HDC Member Weekly News 12/02/2010

Other

Welcome to the weekly newsletter full of information on research projects, events and horticulture news.

If you would like to contribute a news item or event details to the Weekly News, please contact the HDC.

Bulbs and Outdoor Flowers

Following the great turnout and feedback received from the BOF R&D meetings, there will be an update published in the HDC News.

If you would like to know more about Bulb research projects funded by the HDC or interested in any events, please contact Hugh Frost or Ruth Ashfield.

Field Vegetables

HDC Focus on Lighting & Imagery, 17 - 18 Feb, Warwick HRI. This two day event will focus on the use of image technology for the early detection of pests and diseases in crops and present recent developments in lighting technology. Each day will end with an open discussion to address current issues and identify development opportunities or research requirements. Full programme details are available to download from the HDC website: www.hdc.org.uk or from Sarah Bond and Ruth Ashfield. For more information or to reserve a place, contact Sarah Bond on 0247 647 8661 or at sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk.

HDC/Duchy College open day: Evaluation of autumn/winter cauliflower, spring cabbage cultivars and other brassica crops (Project FV 202d), 3 March 2010 at 2pm. All events held at Trevarnon Farm, Gwithian, Cornwall. Contact Bill Herring, Duchy College on 01209 722100 or bill.herring@duchy.ac.uk

BHTA/HDC Technical Meeting - Wed 3 March 2010, STC, Cawood, N Yorkshire YO8 3TZ. Presentations will include: 'Progress on optimising coriander nutrition and shelf-life'; 'Progress with Septoria on parsley and bacterial blight of coriander' and; 'Biocontrols.'The meeting is free to BHTA members. To register your attendance contact Dr Tom Davies on 01684 592581

UKIA Spring Seminar - 'Irrigation: water's role in food security', 4 March, Orton Hall, Peterborough. This day length irrigation seminar will consider the impact on our water resources should we increase home production of fruit and vegetables. Aimed at growers, consultants and researchers, a range of leading experts will offer ther views on what growers should do and how society might need to adapt. Further details from Sue Brooks on 01427 717627 or at s.brooks@ukia.org.

HDC Field Vegetables Panel meeting - Thurs 11 March 2010, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. All technical matters to be sent to Cheryl Brewster at cherly.brewster@hdc.org.uk or on 01757 269242. All communications matters to be sent to Grace Choto at grace.choto@hdc.org.uk or on 0247 647 8664

AGA/European Asparagus Conference: 24 - 25 March 2010. The programme includes trends in marketing and consumption; plant breeding; the crop's nutritional requirements; and the control of foliar diseases. For more details contact Jayne Dyas on 01507 602427

HDC Pest Bulletin updates on a weekly basis throughout the growing season and focuses on the predicted and actual appearance of key pests on a regional basis. Growers can gain access to the site by clicking on http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/whri/hdcpestbulletin

Hardy Nursery Stock

How successful are the controls of rose diseases on your nursery?

The HDC is funding two projects on developing prediction systems for rose powdery (HNS 165) and downy mildew (HNS 173). We recently sent details to rose growers about a short grower survey that aims to help the researchers better understand current disease control strategies used by rose growers. The information from this survey will help them to develop the prediction system. The survey can be found on the News section of the HDC Website.

Home Grown workshop 22nd February 2010

This workshop will provide you with all the information that you need to make the Home Grown brand work for your business. A grower will also describe how turnover has increased since adopting the brand.

NFU building, Stoneleigh Park. Warwickshire (13:00 - 16:00). To book for this event please email Sarah Bond at sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk

Winter Meeting of the Herbaceous Perennials Technical Discussion Group

If you would like to become a member of the HPTDG, please email jason.pole@hdc.org.uk.

HNS Panel meeting - 24 March 2010, Warwick HRI

This meeting will focus on strategy. All technical matters to be sent to Jason Pole on 0247 647 8666 or at jason.pole@hdc.org.uk by 24 February. All communications matters to be sent to Ruth Ashfield on 0247 647 8663 or at ruth.ashfield@hdc.org.uk.

