Press Releases
28 January 2011
Helping sow seeds of county’s growing future
Helping to secure the future of Kent’s food production, horticulture and
agriculture was at the heart of a major event organised by Kent County
Council and the Kent Economic Board (KEB), in conjunction with East Malling
Research and other key players in the sector.
The event, effectively a big conversation with the land-based businesses and
their advisers in the county, is part of the county council and KEB’s
efforts to get closer to key industries to ensure Kent’s future economic
prosperity. The conference was chaired by Jon Regan of Hugh Lowe Farms Ltd
and KEB’s business champion for the sector.
Paul Carter, Leader of Kent County Council, told the conference: “Businesses
in the food chain in Kent employ more than 85,000 people and the sector is
worth an estimated £2.6bn per annum to the county’s economy. It is vital
that we listen to their needs in order to ensure that they can contribute to
the future wellbeing of Kent and emerging priorities of the Local Enterprise
Partnership.
“Feedback gained from those who attended the event will help contribute to
future business development in the county and give us a clearer
understanding of what this diverse industry needs to succeed. We will then
be better placed to look at planning policy, providing the right skills for
the workforce and speaking on behalf of the industry in the corridors of
Westminster.”
An audience of more than 100 businesses attended the event, held at East
Malling Research Conference Centre, which brought together the National
Farmers Union, the Country Land and Business Association, and Hadlow
College.
Commenting on the event, Oliver Doubleday, Chairman of EMR and Managing
Director of GH Dean & Co Ltd, said: “With our global population growing at a
dramatic rate we will need to increase food production by 40 per cent by
2030 and on less land and by using less water, pesticides, fertilisers and
energy. With food security a global issue we will need to make sure that the
UK’s production is as efficient and effective as possible.
“Government and the industry must invest more than they are currently doing
in scientific research and development to ensure the industry is best placed
to adapt to climate change and EMR remains a jewel in Kent’s crown.”
As part of what are being described as ‘big conversations’ with key
industries in Kent, KEB, in partnership with KCC, is organising a series of
events, with future ones aimed at business in the construction & civil
engineering; low carbon and energy production; health and social care; and
the digital and creative media sectors.
Geoff Miles, Chairman of KEB, added: “The land-based sector sent a strong
message to ourselves and our partners that it is committed to playing its
part in helping Kent to grow. If the other sectors show the same level of
commitment as the land-based one did today then Kent is well-placed for
economic success.”
ENDS
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2 February 2011
Potato research highlights need for food
security funding
Coming shortly after Professor Sir John Beddington, the Government’s chief
scientist, published a report showing that globally we need to use 40% less
water and produce 40% more food within the next 20 years, scientists at East
Malling Research (EMR) believe their latest work could play an important
role.
With global population continuing to rise, scientists will be at the
forefront of how growers and farmers will be able to produce more food on
less land and ensure food security
The EMR scientists are recognised as world experts on water management and
their research has found a way to significantly reduce the amount of water
used to grow potatoes commercially, after transferring the knowledge from
early work with strawberries.
Commenting on Professor Beddington’s report, Will Sibley, Chairman of East
Malling Trust, the major funder of EMR, said: “This report, like the many
others that have come before it, highlights the scale of the challenges that
face the world’s ability to feed itself.
“What we urgently need is not more reports, but for Governments across the
world to accept the findings and properly fund scientific research that has
the ability to increase the intensity of our food production and ensure our
food security through higher yields and lower inputs, of water, fertiliser
and energy.”
Currently 75 million tonnes of water, which is a quarter of all the water
used each year by the agricultural industries in England and Wales, is
applied to potatoes. The intensive irrigation applied by growers helps to
reduce the incidence of common scab on the tubers’ skin and to increase
yields as the tubers form four to six weeks after planting.
The scale of the water consumption is enormous, accounting for 56% of all
the irrigation water used in England and Wales and equivalent to filling
30,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools each year.
Thanks to funding from Defra (Department for Environment, Farming & Rural
Affairs), the team at EMR, based in Kent, has now shown that it is possible
to produce one tonne of Grade 1 potatoes using just 23 tonnes of water –
significantly less than the current 42-60 tonnes industry average for the
same yield.
And there’s more good news for potato growers as the EMR team, led by Dr
Mark Else, also increased the yield from the industry standard range of
45-50 tonnes per hectare to 78 tonnes per hectare.
