Stockbridge Technology

Centre

2001-2011

Sponsors and Supporters Board of Directors

Albert Vinson Ltd. Peter Branfield Altrincham No. 2 Horticultural Group Alan Davis Anchor Nurseries Professor William Davies Edward Baarda Martin Evans Steven Barnes Julian Hargreaves Jan Bentley Professor Carlo Leifert Jan Bezemer Tony Lomax

Ray Blackburn John Molyneux Neil Bragg Nigel Patrick Certis (Peter Hingley) David Piccaver Stuart Coutts John Richardson Crystal Heart Roger Sayer John Darby Julian Davies Len Dingeman Martin Ellis Michael Eustace Martin Evans

Andrew Green Retired Directors Grodania Derek Hargreaves Neil Bragg Hedon Salads Ltd. Stuart Coutts Michael Holmes Michael Eustace R Huddlestone Professor Anthony Robards OBE John Jackson Nic Vrijland Rob Jacobson Michael Langdale Michael Holmes Leeds & District Market Gardeners Ass. Michael‟s sad and premature Nigel May death left us short of his vast Martin McPherson knowledge, expertise and Mill Nurseries selfless service. Guy Poskitt John Richardson Rijk Zwaan (Roger Stewart) Roger Sayer David Schellingerhout Snaith Salad Growers Bernard Sparkes Tozer Seeds Cor Van Dijk Nic Vrijland Graham Ward (CMW Horticulture) Graham Ward OBE Roger White

Facing up to the early challenges Horticulture Research International (HRI) Stockbridge House was closed by HRI to meet financial cuts being imposed by MAFF/DEFRA. Unlike most recent transfers of research establishments from the DEFRA family, the Stockbridge site was shut down, and farm machinery, laboratory and computer assets were taken away along with the research work and transferred to other sites. We had a very tough challenge to establish, from scratch, the first privately owned new horticultural technology business since before the second world war. A big thank you to our sponsors and supporters (listed opposite) as without them Stockbridge Technology Centre would not exist. Their financial commitments allowed us to make a business case for the Yorkshire Bank and the Department for Trade and Industry Loan Guarantee Scheme. The business creation process was supported by North Yorkshire County Council with a feasibility study and the help of many individuals. We must mention the leading few: John Grogan, MP for Selby who rattled the DEFRA cage continuously and arranged the final short term rental meeting with the Minister; John Spooner from Yorkshire Bank who committed to the mortgage so we could negotiate the purchase, using the valuable services of Edward Stephenson of Stephenson‟s of York; and the help and advice of Roger Sayer and Malcolm Bradley. Finally, William Langdale, who lent us his farm machinery, without which we could not have farmed the land. The jigsaw was completed by the commitment of the staff at all levels. This was much appreciated as they were seeing many of their colleagues leaving over the six month period between announcement and actual closure. Their loyalty and commitment was being tested daily. We struggled to pioneer company structures, which would allow us to compete for public money projects. Our public owned competitors were able to do this without VAT, meaning we were always 17.5% more expensive than HRI or Universities. We are grateful for help from Dennison Till of York and a specialist tax consultant. Ten years have now passed and much of this seems like a bad dream. Together we have built a commercial business using our staff expertise and technology transfer skills. Our public funded work has remained low, but now that the industry research restructuring has taken place, we are very well placed to take up the challenge and compete for such work. We have reinvested capital of half a million pounds on updating facilities including new boilers, new Priva Integro computers and mobile benching to ensure we are competitive. New partnerships have been established with research partners particularly Lancaster, Newcastle and York Universities, and the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) at Sand Hutton, as well as many new commercial partners. Finally thanks to the STC Research Foundation (STCRF) Board of Directors. Present and past members are listed opposite. Stockbridge Technology Centre was created by growers for growers, and the Board ensures it runs in the interests of horticulture businesses in the widest sense. STC is required to spend all its effort and its money towards one purpose: making individual growers businesses more profitable, more competitive, and their market larger. This ten year review itemises some of our efforts and looks forward to our new initiatives. We hope you enjoy it and we look forward to your continued support.

