGro Energy Crops (DEC) project will develop a way of producing biofuels on land that is currently too arid to support crops. Using the DryGro system that reduces the amount of water required to produce biomass by 99% compared to conventional agriculture, DEC will explore the production of biofuel in Kenya and examine the potential for application in other arid areas. A detailed Life Cycle Assessment and Integrated Sustainability Assessment will be undertaken to determine the social, environmental and developmental impact of this approach. It is anticipated that the DEC approach will reduce the negative impacts on food production, water security, biodiversity and land tenure associated with existing biofuel production methods.

Many crops, including tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, strawberries, raspberries and ornamental flowers are often grown using hydroponics, where fertiliser for the growing plants is supplied in the irrigation water. Hydroponic farming produces excellent quality crops with good efficiency but there is an opportunity to improve the method by continuously monitoring and controlling the fertiliser components in the irrigation water. This project aims to enable better control over the use of nitrate, which is an important component of the fertiliser. A new sensor which can be used to continuously measure the nitrate concentration in irrigation water will be deployed at commercial hydroponic farms, allowing continuous nitrate monitoring for the first time. We will evaluate the potential for expected benefits including reductions in fertiliser use and expense and smaller discharge of fertiliser into natural waters, helping to meet environmental legislation. The technology is relevant to UK and global farming.

Fresh tomatoes and peppers are high value crops and are an important part of a healthy human diet. These products are highly perishable and are subject to peaks and troughs in production. Low temperatures are currently used to extend shelf life, but the shelf life is short and energy costs are high. As a result, the supply chain for such products remains unacceptable wasteful. A plant hormone, ethylene, is key to the ripening process, the production of which can be minimised by the use of chemicals. Chemical application however remains a barrier to consumer acceptance; the project will develop the use of an innovative non-chemical non-contact technique which safely removes ethylene from the air around fresh produce. Commercial scale trials and laboratory investigations will be conducted to establish when and how to safely suspend ripening within the supply chain to deliver safe, high quality nutritious fresh UK produced food to the consumer.

One of the most costly problems growers of edible and non- edible horticulture crops face is loss in production and spoilage of harvested product to the fungal pathogen, Botrytis cinerea. Botrytis is commonly known as grey mould and is a significant factor in reduced shelf-life and consumer fresh produce waste. Standard 'control' techniques which involve direct spray application of fungicide are often ineffective. This project aims to develop an innovative non-contact approach to eradicate Botrytis both in the pre- and post- harvest environments for tomato and cut flower crops; this involves the use of ultra violet light to induce natural plant resistance mechanisms and the removal of the gaseous plant hormone ethylene to prevent Botrytis infection. The technique will minimise waste both in the production and domestic environments and extend shelf-life. It will also promote the industry's green credentials in meeting consumer expectations of available, residue free and safe fresh produce.