Dr Else said: “We have just lifted the 2010 crop and are confident that we
will have improved on last year’s yields, and importantly used less water
and fertigation (fertilizer delivered via irrigation) while maintaining the
yields and quality of the potatoes produced.
“Given that our trial took place on less than one hectare, we recognise that
it will be a difficult challenge to replicate these results exactly on a
commercial scale. However, we have achieved this with our work on strawberry
and we believe that the potato trials, now in their second year, demonstrate
that with water scheduling and drip fertigation it is possible to
dramatically reduce the amount of water and chemicals applied to potatoes
commercially. As well as saving money for the growers, our trials show they
can increase revenues thanks to a major increase in yields and maintenance
of quality.”
The team is confident that by the end of the three-year trial in 2011, EMR
will have produced a set of guidelines and techniques to help growers using
drip irrigation to know when and how much water to apply. The guidelines
will take into account the actual rainfall and the optimum soil moisture
content to deliver the quality and quantity of potatoes expected by growers
and supermarkets.
Dr Else added: “There will be a capital investment associated with the
techniques, but with good increased yields, maintained quality and lower
costs associated with water and chemicals, we believe there is a commercial
advantage for UK growers.”
EMR’s work on potatoes extends the scientists’ previous success in
dramatically reducing water consumption in commercial strawberry production.
The water management techniques developed for strawberries have now
importantly been transferred to potatoes.
Chris Atkinson, Head of Science at EMR, said: “This experiment has major
commercial implications for many potato growers, especially those farming in
the south and east of the country which, due to less rainfall, are more
dependent upon irrigation.
“It also impacts on the issue of food security, because with the climate
changing, farmers need to have the techniques to grow more while using less.
With the population rising and potatoes such a staple part of many people’s
diets, it is essential we increase yields and reduce our reliance on
imports.”
ENDS
For more information please contact:
Andrew Metcalf, Maxim PR
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513033 • m: 07990 574680
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Eastern promise for EMR
Scientists at East Malling Research (EMR) have taken a major step towards
scientific collaboration with China after it signed a high level Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) with its opposite numbers in Beijing, China.
Horticultural scientists from EMR were invited to attend the UK China
Agritech Innovation Forum, a two-day trade mission organised by Innovation
China UK, which is led by Queen Mary, University of London.
As a result of EMR’s presentation in Beijing, which focused on its
scientific expertise in strawberry breeding, crop protection, physiology and
water use efficiency in crops, the team signed an MoU with the Beijing Plant
Protection Station, which is part of Beijing Academy of Agricultural
Science.
The EMT team of Dr Neil Hipps and pathologist and epidemiologist Professor
Xiangming Xu, were joined by Mark Coxeter, the Managing Director of Meiosis,
the East Malling-based company which works closely with fruit breeding
programmes to introduce new cultivars to the fruit industry throughout the
world.
The MoU will see the two organisations now explore the commercialisation of
technology in the management of strawberry and cherry disease management and
monitoring, as well as water-saving technologies that can be applied to
commercial production in China.
Dr Neil Hipps of EMR, said: “This agreement opens us major opportunities for
collaborative research with the Chinese and will strengthen EMR’s global
reputation and the reach of our technologies. As a research organisation we
have actively sought to build commercial relations at home and abroad to
help fund our work and the MoU with the Chinese is a major success.
“The Chinese government has recognised that its food security is fundamental
to the long-term success of the country’s economy and social wellbeing.
While our research will build upon our existing expertise in strawberries,
we are already transferring it to other crops, such as potatoes, and offers
huge potential for water and crop protection.
“Our work in the area of strawberries, in terms of breeding new varieties
and improving yields and quality, is of huge interest to the Chinese as
strawberries are a high value crop and growing in commercial importance due
to the emerging middle class in China and their greater disposable income.”
During the visit, the delegation from EMR met scientific organisations in
Beijing and Jiaxing and also saw major commercial glasshouses and food
production facilities.
ENDS
Andrew Metcalf, Maxim PR
t: 01892 513033 •
m: 07990 574680
Maxim, 8 St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9NP
www.maxim-pr.co.uk
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28 February 2011
PLANT
SCIENCE AND LAND EXPERTS JOIN EAST MALLING TRUST
|
Prof. Ian Crute CBE |
Mr Hugh Reeves |
Two new
members have joined the board of East Malling Trust, the leading private
funder of horticultural research in the UK.