Graham Ward OBE

Successful Technology Transfer to the Industry

Beet Growers beat the disease The Plant Clinic is at the heart of STC and provides an important service to growers. The red beet industry had good reason to use this service when they harvested crops in 2003 and found a large proportion of roots to be severely malformed and distorted. It quickly became clear that this was a new problem and the precise cause was not immediately apparent. Working closely with the growers we helped initiate a Red Beet Technology Group under the excellent leadership of Mr Graham Smith to coordinate tackling the problem. A Horticulture Development Company (HDC) funded project was initiated in conjunction with government scientists at Central Science Laboratory (now FERA). This project ultimately demonstrated, using a combination of classical mycology and modern molecular techniques that the root distortion or RMD (root malformation disorder) was caused by a systemic infection by the obligate pathogen that causes downy mildew (Peronospora farinosa f.sp. betae). Replicated trials were able to identify effective fungicides and a series of Specific Off-Label Approvals were gained for the industry allowing the problem to be quickly brought under effective control.

From left to right: Iwona Burdon, Debbie Liddell, Martin McPherson, Cathryn Lambourne

The industry recognized the efforts of the research group led by Dr McPherson, when the project won the Bakkovor sponsored „Science into Practice‟ award at the Horticulture Week „Grower of the Year‟ Awards in 2007.

„Spotting‟ an opportunity in Hardy Nursery Stock (HNS) In 2004, HNS growers approached the STC Plant Clinic with an unusually severe problem of leaf spot in Hebe and concern that their usually effective spray programme was breaking down. Leaf spot in Hebe has long been known to be caused by the pycnidial fungus Septoria and effective control had previously been maintained with benzimidazole fungicides. Unusually, preliminary investigations of the new leaf spot symptoms failed to find any Septoria and instead a different fungus, a Stemphylium sp. was recovered consistently. STC laboratory tests showed that this fungus was not only highly pathogenic to Hebe but that it was also insensitive (and/or resistant) to the benzimidazole fungicides. This helped explain the lack of control in nurseries.

Stemphylium leaf spot on Hebe

A HDC project was initiated to investigate the problem further, with a view to finding alternative control measures. Within 18 months of being alerted to the problem, a range of alternative fungicides with good activity against the Stemphylium leaf spot had been identified, and the disease was brought back under effective control to the satisfaction of the HNS industry. Ultimately, working with government scientists at FERA we were able to confirm that the Stemphylium sp. found was a new pathogenic species on this host.

Getting down to business with „Busy-Lizzy‟ We identified another new disease when the STC Plant Clinic received a sample of „Busy Lizzy‟ (Impatiens walleriana), exhibiting symptoms of infection by downy mildew caused by what we believed to be Plasmopara obducens. This provided an excellent example of why maintaining a Plant Clinic facility and experienced personnel through effective succession planning is so important. Downy mildew pathogens occur quite commonly and the pathogen, on an ornamental crop such as Impatiens, may not have seemed particularly unusual or important to an inexperienced pathologist. Yet, experience can be invaluable as it makes you question things. In this case we knew we had not seen downy mildew on this host previously and a check of records at FERA found that, whilst the pathogen was known to occur on this host, it had not previously been found in the UK; so this turned out to be the first UK record. Such early diagnosis allowed us to initiate a new HDC funded programme of applied research, in conjunction with FERA, to gain effective control.

Downy mildew caused by Plasmopara obducens on Impatiens walleriana

The HDC project has been a great success on nurseries and effective control is now being maintained routinely with fungicides. However, whilst the plants are disease-free up to the point of sale, the disease keeps reappearing in public parks and gardens once the plants are bedded out. The subsequent defoliation due to the disease could have a negative impact on sales of Impatiens in the longer term and investigations are continuing to try and resolve this issue. Resting spores of the pathogen were found in infected plants for the first time in 2007 and it is suspected that these may be providing an over-wintering survival mechanism with re-infection occurring in consecutive years as fresh plants are bedded out in the same land. It is also possible that the pathogen is either seed-borne or that other indigenous or introduced Impatiens species e.g. Impatiens noli-tangere or Impatiens glandulifera may be functioning as alternate hosts of the pathogen, allowing the organism to be carried through the UK winter conditions.

