Technology news from Fresh Produce Journal
Technology news stories with a direct relevance to the UK fresh produce business, including updates on production and harvesting systems, sorting and grading machinery, packaging, coldstorage and controlled atmosphere, digital management, robots and automation, vertical farming, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
GAIN-RT uses AI to accelerate potato variety development
A new international research initiative aims to speed up the delivery of improved potato varieties to farmers facing climate and pest and disease pressure
Langmead Herbs sets example for water security
West Sussex herb producer has maintained water supplies and even sold surplus to local producers thanks to extensive reservoir network and water recycling
Government must simplify reservoir rules, says CAAV
Planning regulations remains significant barrier, say association, despite £15mn water investment
Genetic alteration may help tomatoes grow in the cold
Researchers have identified a genetic system that synchronises flower development and fruit formation in tomatoes, with hopes for varieties that can withstand extreme temperatures
Algarve oranges set the standard on taste
The heat may be a continuous concern for Portuguese producers, but so is the challenge of getting consumers to look beyond the minor blemishes to get to the taste of Algarve’s top-quality oranges
Moulton Bulb and IPP see onion volumes double in five years
IPP has been supplying sustainable wooden pallets to UK grower Moulton Bulb since 2008, but only in recent years have volumes soared to 120,000 pallets a year
UK heatwaves hamper bumblebee pollination in glasshouse crops
Bumblebees are struggling to pollinate during heatwaves, affecting glasshouse crops of tomatoes and soft fruits
Barfoots celebrates 50 years of ‘forever farming’
Barfoots’ Keston Williams takes Fred Searle on a sustainability journey, from energy self-sufficiency to water resilience, as the pioneering producer marks its 50th anniversary
Government hails ‘farm robot revolution’ with £20mn funding round
Growers and agri-tech companies can now apply for funding designed to fast-track field robots and help ease seasonal worker shortages
New robot uses AI to ‘read’ entire orchards
Developed by Porto-based ViField, Orioos uses cameras and algorithms to predict yields and detect diseases more accurately
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Live Farmer joins British Growers Partnership Scheme
Farm management software company to collaborate with industry body scheme to address sector challenges
Gruppa Organic optimistic for growth despite frost and global challenges
Despite the difficulties, Damian Kozłowski says investment in sorting and storage is helping it pivot towards the fresh market and new opportunities
Ceres Fruit Growers completes multi-million rand facility overhaul
CFG has invested heavily in new logistics capacity, mobile racking, real-time pallet tracking, automated packing technology and energy resilience
New grading and drone tech helping British blueberry sector to ‘premiumise’
Drone technology, AI-enabled optical grading and precision agriculture are allowing UK growers to deliver higher-quality fruit as sales continue to climb
The Summer Berry Company Portugal now over 60 per cent self-sufficient in water
More than six in ten litres used on producer’s farms comes from rainwater, as it hopes to insire other growers through Climate Farm Demo network
Comment: Banana industry should not restrict itself to conventional breeding
Agricultural scientist Professor James Dale considers why gene editing may be the only sensible option to develop a new banana variety with effective disease resistance
South Tyrol suppliers forecast bumper summer fruit season
Cooperatives Vip and Meg say they are using new AI technology to boost production at high altitude
Dogtooth heralds age of ‘embodied AI’ in fruit farming
Robotics specialist secures fresh investment to expand its machines’ commercial deployment beyond UK
MDS partners with Agri-TechE to offer six-month placements
MDS trainees given access to Agri-TechE’s Early Career Innovators’ Forum with aim of getting more young talent into food and farming industry
Maersk rolls out next-generation IoT devices across reefer fleet
AP Møller-Maersk is upgrading its entire reefer fleet with next-generation IoT connectivity devices