The
newly appointed trustees are Professor Ian Crute, Chief Scientist at the
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, and Hugh Reeves, a rural
estate management consultant and a former member of the General Council of
the Country Landowners Association.
The
Trust, based at Bradbourne House, East Malling, is a registered charity
originally founded in the early 1900s. The Trust’s main objective is
the advancement of science for public benefit, primarily
through the support of research and development, particularly in the fields
of horticultural and other plant-based disciplines.
The Trust works closely, but not exclusively, with the
internationally renowned plant scientists at East Malling Research providing
industry support, and research services for most horticultural crops at home
and overseas.
Professor Crute and Mr Reeves will be contributing to the
Trust’s 15-member board drawn from the horticultural industry, academia and
business.
Will Sibley, Chairman of East Malling Trust, said: “Professor
Crute and Mr Reeves are both experts in their fields and valuable additions
to our board.
“Their knowledge and understanding will further strengthen
the Trust’s ability to support horticultural research and drive our industry
forward to meet the many challenges that lie ahead.
”Professor Crute is very familiar with East Malling Research
having worked as its Head of the Crop and Environment Protection Department
from 1987 to 1993.
“He currently has overall responsibility at he Agriculture
and Horticulture Development Board for coordinating and shaping its research
and development and knowledge transfer programmes.
“He was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s 2010 New Year’s Honours
for services to plant science and was recently appointed as a Fellow of the
Royal Agricultural Society of England.”
Mr Reeves, who will be serving alongside established East
Malling Trust board members including Professor John Mumford, Lord Selborne
and Bobby Neame, is a qualified land agent and chartered surveyor.
He joined Strutt & Parker in 1967 and became an equity
partner in 1993 continuing to work in rural estate management with a wide
range of clients specialising in strategic advice, asset utilization, and
financial control. Mr Reeves retired five years ago but has continued to use
his knowledge as a trustee of a number of private estates.
He has served as chairman of the Home Counties Division of
the Royal Forestry Society and as chairman of the countryside policies
committee of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
ENDS
For further media information, please contact:
Andrew
Metcalf, at Maxim, tel: 01892 513033.
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24 March 2011
 |
Young
scientists get CSI opportunity |
Budding
young scientists from Invicta Grammar School, Maidstone; Queen Elizabeth’s
Grammar School, Faversham; and Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys, got
the chance to experience what it is like to work in the laboratories at East
Malling Research (EMR).
The ‘CSI
- Crop Science Investigation’ event, funded by EMR, was part of the
scientific institute’s commitment to National Science & Engineering Week and
bringing careers opportunities in science to the attention of local
schoolchildren. The event saw 24 AS and A level students from three schools
discover how trees can be DNA fingerprinted, how water moves within plants
and how to detect the proteins which EMR scientists use to determine the
movement of insects and develop crop protection systems.
In an
effort to demonstrate that not all science takes place in laboratories, the
EMR team took the students out onto the 550 acre site near Maidstone, which
is famous around the world for its advances in horticultural research. The
students were given the chance to collect insects from trees, which have
been banded over winter in the orchards and adjacent windbreaks, in order to
identify the insects, and compare the varieties and numbers of insects
present in the different species of tree and discuss aspects of
biodiversity.
Dr Chris
Atkinson, Head of Science at East Malling Research, said: “It was great to
welcome such enthusiastic students. With the issues of food production and
adapting to climate change becoming increasingly important, the field of
horticultural research, which underpins how the world’s population will
ultimately feed itself, will become an even more exciting career
opportunity.
“The day
gave the pupils a real hands-on experience, especially the time spent in the
orchards, and I hope showed how we start to develop integrated pest control
strategies from field research through into actual laboratory work.”
ENDS
Pic
Caption:
CSI field trials at East Malling Research
For
further information please contact:
·
Andrew Metcalf, Maxim
Tel: 01892 513033
E-mail: Andrew@maxim-pr.co.uk
Back to Press Releases
22 March 2011
A CHERRY GOOD DEAL
The future commercial success of the cherry growing
industry in the UK has been given a boost after a three-way agreement that
will see the continuation of a cherry breeding programme at East Malling
Research (EMR).
As a result of the agreement between marketing
organisation Univeg Katope UK Ltd (Univeg), and
The Associated International
Group of Nurseries (AIGN) with EMR, scientists will undertake a conventional
breeding programme, designed to develop new varieties of sweet cherries.