Citrus longhorn beetle - guidance for growers on dealing with bought-in plant material

Two larvae of a quarantine pest, the citrus longhorn beetle, have recently been detected in The Netherlands on a nursery importing Acer palmatum plants from China. As the finding is located in the centre of a major tree nursery area (Boskoop) the 2km buffer zone has had an impact on several hundred nurseries. Such events remind us all of the importance of utilising best practice in handling bought-in plants. Best practice measures are highlighted in HDC Factsheet 06/08, which can be downloaded from the HDC website.

An Information Sheet for the citrus longhorn beetle is available on Fera's Website. Suspected outbreaks on non-native plant pests should be reported immediately to your local Fera Plant Health and Seeds Inspector or by telephoning 01904 465625.

Mushrooms

HDC Focus on Lighting & Imagery, 17 - 18 Feb, Warwick HRIThis two day event will focus on the use of image technology for the early detection of pests and diseases in crops and present recent developments in lighting technology. Each day will end with an open discussion to address current issues and identify development opportunities or research requirements. Full programme details are available to download from the HDC website: www.hdc.org.uk or from Sarah Bond and Ruth Ashfield.

For more information or to reserve a place, contact Sarah Bond on 0247 647 8661 or at sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk.

Protected Edibles

The following factsheets were mailed out to members this week:

01/10 Bacterial wilt and canker of tomato (Cmm)

02/10 Boosting Biocontrols Within IPM Programmes

03/10 Tomato Leafminers

For more copies of the above please contact Sarah Bond at hdc@hdc.org.uk

HDC Focus on Lighting & Imagery, 17 - 18 Feb, Warwick HRI. This two day event will focus on the use of image technology for the early detection of pests and diseases in crops and present recent developments in lighting, including light sources and spectral filters and LEDs. Each day will end with an open discussion to address current issues and identify opportunities or research requirements. For more information or to reserve a place, contact Sarah Bond on 0247 647 8661 or at sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk.

HDC Protected Edibles Panel meeting - Thurs 25 February 2010, University of Lancaster. Please note that the venue is NOT Warwick HRI as stated in previous emails. All technical matters to be sent to Becky Turner at becky.turner@hdc.org.uk or on 0247 647 8668. All communications matters to be sent to Grace Choto at grace.choto@hdc.org.uk or on 0247 647 8664

HDC/PTG Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus In Pepper Poster - Please contact the HDC on hdc@hdc.org.uk if you have not received this poster

Protected Ornamentals

HDC Focus on Lighting & Imagery, 17 - 18 Feb, Warwick HRIThis two day event will focus on the use of image technology for the early detection of pests and diseases in crops and present recent developments in lighting technology. Each day will end with an open discussion to address current issues and identify development opportunities or research requirements. Full programme details are available to download from the HDC website: www.hdc.org.uk or from Sarah Bond and Ruth Ashfield.

For more information or to reserve a place, contact Sarah Bond on 0247 647 8661 or at sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk.

Home Grown workshop 22nd February 2010, NFU building, Stoneleigh Park. Warwickshire. To book for this event please email Sarah Bond at sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk

HDC/ADAS Plant Growth Regulator workshops 22nd February 2010, Wyeplants Ltd, Roman Bank, Spalding, Lincolnshire, and 26th February 2010, Ivan Ambrose, Rosemount Nurseries, Pygons Hill Lane, Lydiate, Merseyside, L31 4JD. To book your place, please conatct Sarah Bond. Full details of the programme are available to download from the HDC Website: www.hdc.org.uk or by contacting sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk

Soft Fruit

Soft fruit panel meeting - The latest panel meeting convened in Warwickshire on 11th February. The purpose of the meeting was to review progress of all research projects in soft fruit and review the research strategy. Thanks to all those who contributed. Andrew Tinsley and Scott Raffle will be revising the strategy in light of discussions.

HDC Focus on Lighting & Imagery, 17 - 18 Feb, Warwick HRI. This two day event will focus on the use of image technology for the early detection of pests and diseases in crops and present recent developments in lighting technology. Each day will end with an open discussion to address current issues and identify development opportunities or research requirements. Full programme details are available to download from the HDC website: www.hdc.org.uk or from Sarah Bond and Ruth Ashfield. For more information or to reserve a place, contact Sarah Bond on 0247 647 8661 or at sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk.