Dr Martin McPherson

Nitrates in fresh produce STC has played an important role in undertaking applied research on the politically sensitive area of nitrates in fresh produce, particularly in protected lettuce. This work has covered many areas and has been undertaken at STC and also on commercial production units. The main aim has been to gain a better understanding of what influences the accumulation of nitrates in protected lettuce. This knowledge can then be used by growers to refine their own robust growing practices to minimise nitrate levels in their crops. It was also a requirement of the European Nitrate Regulation that residue analyses should be carried out to lower the maximum residue levels set. Much of the agronomic work has been HDC funded and has looked at the effects of:

Soil nitrogen levels and nitrogen fertiliser rates

Irrigation strategy including trickle irrigation

Shading over the crop in the four weeks prior to harvest

Influence of cultivar selection (butterhead and curly)

Harvest date and trimming practice

Soil growing versus nutrient film technique

Variability in sampling and establishment of robust sampling techniques

Pre-harvest nitrate testing kits. Investigating levels

of nitrates in protected

lettuce at STC

Despite all this work the main issue continues to be the head to head variability in nitrate content which can be as great as 1000ppm. In one STC experiment, leaves were cut in half along the mid-rib and all the left hand portions were analysed and compared to the right hand portions. There was again huge variation on what should be near identical levels. The other important influence is the removal of the outer leaves during trimming, which growers are often reluctant to do during periods of poor growing weather in the winter, as every leaf can account for about 15g and the practice can reduce marketable head weight to below what is acceptable. We have helped the NFU with the science for lobbying in Brussels, and the soon to be published updated nitrate regulations will show increases in residue levels, which UK growers should be able to attain, providing they adopt good practice and use the knowledge gained in the HDC project. There remains the outstanding area of variability in analytical reporting within the food chain, and again our work should enable correct levels of “analytical uncertainty” to be set to allow correct interpretation of laboratory reports.

Julian Davies

Connecting Growing to Future Customers Expanding the marketplace and increasing consumption is just as important as raising production efficiency. We wanted to help reconnect consumers with where their food comes from by using the farm for public visits. Many government and medical health advisors support increased fruit and vegetable consumption, particularly in health messages to schools, such as the 5-a-day campaign. This gives a very helpful background to aid public engagement. Current work in this area involves primary schools with allotments at STC, visiting on four occasions from March through until late September. The children get involved with all aspects of growing – seed sowing, planting, weeding, and harvesting and they take home a range of fresh produce. We now have 30 school groups - about 850 children - on the scheme and each one receives a free visit via the Educational Access Agreement as part of our Countryside Stewardship Scheme. (STC recently led a successful strong lobbying campaign to get DEFRA to reinstate these to Higher Level Stewardship Schemes). STC subsidises costs of growing plants for the visits as part of our charitable status. We also provide single half and full day visits in June and July where children can see crops growing in the field and glasshouses, and they can also harvest a wide range of crops. We also offer growing and cooking activities where children harvest crops and also make pizzas using fresh vegetables, prepare coleslaw and make carrot cake buns. Habitat and conservation sessions are also included so that children can see how farmers help manage and protect the countryside and the wider environment.

Education in action

An opportunity for children to try their hand

at cooking

We have also worked with schools in Sheffield and Barnsley to set up growing areas with regional Department of Health funding. Our part-time teachers go into the schools and run gardening sessions. In addition, we helped the Great Yorkshire Show to set up a school garden competition based on a raised bed system on pallets in 2010. More recently we started a business and enterprise scheme with 12 local primary schools based around growing ornamental and vegetable plants. The teachers are very enthusiastic about this project as it gives the children a real insight into team working, running a business and hopefully making profit. We are grateful to the many companies who help us especially Rijk Zwaan Seeds, Bulrush Horticulture and English Village Salads.