The team will be led by
Felicidad
Fernández Fernández, a plant breeder and molecular geneticist at
EMR.
The work will continue the historical cherry breeding programme at EMR and
develop cultivars which will be trialled and evaluated worldwide, with the
aim of producing new commercial varieties.
Richard Isaacs of
Univeg, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have signed this agreement
with EMR and AIGN. By bringing together three leaders in their respective
fields, we can combine a wide range of skills and experience to really drive
the breeding programme forward over the next few years.”
"Whilst we are very
realistic about the timescales involved in breeding cherries, the program at
East Malling already has some promising material and we do ultimately hope
to be offering some outstanding new varieties to the growers working with us
in the UK and around the world. This is a long term commitment that Univeg
is making to the cherry sector and we look forward to working closely with
EMR and AIGN during the years ahead."
Mike
Solomon, CEO of EMR, said: “This agreement will see all of us play to our
collective strengths through our breeding, AIGN’s extensive network of
nurseries around the world and Univeg’s knowledge of the marketplace.”
Gavin
Porter, CEO of AIGN, said: “AIGN® is very excited to be a part of this new
development. With the long history of expertise in Horticulture that EMR
brings to the table and the tremendous coverage and marketing knowledge that
Univeg contributes, we are certain that there will be many valuable outputs
that will be realised from this project. “
ENDS
For
further information please contact:
Andrew
Metcalf, Maxim Tel: 01892 513033 E-mail: Andrew@maxim-pr.co.uk
Univeg Katope UK Ltd
UNIVEG
is a company engaged in the supply of
fresh fruit and vegetable products to major retail, foodservice and
wholesale companies in the UK.
Address: Stephensons Avenue, Pinchbeck,
Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 3SW
Contact: Richard Isaacs,
risaacs@univeguk.co.uk
The Associated
International Group of Nurseries, Inc. (AIGN®)
AIGN®, Inc.
is an organization comprising of a network of nursery companies from around
the world that coordinate efforts to introduce and commercialise new
rootstocks and varieties.
Address: PO Box 10, Parker, WASHINGTON
98939, USA.
Please visit http://www.aign.org for more
information.
Contact: Dr Gavin Porter,
info@anfic.com.au
East Malling Research
-
EMR is the principal UK provider
of top-class basic, strategic and applied horticultural research
-
EMR scientists integrate their knowledge of breeding, molecular genetics,
genomics, pest and disease biology and management, crop and post-harvest
physiology, agronomy, environmental food science, food product
development and consumer research, to address current industry issues
and deliver innovative solutions
-
EMR customers include: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
(Defra), commercial companies, EU, retailers, growers, levy bodies and
Research Councils (BBSRC)
-
EMR is currently engaged in eight HortLINK projects including integrated
pest and disease management, optimising water use and using plants as
soil biofumigants
-
For further information about EMR visit
www.eastmallingresearch.com
Contact: Feli Fernández,
felicidad.fernandez@emr.ac.uk
Back to Press Releases
6 April 2011
 |
New Chief Executive strengthens research
ties |
In a move that will build upon an already
blossoming relationship between two highly respected
institutions, East Malling Research (EMR) has announced the
appointment of Professor Peter Gregory as its new Chief
Executive.
As well as taking charge of the world-renowned
research station in Kent from 1 May 2011, Peter Gregory will
simultaneously take on the role of Professor of Global Food
Security at the University of Reading.
Until recently Peter Gregory was the Chief
Executive of the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) where
he built strong research collaborations between SCRI and its
partners. In his new roles Peter Gregory will spend four days a
week at EMR and the remaining day at the University of Reading
working with Reading’s new Centre for Food Security and its
Director, Professor Richard Tiffin.
Peter Gregory’s research interests include
aspects of food systems and food security with a particular
emphasis on environmental change (climate change). He spent most
of his career at the University of Reading undertaking research
on the interactions of plant roots with soils, and has worked
extensively overseas in Australia, Syria, Nepal and Kenya on
projects seeking to increase crop production. During this time
Peter served as Head of the Department of Soil Science, Dean of
the Faculty of Agriculture and Food and Pro-Vice Chancellor.
Peter succeeds Dr Mike Solomon, who is retiring
for the second time from EMR having first retired as Science
Director in 2006.
