vegetables

AeroFarms CEO and Co-Founder David Rosenberg.for harvesting did not featurehuman-like hands, as hisresearch team found that a soft,pincer-style system was moreeffective. The program aims todeliver a market-ready robot bythe end of 2018.Lasers lead the wayStill in his early 20s, SteinarHenskes, Founder of BirdControl Group based in theNetherlands, has shot afigurative and literal laserbeam across the bird deterrentindustry. Of particular interestto growers was the start-up’sAgrilaser Autonomic product– an autonomous laser thatrepels birds and other pestsfrom an area of up to 12 squarekilometres.Mr Henskes also spoke aboutBird Control Group’s lasertechnology, which is alreadybeing used in the aviationindustry to deter birds fromairport runways. The benefitis that birds do not becomedesensitised to the laser beam,nor does it have a lethal effect.Innovation in plantnutritionWhile breakthroughs inrobotic technology and laserscaptivated the audience,non-mechanised horticulturaladvancements such as plantnutrition were covered byRoger Tripathi, ManagingDirector of Marketing and Salesat Cytozyme. Travelling fromSalt Lake City in the UnitedStates, Mr Tripathi spoke aboutmanaging biotic pressure andhow we sometimes disregardthe proactive management ofabiotic stresses.Mr Tripathi noted that,in looking at Australia’sunpredictable environmentalstresses, it is critical that weseek solutions to optimise thenatural processes in plants, aidgrowth and provide strengthto resist and tolerate externalthreats of abiotic and bioticpressure. In discussing thisissue, Mr Tripathi suggested thata suitable solution is Cytozyme’sadvanced MAO TriggerTechnology, which harnessesthe power of MetabolicallyActive Compounds to enhanceplant performance. However,eager growers will have to waituntil its official Australian launchin 2016.Food for thoughtAs the term “Big Data” becomesone of the major buzzwords inUS agriculture, climatologistand aWhere Inc. CEO Dr JohnCorbett delivered an interestingpresentation on climateprediction. Using agriculturalintelligence in the form ofgeo-analytics and localisedagronomic ‘smart content’,Mr Corbett said the companycan deliver location-centricdata management, analysis,visualisation and reporting;integrating on-the-groundobservations to provide hyperlocalisedweather forecastingfor growers around the world.As complex as this sounds,Mr Corbett explained that thistechnology would ultimatelyallow growers to pinpoint inadvance the optimum time forharvesting.With growers seeking togain more value from theirproduce, Dr Tara McHugh, aResearch Leader within theUnited States Department ofAgriculture, showed delegateshow her cutting-edge researchis currently allowing growersto convert excess produceinto transformed consumerproducts, from clothing tosnacks. Of particular interest togrowers was Dr McHugh’s useof infrared technology to createvegetable chips.Finally, United States PotatoBoard President and CEO BlairRichardson also gave growersan insight into what mayoccur in horticulture throughthe exciting technologicaldevelopments in smartphones.With apps such as Uberrevolutionising the ride-sharingindustry, Mr Richardsondiscussed how similar appscould be used in the futureto promote ‘Uber-app’ styleride sharing as a simple andeffective way for growers to seekon-demand transport for theirproduce. Such apps would allowgrowers to not only monitor theirproduce being transported inreal-time, but also rate transportproviders on their level ofservice.The 2015 Global Technologiesin Horticulture Seminar providedattendees with many thoughtprovokingideas and concepts.Growers were highly inquisitiveduring the Q&A sessions, withmany sure to incorporate thetechnologies discussed intotheir own growing operations.iAll Seminar presentationswill be made freely availableon the AUSVEG websitewww.ausveg.com.au. Forfurther information on the2015 Global Technologiesin Horticulture Seminaror any of the presenters,please contact AUSVEG.Phone: (03) 9882 0277Email: info@ausveg.com.auThis project has beenfunded by HorticultureInnovation AustraliaLimited using the NationalVegetable Levy andfunds from the AustralianGovernment.Project Number: VG1311617Vegetables Australia July/August 2015