max FACTS
USDA Funds Potato Quality Technology
Hazel Technologies Inc . has received new United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) -funding for a packaging technology which protects the quality of potatoes . The technology may also have applications for some types of onions . The technology , dubbed Hazel Root , is a packaging insert placed in a bulk box or bin of potatoes or onions during storage following harvest . This prevents the sprouting process from starting prematurely . According to the USDA , sprouting exceeding 10 percent of the total surface area of the potato qualifies a potato as “ damaged ” and not only reduces the commercial value of a potato but also contributes to food waste , as the potato is less likely to be consumed . Furthermore , consumers frequently confuse sprouting with decay and throw away produce that has grown sprouts . Hazel Root technology works by slowly releasing an active ingredient that slows the growth of sprouts using natural biological processes and works on organic as well as conventionally grown potatoes .
— freshplaza . com
New Basil Hybrids Resist Downy Mildew
After years of research , Italian seed development and sales company Fenix is marketing two downy mildew-resistant hybrids specifically designed for production in pots : Basilio F1 and Gervaso F1 . Downy mildew ( Peronospora belbahrii ) confirms its reputation as an increasingly hard enemy to face for professional basil growers and retailers , both for its pathogenetic nature and the limited range of effective active molecules growers can use to limit the damage it wreaks on crops . Basilio F1 and Gervaso F1 showed some advantages for farmers who tested them including resistance to downy mildew and fusarium wilt . This natural resistance means less cost for growers when it comes to purchasing products to remove the pathogens . Gervaso F1 presents itself as a dark-coloured plant characterised by short internodes that is a compact grower in a pot . Basilio F1 is similar but has been dubbed a quicker grower than Gervaso .
— hortidaily . com
Spanish Solar Greenhouses Boosting Veggies in Europe
The 86,000 acres of solar greenhouses located in Almeria and the Granada coast of Spain have become Europe ’ s healthy pantry , mainly from autumn to spring , when continental production is not possible in other countries due to low temperatures . The 14,500 family farms owning the solar greenhouses produce 4.5 million tons of fruit and vegetables , with 75 percent of this production exported to EU countries ( and as far away as North America ), and six out of 10 vegetables eaten in Europe come from greenhouses in southern Spain . The success of these solar greenhouses comes after the UN , in 2017 , recognised it as the best example of sustainability to feed the world . Additionally , these greenhouses are fighting pests with environmentally beneficial insects which has been a decisive circumstance in favouring the fruit and vegetable products from solar greenhouses in Europe over the products of third-party countries .
— freshplaza . com
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