EMR is widely recognised as one of the UK’s
leading research centres for the horticultural industry. It was
responsible for developing the first dwarf rootstocks and fruit
storage technologies, which are now used throughout the world.
Research strengths include genomics and plant breeding,
physiology and water-use efficiency. Its scientists are at the
forefront of improving the sector’s ability to improve yields,
environmental performance and help the horticulture industry
adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Speaking about his appointment, Peter Gregory
said: “I am delighted to be joining as Chief Executive at
a time when fruit and food are back in the public eye. EMR's
outstanding research is a key element of the UK’s future food
and farming excellence.
"My role at the University of Reading will allow
me to project EMR's work internationally and to bring a new
generation of students into direct contact with the
practicalities and challenges of producing and marketing high
quality horticultural foods."
Dr Oliver Doubleday, Chairman of EMR, said: “We
are delighted to welcome Professor Peter Gregory. Following a
distinguished academic career, Peter will be able to build on
the great progress made by Mike Solomon over the past two
years. I am confident Peter is just the person to guide EMR’s
exciting and continuing development as one of the UK’s main
horticulture R&D providers and extend EMR’s remit.”
EMR and the University of Reading already have
burgeoning ties having signed a Memorandum of Understanding last
year to foster academic, scientific and cultural
collaboration. The two organisations are already collaborating
on aspects of the National Fruit Collections at Brogdale, which
is managed by the University of Reading on behalf of Defra;
greater co-operation will benefit
national and international food and health security.
Reading and EMR are also working together on a
number of joint postgraduate studentships. The joint appointment
of Peter Gregory marks another significant step in the two
institutions’ mutually supportive relationship.
Professor Gordon Marshall, Vice Chancellor of the
University of Reading, said: “The University is delighted to
welcome back Professor Gregory, who has a long association with
Reading. Professor Gregory’s appointment will help the
University in its research to overcome the challenges of food
security. Research collaboration is the way forward in
responding to society's and industry's horticultural science
research needs.”
Reading has long been involved in researching the
impacts of climate change in agriculture and horticulture and
remains a leader in this field with its investment in the Walker
Institute for Climate Systems Research and the recent
establishment of the multidisciplinary Centre for Food Security.
In recent years the University has pioneered and championed the
use of spectral filters and ushered in a new generation of crop
forecasting techniques with the grower in mind.
Commenting on the legacy of Mike Solomon, Will
Sibley, Chairman of East Malling Trust, said: “EMR and the Trust
owe Mike an enormous debt of gratitude for not only his recent
commitment as Chief Executive since May 2009, but also the
nearly 40 years he has spent at the research station. His work
as Chief Executive with EMR has strengthened its financial base
and he has successfully forged stronger relationships with other
academic and research institutions, as well as DEFRA.”
ENDS
--
Andrew
Metcalf
Director
t:
01892 513033 • m: 07990 574680
Maxim, 8 St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9NP
www.maxim-pr.co.uk
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Fellowships focus on future research priorities
Five new Horticultural Research Fellowships worth a total of
£1.25 million over five years have been announced following a collaboration
between the East Malling Trust (EMT), Horticultural Development Company (HDC)
and the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA).
The collaboration of EMT, HDC and HTA is an innovative bid to
support to UK horticulture R&D, which is currently grappling with cutbacks
in funding for applied research, and to encourage other organisations and
businesses to do the same.
It is feared that public funding cutbacks are undermining
research, which is essential for the industry if it is to remain competitive
in a global marketplace. Furthermore, the UK as a whole needs the industry
to ensure a viable future for food production and to provide the social,
economic, environmental, health and wellbeing benefits from plants and the
landscape.
Lord Selborne presented the awards to scientists and
academics from ADAS, East Malling Research (EMR), Harper Adams and
Stockbridge Technology Centre (STC) at Bradbourne House, East Malling, on
Thursday, April 28.
He said: “These Fellowships will directly support important
applied research and grow our industry’s knowledge and skills for the
future. They demonstrate the partners’ commitment to the future success of
the horticulture industry. By working together we can pool our resources and
make a real difference.
“At this time when Government funding is under significant
pressure, I would urge more bodies in the industry to work together on
similar research fellowships and to cooperate commercially with businesses
in our sector.”
The five Fellowships are specifically focused on developing
new industry expertise in plant pathology, entomology, weed control and crop
production as well as expanding research programmes.
