How vine crop growers can reduce waste and labor cost and prevent virus transmission

Hort Americas and Agrifast see the Tomsystem as a simple but elegant piece of agtech that addresses two major issues vine crop greenhouse growers are facing today: labor and sustainability. The Tomsystem replaces traditional crop-supporting methods. Besides the sustainability benefits, the process also lowers the labor cost per hectare, providing the grower a significant net economic gain.

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NC State’s Collado and Hernandez Research Cannabis Water Use Under Supplemental Light

North Carolina State University researchers Professor Ricardo Hernandez and Cristian Collado worked with Current’s Arize® Element L1000 LED top lighting in a greenhouse setting to explore the impact of light levels on the production of cuttings, plant growth, flower production, quality, and water use of a cannabis sativa variety commonly cultivated for its high levels of CBD. The impact of different levels of light throughout the vegetative and reproductive phases of growth was isolated by controlling all other environmental factors, such as temperature, fertigation, CO2, and water usage.

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Tip Burn and Calcium Deficiency

Tip burn can be a common problem in lettuce greenhouses. Tip burn is characterized by the presence of necrotic tissue at the growing area of lettuce. This symptom is a consequence of calcium deficiency. Calcium is required to build cell walls. When Calcium is deficient, new cells tend to die due to the lack of calcium to build up the cell wall.

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Blossom End Rot

Blossom end rot can be a common problem for growers. This problem is characterized by the presence of necrotic tissue at the bottom of fruits such as tomatoes and peppers. The presence of necrotic tissue is caused by the lack of calcium in the buildup of new cells at the growing area of the fruit. Nutrient deficiency can be commonly linked directly to the nutrient solution recipe. However it is crucial to understand Calcium as a passive nutrient and how environmental conditions can trigger deficiency by affecting the ability of the plant to take up these minerals.

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Finding the balance to improve crop performance maintaining high energy efficiency levels

Annually, indoor and greenhouse growers produce significantly more lbs/ft3 of canopy compared to open field. It is a fact that we have learned how to improve crop productivity over the years and we are still expecting an exponential increase in this area. Now the most important challenge is to find the most energy efficient way to keep increasing crop productivity.

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Starting seeds indoors with LED grow lights

Whether you grow indoors or in a greenhouse, proper plant development is profoundly dependent on the quantity and quality of light your crop receives. The photoperiod, light intensity, and light quality are key lighting properties in regulating plant growth and development. Yet whatever setting you grow in, using the proper grow light for seed starting presents an opportunity to begin your crop on the path to higher yields and a quality product. 

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Free Download: Key Aspects about the Use and Management of LED Lighting in Crop Production

As LED grow lights continue to become more affordable, an increasing number of greenhouse growers and vertical farmers are considering whether the lights would benefit their production systems. Several studies and growers applications have demonstrated the development of new lighting technologies such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can increase the capability to provide ideal light conditions to crops, making possible the improvement of crop performance and product quality.

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Photons and Yield

Light incidence over our crops will have a direct effect on yield. Photosynthesis is the most important process in plants to produce energy. But how can we relate photons of light to yield? Based on research we know now one mole of photosynthetic photons is required in order to produce one gram o dried biomass (yield).  

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Stomata Behavior

Stomata are pores constituted by two cells called: Guard cells. Guard cells are hydraulic valves making possible stomata closure and opening. 

Stomata open or close depending on different factors: Light intensity, light quality, temperature, leaf water status, and intracellular CO2.

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Aquaponics

Aquaponics is a technique used to grow plants and aquatic animals in a system using the recirculation of water. In order to understand aquaponics, we need to have knowledge about aquaculture, hydroponics, and bacteria. 

But how could aquaponics be a good option?

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