max FACTS
Grower Nets Turmeric Gains Via New Method
CV Prakash dedicated his free time during the lockdown last year to find ways of making growing turmeric ( Curcuma longa ) more profitable for farmers . He has trained more than 12,000 people in soilless farming techniques since 2008 . During his research into growing the Salem variety of turmeric at his CV Hydro training center in Chikkasandra , Bengaluru , from May 2020 to January 2021 , Prakash found that his specialized and unique hydroponic farming methods generated spectacular results . At the CV Hydro training center his crops generated a curcumin content of 5.91 percent — nearly double the standard three percent found in the Salem variety — and the highest yield was up to 18 pounds from a single grow bag . Prakash cultivates the popular spice in grow bags ( sizable porous bags made of high-density polyethylene ) packed with coco-peat instead of growing in soil . His turmeric crops are grown in simple net houses as turmeric is a shade-loving plant .
— hortidaily . com
Drone Bee Works its Magic
With drone technology becoming more and more important in the agriculture sector , it ’ s no surprise a new drone , the Polybee , has arrived to pollinate inside greenhouses . “ Pollination can help you define your yield potential but whether or not you achieve this depends on how well the farm is being managed and if you can close the feedback loop on each plant ,” says Siddharth Jadhav , founder and CEO of Polybee . Polybee is a spin-off from the National University of Singapore that specializes in microdrones for pollination in controlled environment agriculture . Polybee has developed a method of pollination that works for strawberries , peppers , tomatoes , and eggplants in both indoor farms and greenhouses . These crops self-pollinate and typically use bumblebees to dislodge pollen from anthers and onto the stigma . Whereas bumblebees pollinate by landing on the flower ( evidenced by little “ bruises ” on the flowers ), Polybee uses aerodynamically controlled pollination to dislodge the pollen .
— hortidaily . com
Carnivorous Plant Discovered in Canada
Researchers at the University of British Columbia ( UBC ) have identified the first new carnivorous plant in 20 years . In collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison , researchers discovered that the Triantha occidentalis found in Cypress National Park in B . C ., a species of false asphodel , had a genetic deletion commonly found in other carnivorous plants . The researchers then noted that , unusual to carnivorous plants , it was the stem of Triantha that had sticky red hairs that trapped small insects such as midges and flies . The plant produces a digestive enzyme called phosphatase , which allows it to feast on the insect . Sean Graham , a professor in the department of botany at UBC , described the plant as “ innocuous ” and “ sweet looking .” However , if you look closer , Graham noted these plants will often have small insect corpses littering the stems . While Triantha relies on small bugs for food , it also depends on larger pollinator insects such as bees and butterflies to reproduce . According to Graham , these pollinators are not bothered by the stickiness of the stem .
— cbc . ca
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