A trainee researcher in plant pathology and crop
protection will be appointed at EMR. Ornamentals expertise will be
strengthened at STC. Two young entomologists will be trained and mentored
at ADAS initially focusing on Integrated Pest Management research. ADAS will
also be developing horticultural weeds expertise that would otherwise soon
disappear.
UK undergraduates and industry employees will also be
involved in summer crop production applied research projects at Harper Adams
University College to develop the next generation of technical staff
Will Sibley, EMT Chairman, said: “These Fellowships are
enabling our industry to develop nationally significant work, and to
facilitate the employment and mentoring of a new generation of science
specialists.”
Neil Bragg, Chairman of the HDC, said: “The awards are
essential to ensure that we support the future development of essential
applied scientists and to ensure that the work and experience of the
existing scientists is not lost but developed for the future.
“The Fellowships have been made to try to cover essential
skills which are threatened at present, such as weeds science, entomology,
and ornamentals research.
“The
collaboration between EMT, HDC & HTA is hopefully a model which other groups
can follow or add to for the future."
David Gwyther, HTA Director General, said: “Outside of
limited funds from the HDC the ornamentals sector has virtually no other
support for applied research. The industry had to act now to prevent further
decline and I am delighted that many of these fellowships will directly
benefit the ornamentals industry.”
The awarding of the five Fellowships follows an agreement
signed between EMT, HDC and HTA at Fruit Focus 2010, held at EMR.
The partners have also agreed to support a number of
unsuccessful Fellowship application projects to submit bids for funding from
BBSRC, Technology Strategy Board, or HDC cross-panel funding.
ends
For
further media information, and photographs, please contact Andrew Metcalf,
or Delphine Houlton, at Maxim, tel: 01892 513033 email: Andrew@maxim-pr.co.uk
Caption:
From
left
Lord Selborne and Research Fellowship Award holders Jude
Bennison, Angela Berrie, John Atwood, Martin Mcpherson of STC representing
Ross Cameron, and James Monaghan with Neil Bragg, HDC chairman, Carol Paris,
HTA Vice President and Will Sibley, EMT chairman
Notes
to editors:
The
successful Research Fellowships announced by EMR, HDC and HTA today are:
Dr Ross
Cameron.
Optimising research investigations for the growth of innovative amenity
lines
Ross
Cameron, currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Reading, is
planning to take up a post at Stockbridge Technology Centre (STC) in summer
2011. The fellowship will support the UK ornamental horticulture industry,
strengthen the expertise of STC and help bolster the applied research
platform across EMR and ADAS.
The
research will focus on two themes of applied research:
·
“pre-conditioning” of plug plants to promote new flowering
lines
·
optimising management of container stock such that efficiency
of inputs is increased, and shelf-life is enhanced
Dr James
Monaghan, Principal Lecturer at Harper Adams University College.
A summer
research programme to develop the next generation of technical staff for UK
horticultural industry
Under
this fellowship, Dr Monaghan will develop and manage a summer research
programme at Harper Adams, to deliver three to five applied agronomy/crop
production research projects a year, involving UK undergraduates and
industry employees. Focusing initially on field vegetables, the programme
will be used to leverage additional funding with the aim that it will become
self-funding by the end of the contract.
John
Atwood, Senior Horticultural Consultant, ADAS Boxworth.
Weed
control in ornamentals, fruits and vegetable crops – devising sustainable
weed control strategies
At
present, there are only two researchers actively working on weed control in
horticultural crops in UK. John Atwood is one of them. This fellowship will
mentor the next generation of horticultural consultants specialising in weed
control within ornamentals, fruit and vegetables.
Jude
Bennison, Senior Research Entomologist at ADAS Boxworth.
Maintaining the expertise for developing and communicating practical
Integrated Pest Management solutions for horticulture
Under
this fellowship, two “next-generation” young entomologists (one already in
post with ADAS, one yet to be recruited) will be trained and mentored as
specialist researchers of the future to conduct and communicate continuing
IPM research. Research projects within the fellowship will include
investigations on vine weevil control, and on several other pests of salad
crucifers, strawberry and glasshouse crops.
Dr
Angela Berrie, Senior Plant Pathologist at East Malling Research.