Planting sweetcorn

Julian Davies

Integrating Environmental Sustainability Breathing “life” back into the farm Starting a new farming business in 2001 coincided with real commitment from DEFRA to bring “life” back into the countryside. As soon as STC started as a business, we began to identify areas of the farm as having potential to benefit wildlife. The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) undertook an ecological survey to verify our wildlife status. We then worked together to successfully enter the Countryside Stewardship Scheme in 2002. It is now the norm to leave small patches of unproductive land to regenerate and to trim hedges according to the nesting season. We have planted new hedges and trees, creating new boundaries and wildlife corridors around the farm. We have buffered all our water-courses with grass headlands, and we leave large areas of stubble over-winter to provide a food source for birds. We consider the diversity of insects on our land to be of increasing importance as a natural method of pest control in crops. Our grass buffer strips, summer fallow, pollen and nectar mixes and flowering headlands provide a wonderful habitat for a range of insects including ground beetles, ladybirds and

hoverflies. Untrimmed hedges bordered with grass margins at STC

We regularly see barn owls and there are currently tawny owls nesting on site. Other species we see include tree sparrows, corn and reed buntings, skylarks, oystercatchers, mistle thrushes, and fieldfare. We have been working with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) to place owl and tree sparrow nesting boxes in the most appropriate sites to encourage nesting, and the YWT and Environment Agency have funded the creation of two ponds, much used for pond-dipping by children on open days. We have great crested newts and water voles on site and we are keen to increase their habitat.

We are currently working to move into the Higher Level Environmental Scheme. This will mean additional land specifically targeting habitat and food source for tree sparrows, and capital investment for a disabled toilet facility for the many visitors that come to the farm. We hold two large open days each year for the public to see and experience current farming and conservation practices, and we would like to thank Julia Soukup, Rachael Gillbanks, Rachel Stanhope, YWT, Hilary Finney and all the stall holders who have helped to make each event a great success.

Visitors enjoying a wide range of

educational and other activities at

STC open days

Michael Langdale

Perennial field margins and biodiversity

Many biological control agents depend on flowering vegetation as a source of nectar and pollen and it is the scarcity of floral resources in modern agriculture and horticulture that severely constrains predator survival, limiting the effectiveness of biological pest control. In previous work, we developed the concept of designing flowering field margins for the specific purpose of optimizing pest control. Taking this work a step further, we are now in the second year of a five year Hort-Link project in collaboration with Lancaster University and FERA which aims to develop perennial field margins across a horticultural rotation that will hopefully provide reliable and cost effective pest control while maintaining crop yield and quality. We are testing specific flowering plants in the flower strips to maximize the population of predators to coincide with the invasion of the crop pests. These flowers must provide a good source of pollen and nectar for predators. We are also looking at intercropping options and developing a computer-based model to allow growers to match flowers with their crop rotations. The rotation for the main trial is cabbage, peas and carrots, with a spring wheat break crop. The project provides an opportunity to combine current conservation objectives with the benefit of enhanced pest control, providing growers with a direct economic benefit whilst also qualifying for Stewardship Schemes Payments. A green biodiversity double whammy!

Multifunctional margin with pollinator and plant species for effective bio-control