Factsheet on SCRI raspberry variety trials - We will shortly be distributing a factsheet up-dating the key results from the raspberry variety trials at SCRI in 2009. This will be mailed to all members.

Advisor's guide to soft fruit research - Communications manager Scott Raffle is currently working to produce a guide for all agronomists and consultants. The aim of this is to brief them on the current status of HDC research on soft fruit and other projects of relevance to the soft fruit industry. This will be compiled and mailed out by early March.

HDC News soft fruit review - In December, copies of this magazine were mailed to those members who receive HDC News (inserted with the magazine). The review summarises what HDC has been delivering to soft fruit growers in the past year. We have many more copies available and would gladly mail out more to those who didn't receive a copy or multiple copies to businesses for distribution amongst key staff. Contact Scott Raffle with your requirements on 01732 897473 or at scott.raffle@hdc.org.uk

Strawberry crop wakers guide - We are currently working on an up-dated version and plan to distribute this to the industry by the Spring.

HDC Weed identification guide - Extra copies can be procured by contacting Sarah Bond on 0247 647 8661 or at sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk

Tree Fruit

EMRA Pear conference - 25 February, East Malling Conference Centre, East Malling. Entitled 'Pear Growing For The Future', this one day conference supported by Sainsbury's EAP and EMR, will focus on topics including profitability of pear production in the UK, economics, production and pest and disease issues. Contact Barbara Walsh on 01732 843833 or at barbara.walsh@emr.ac.uk.

Tree fruit panel meeting - The next panel meeting takes place on 3 March. At this meeting, the panel will review the research priorities of the tree fruit industry. All technical matters should be submittd to technical manager Andrew Tinsley on 01732 897472 or at andrew.tinsley@hdc.org.uk

Apple Best Practice Guide - We apologise for the delay in releasing this on our website. Final changes are being implemented and it will be available soon. We will inform you when it is available for viewing and downloading just as soon as it is complete.

HDC News tree fruit review - A magazine review (similar to that produced for soft fruit growers) is currently being prepared for tree fruit growers. It will summarise how HDC works for tree fruit growers and what we have delivered in the past year. We plan to mail it out with the March edition of HDC News magazine to all tree fruit growers.

HDC Weed identification guide - Extra copies can be procured by contacting Sarah Bond on 0247 647 8661 or at sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk

Other

HDC Focus on Lighting & Imagery, 17 - 18 Feb, Warwick HRIThis two day event will focus on the use of image technology for the early detection of pests and diseases in crops and present recent developments in lighting technology. Each day will end with an open discussion to address current issues and identify development opportunities or research requirements. Full programme details are available to download from the HDC website: www.hdc.org.uk or from Sarah Bond and Ruth Ashfield.

For more information or to reserve a place, contact Sarah Bond on 0247 647 8661 or at sarah.bond@hdc.org.uk.

1st Annual HDC Studentship Conference (Seminar Day, 24 February 2010)Since its inception in 2000, the HDC Studentship Scheme has helped to deliver high quality research outputs and high calibre individuals to the horticultural industry.

The HDC Studentship Conference provides a forum for members of the HDC student community to meet each other and to share experiences. More importantly, it provides opportunities for students to engage directly with the industry that they serve.

There are a limited number of places available for the second day of the conference, at which the current HDC students will present their work at the University of Lincoln.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Nicola.Goldsbrough@hdc.org.uk for further details.

Notification of publication: B17005 Irrigation Water reportB17005 - 'Review of the use of water in UK agriculture and the potential risks to food safety' has now been published on the Food Standards Agency's open access repository, Foodbase. http://www.foodbase.org.uk/results.php?f_category_id=&f_report_id=372 . If you have any questions, please contact Tracey Smith, Hygiene and Microbiology, Food Standards Agency. Tel: 020 7276 8127

Pest Control in the future, 24th February 2010. For further information please contact Dr Neal Wright on 01509 856295 or email neal@microprop.co.uk

This e-mail has been written by:

Grace Choto
Communications manager for Field Vegetables and Protected Edibles

Ruth Ashfield
Communications manager for Ornamentals

Scott Raffle
Communications manager for Fruit and Mushrooms

Sarah Bond
Communications Co-ordinator

Contact Details

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General enquiries - 0247 669 2051
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