Niab invites growers to take part in free online soft fruit day
28th October 2024
Growers and industry stakeholders have been invited to join Niab’s free online soft fruit day at the end of November. The event will include updates on research into maximising yield potential in strawberry and raspberry crops.
Previous Niab work on the full yield potential of strawberry varieties Malling Champion and Malling Ace highlighted the variation in yield potential between individual plants.
Work is now focused on optimising the propagation environment to produce plants of equal quality that have the same maximum yield potential.
Niab is also working to optimise raspberry propagation to maximise plant uniformity.
Delegates attending the webinar will find out how both projects are progressing, along with research in matching nitrogen supply to demand in container-grown raspberry, the organisers said.
Other presentations will cover key results delivered from Niab’s WET Centre on water and fertiliser use and how strawberry plants respond to their position within the tunnel environment.
Overcoming common challenges
There will also be updates on coir recycling, precision pollination and bee management in strawberry, earwig management in strawberry, biocontrol of aphids in protected raspberry, and the impact of landscape complexity on pest management in soft fruit.
The afternoon session will focus on managing spotted wing drosophila. This includes recent research into the use of parasitoids, sterile insect technique, developing a push-pull approach to control and final results from a Growing Kent & Medway funded project to assess strawberry and raspberry varietal resistance to the pest.
Niab knowledge exchange manager Scott Raffle said: “The soft fruit industry is continually being challenged to maximise yields, increase circularity and sustainability within production businesses, and rely on environmental management techniques to harness natural control agents for pests and diseases.
“This event will focus on Growing Kent & Medway and other funded projects that seek to overcome some of these challenges ”
The event takes place on Thursday 28th November starting at 9.10am and running through until 2.15pm.
To register or find out more info, go to the Niab event hub.
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