Compile the | Xiao Bai
Source | GreenTech official website
https://americanflowersweek.com/
https://floraldaily.com/
The fifth edition of GreenTech came to an end in the Netherlands
From June 14th to 16th, the 5th GreenTech Amsterdam GreenTech Exhibition was held at the Amsterdam RAI Exhibition Center. This is one of the most important showcases of horticultural technology in the world. Robot applications and sustainable development are the main concerns of this year's exhibition. 10,890 professionals from 121 countries visited the show. The top 5 countries are the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Mariska Dreschler, Head of The Exhibition's International Horticulture Department, is very pleased with the outcome of the event, saying: "GreenTech is an international hub that connects industries and provides solutions for food and flower production. I am very much looking forward to our next event. ”
There are two important awards for the GREENTECH exhibition, Organifarms won the Concept Award for the strawberry harvesting robot "BERRY". Biobest received the Innovation Award for "Micromus-System". Liselotte de Vries, president of the jury from Delft University of Technology, said: "This year we have received a wide variety of entries, which is exciting. The jury focused on biotechnology and digital production technology. ”
▲ "BERRY" strawberry harvesting robot
▲Horn veined brown grasshopper
The "BERRY" of the German company Organifarms is a strawberry harvesting robot that can automatically detect the position, ripeness and quality of strawberries, and its key component is image recognition software. After detecting the exact maturity of each fruit, the robot harvests it safely, places it directly in a small basket, weighs it and can be packaged and sold. The Micromus-System of the Belgian company Biot is a vein brown fly, its larvae and adults feed on aphids commonly found in vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants, which can be more environmentally friendly in the field of plant protection.
In addition to the two winning products, the "Gronos" all-indoor artificial planting system, the "trap-eye" automated clay board monitoring system, and the "HortiFootprint" software tool were also nominated for the award.
Certhon's "Gronos" all-indoor artificial planting system allows tomatoes and other crops to be grown in optimal conditions. The modified dwarf tomato variety takes only 15 weeks to harvest. Moreover, it can be produced annually without the need for pesticides.
Biobest's "trap-eye" automated sticky board monitoring system uses a network of 40 low-cost cameras per hectare for precise, high-density reconnaissance that automatically collects and counts pest and beneficial insect populations.
Developed by MPS and LetsGrow.com, HortiFootprint is an innovative software tool that measures the carbon footprint of horticultural production, helping growers make more sustainable production choices.
American Flower Week – The Call of a Flower Artist
The 2022 American Flowers Week, an annual event hosted by the Slow Flowers Society, took place June 28 to July 4, "at the heart of the event is to support local floral production in the United States and promote environmentally friendly floral art." Prince, the initiator of the campaign, said.
In 2015, the Slow Flower Association launched the American Flower Week campaign to encourage flower producers, designers and enthusiasts to share pictures of blooming flowers on social media under the topic of "American Flower Week #americanflowersweek", thereby promoting the production and sales of flowers in the United States and advocating the concept of environmentally friendly floral art.
This year, the Slow Flower Association and its publishing partner BLOOM Imprint released the Summer 2022 Digital Magazine for readers to download for free. This is a couture collection of wearable floral clothing designed around the core of iconic American-made flowers and plants composed of 8 pictures. When these pictures are forwarded to online platforms and social media by many readers, the audience will be surprised by the novelty and beauty of plant fashion, and thus be impressed. According to the 2022 National Horticultural Survey, sponsored by the association, 65 percent of Americans said it was somewhat important to them whether the flowers they bought were local, up from 58 percent in 2021.
Sensors help German nurseries grow flowers with mobile phones
In the future, when open-field potted plants need to be watered, pot growers in Germany will receive notifications on their computers, smartphones or tablets. This signal comes from the combination of sensors inside the basin and artificial intelligence. This is a research project on "Seedling Growth Support Systems" jointly funded by the European Union and North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The Greenhouse Horticulture and Bulb Flower Research Centre at Wageningen University in the Netherlands has been involved in the research as a consultant with its knowledge and experience in sensors.
In north Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, many growers grow potted plants in the open air. They decide from experience when to water the plants. However, experience can sometimes lead to over-watering. Growers must purchase irrigation equipment to avoid this, as well as a sustained investment of energy and labor. In addition, fertilizer will also seep into the soil with too much water, resulting in environmental problems. Conversely, if too little watering is done, it can also lead to product quality problems and reduced yields. The project uses sensors made in the Netherlands and is wirelessly connected to the internet. Each test site uses 3 humidity sensors, sharing a data transmission channel, thus maintaining low costs. Growers can monitor plant water needs online, as well as view EC values, pot temperature, air temperature, relative humidity, and sensor location.
Some German nurseries are now equipped with such devices. The next step is an AI-based early warning system that will prompt growers if the moisture content in the monitored plants falls below the threshold. In addition, scientists are also studying how to calibrate the sensor to accommodate different types of growth media.