Dr Pat Croft

Broadening the Business Base

Maximising our skills and facility usage When DEFRA (HRI) vacated the site, STC was left with little in the way of machinery and equipment, but we did have a considerable area of working glass, and during the past 10 years we have worked to “sell” our glasshouse space to businesses and to create new and diverse partnerships. Forging new relationships has been made possible by the expertise of staff here, and their ability and willingness to learn new skills and take on new tasks. We have built up a large seed producing business for a number of seed companies and crops for seed now range from cauliflowers and Brussels sprouts, to red beet and chicory. Building links with York University has led to STC participating in a project of worldwide significance. We have grown crops of Artemisia in our greenhouses and fields for university staff to develop as part of a project on malaria control, with funding through the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation. Similarly, links with FERA have resulted in work at STC on pesticide issues, and ongoing work aiming to safeguard bees in the farming environment. One of the most challenging aspects of running glasshouse facilities is to keep them full during the winter period. Although not 100% full, we have managed to fill a significant area by providing a facility for local nurseries to store a large proportion of containerized nursery stock plants during winter. We also rent buildings and facilities to Sciantec Analytical Laboratories, a large analytical company with around 70 members of staff. Other office space is rented to DEFRA and a water treatment company. We have developed an excellent working relationship with the agrochemical industry especially Bayer CropScience, resulting in a range of demonstration work being undertaken on the farm including large-scale trials on cereal crops and work on a number of vegetable and soft fruit crops. Bayer CropScience holds an annual open day at STC for growers and advisors, where hundreds of stakeholders attend to see the demonstration trials. We hold our partnership with Bayer CropScience in very high regard and it has considerably increased the profile of STC both at a local and national level.

Bayer CropScience open day

Michael Langdale

Commercial evaluation trials

STC undertakes a diverse and comprehensive programme of commercial trials each year. In general this focuses on crop safety and efficacy of new pesticide or bio-control products on a diverse range of crops. Much of this work is done to Official Recognition Standards and provides data to the manufacturers to allow them to take new products forward for registration in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Work ultimately benefits the UK horticulture industry, particularly in light of the recent losses in pesticides following implementation of new legislation. Similar work is also undertaken with substrate manufacturers, seed companies and others involved in the horticultural industry. STC is compliant with Good Laboratory Practice. A few examples of recent projects are:

Non target (phytotoxicity) testing of pesticides on a diverse range of horticultural and agricultural crops including tobacco, cotton, sunflowers, lentils and soybean

Comparing peat-free and reduced peat composts for their suitability for seed sowing and young plants

Technology Strategy Board (TSB) project investigating the pest and pathogen potential of seed-mat technology with Terraseed

Seed treatments to enhance micronutrient uptake

Pre-planting nutrient treatments to aid field establishment

Growing baby leaf crops with high levels of nitrate in troughs in a glasshouse for a human health study

Testing blends of peat and composted green waste products for plant production

Helping an engineering company develop a range of gardening equipment

Testing of composted green waste material for PAS 100

Field and glasshouse trials to measure the efficacy of new pesticides for weed, pest and disease control.

Phytotoxicity testing of pesticides on a range of crops

Julian Davies, Cathryn Lambourne & Dr Pat Croft

Communication and technology transfer The Michael Holmes Conference Centre STC has a large conference facility together with syndicate rooms. Our specialty is real local food from named sources including Yorkshire wine and beer! These facilities are manned by our admin staff and we offer a very competitive rate. With rail access from York (25 mins) or Selby (10 mins) and the A1M/M1/M62 motorways (10 mins), we are looking to expand the range and quality of conference, by bringing key speakers on food security and climate change for the whole of agriculture to the North of England. These very important issues tend to be focused in the South East and especially London, but farmer/grower input can be very limited. Surely, however, it is land management practices which should be driving these developing strategies. We are aiming to join up this agenda over the next few years. STC – ADAS R&D Platform Meeting

Website We report a wide range of scientific, political and policy reviews on our website: www.stockbridgeonline.co.uk.

Radio Julian Davies has a regular slot during the evening drive time show on BBC Radio York, talking about farming issues and the work we do at STC. This has been a good shop window. It is live on air at 5.45pm each Thursday.

Broadening the Technology Base Lighting up the future The government‟s Foresight Programme has identified that „sustainable intensification‟ is the best way forward for the agricultural and horticultural industry to feed the ever-growing world population and to avoid the „perfect storm‟ as predicted by the government„s chief scientist Professor John Beddington. Of course, at the same time we have to be aware of the potential challenges from climate change and operate in an ever more difficult legislative climate in terms of crop protection. Sustainable Intensification was defined by Professor Ian Crute, chief scientist at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), at the National Farmer‟s Union Conference 2011 as “maximized efficiency in terms of external resource inputs on the smallest necessary land area….” The horticultural industry has already been successful in increasing yields largely through varietal improvements, better fertilization and through the use of effective crop protection inputs, so where are the next yield gains going to come from? In protected horticulture, there has been interest in vertical farming for many years but until now it has been a bit of a pipe dream as access to solar radiation has been the limiting factor. Now, however, it seems that developments in LED lighting have gathered pace and this has the potential to unlock the vertical farming door as it is possible to stack crops without risk of damage from the lights themselves, as they are much cooler than conventional lighting. The economics, however, of such tiered production systems remain largely unknown.

Is there an economic alternative for protected crop production?

STC is currently working with HDC, Lancaster University, Philips, Cambridge HOK, FEC Services and others to develop an applied R&D facility for LED lighting in the UK - the primary aim being to compare conventional production systems with both tiered glasshouse production using LED lights, and more adventurously, tiered production using an insulated warehouse to assess the economics of a genuine „urban farming‟ scenario. Philips LED stand at Hortifair 2010 Lettuce under LED & conventional lighting

Success of this venture will rely on an effective „partnership‟ with industry as it will require considerable investment to make it a reality. The STCRF Board is willing to make a significant financial investment, but will require a commitment by the industry to encourage funders to award long term monies, to make returns on our invested capital acceptable to bank lenders. This is the modern model of technology transfer as government has stopped its capital facility investments of years past. It is certainly a challenge for growers to consider how best to manage their research and development funding for the benefit of the industry as a whole rather than a few leading companies.

Partnership Working Apart from our various contractual arrangements with universities and colleges we have also formed a more formal close working arrangement with East Malling Research (EMR) and ADAS through the formation of an Applied R&D Platform. Such an arrangement was recommended by the Fruit & Vegetable Task Force, The Taylor Review and the National Horticulture Forum to address the declining skills-facility base through team working as opposed to competitive tendering. A good example of the Applied R&D Platform in action is the establishment of a comprehensive multi-discipline Hort-Link project: Sustainable Crop Environment Protection – Targeted Research for Edibles (SCEPTRE), led by ADAS, STC and EMR with support from many other organisations to help identify novel low risk pesticide and bio-control products to replace products lost through the legislative process. This project is chaired by STCRF Director David Piccaver.

Dr Martin McPherson

A Ellis (Glasshouse Supervisor)

N Lightfoot

P Lightfoot

S Brearley

C Harford

L Townsend

P Goodwin

M Gibson

A Stead

M Bradbrook

(Site Maintenance)

J Issatt

Accounts Assistant

& E Fisk

Receptionist

A Foster

C Lightfoot

C Lambourne

Plant Pathology

Team Leader

& QA Manager

M Goodson

Technical

support

T Scanlon

Technical

support

C Rockliff

Project Manager

J Langdale

Project Manager

& Deputy QA

Manager

K Wright

Trainee Project

Manager

Mr G Ward OBE

CEO

CEO

Science

(Plant Pathology & Entomology)

Dr L Tilley

Trainee Project

Manager

Administration

& Finance

Agronomy -

Vegetables

Agronomy -

Ornamentals

A Black

Administration

Manager

& Archivist

J Davies

Agronomy

Director

Dr G M McPherson

Science Director

Site

Operations

M Langdale

Operations

Director

Dr P Croft

Entomology

Team Leader

The dotted lines show functional management responsibilities for QA purposes

Staff Organisation Chart

Aerial photograph courtesy of Bayer CropScience 2011

Stockbridge Technology Centre Ltd., Cawood, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 3TZ

Telephone +44(0)1757 268275; Facsimile: +44(0)1757 268996; Website: www.stockbridgeonline.co.uk