Succession planning to sustain UK’s expertise in plant pathology R&D
Dr
Berrie is a highly respected plant pathologist, with 35 years of experience
of plant pathogens and the diseases they cause. Under this fellowship East
Malling Research (EMR) will appoint a young researcher to be trained and
mentored by Dr Berrie and other members of EMR’s Crop Protection team. The
trainee will become involved in a range of research projects, including
control of apple powdery mildew, blackcurrant grey mould, brown rot on
cherry and plum,
Verticillium
wilt on strawberry, and projects on diseases of stored fresh produce.
The East
Malling Trust (EMT)
The EMT
aims for the advancement of science for public benefit, primarily through
the support of research and development, particularly in the fields of
horticultural and other plant based disciplines. The EMT is responsible for
the administration of the Horticultural Fellowship Fund, under the direction
of the Horticultural Fellowships Governance Committee.
The
Horticultural Development Company (HDC)
The HDC
is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
and aims to make a major contribution to the profitability of the GB
horticultural industry by being a top class,
efficient and progressive facilitator of near-market horticultural research
and development and the associated technology transfer”.
www.hdc.org.uk
The Horticultural Trades Association
The
Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is a modern, leading-edge trade
association representing the UK garden industry. The HTA sees the
maintenance of a strong horticultural R&D base as critical to the future of
the sector. Through the activity of its own Technical Committee the HTA has
developed a Technical Strategy and Action Plan that specifically prioritises
the needs of the ornamentals industry.
www.the-hta.org.uk
Ends
For more information,
please contact:
Delphine Houlton
Maxim PR
t:
01892 513033 • m: 07990 574680
Maxim, 8 St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9NP
www.maxim-pr.co.uk
Back to Press Releases
2 June 2011
Three New Strawberries
from East Malling Research at Fruit Focus
Three new Junebearing strawberry varieties
from the breeding programme at East Malling Research (EMR) will be amongst
those featured on the EMR stand (no. 62) at this year’s Fruit Focus, to be
held at EMR on 20th July.
Vibrant
(formerly EM 1119) is an early season variety a good seven days earlier than
Elsanta, with an exceptionally high Class 1 percentage and large berry size.
These characteristics are coupled with an excellent fruit display on long
trusses which ensures quick picking speeds. The berries have a juicy, smooth
texture with a sweet taste and good skin strength, which makes the fruit
suitable for all market outlets. Vibrant is currently approved by Tesco,
Sainsbury’s
and Asda. Vibrant performs well in both 60-day and main crop production when
grown in soil with low wilt levels, or in substrate culture. For maincrop
production tunnels are recommended to take advantage of the early season.
Click here for pdf
of leaflet on Vibrant
Cupid
(formerly EM 1395) is a late season variety, which is exceptional in having
multiple resistance to four of the major strawberry diseases. Cupid also
displays good fruit quality, including bright orange/red colour, good skin
strength resulting in a good shelf-life and a regular conic berry shape.
Some degree of rain tolerance has also been noted, all of
which are advantageous for a late season variety where good performance in
less intensive growing systems is desirable
Click here for pdf
of leaflet on Cupid
Sweetheart (formerly EM 1148) is a mid-season
variety suitable for both retail sales and the amateur market. Recent retail
listings include Asda and the Co-op. Sweetheart has produced high Class 1
main crop yields and fruit quality, the berries are glossy, attractively
heart shaped with a good red flesh colour. Shelf life is better than Elsanta.
Sweetheart is particularly suited to production in less intensive growing
systems. In trials it has performed well as a two-year-old plant and is well
adapted for perennial production.
Click here for pdf of leaflet on Sweetheart
Head of the strawberry breeding programme
at EMR, Dr David Simpson,
says “The varieties that we
develop at EMR are available to all growers and our objective is to produce
a range covering different seasons and suited to different growing systems.
Vibrant is earlier than all the other recent releases from EMR and the plant
habit is particularly well suited for table-top production. Sweetheart and
Cupid have overlapping seasons and will be a good combination for growers
wishing to use more traditional, low-input systems.”
The EMR varieties Elegance, Fenella and
the everbearer Finesse will
also feature on the stand. These three varieties are becoming well
established in commercial production due to their favourable fruit quality
attributes and good productivity. Elegance is particularly productive in
60-day culture and also produces impressive main crop yields. Fenella and
Finesse set themselves apart from other varieties by displaying resistance
to Verticillium wilt and crown rot, making them ideal for re-plant
situations. All three varieties are widely accepted by UK retailers.
Notes for Editors:
1. The
breeding and trialling of the varieties at East Malling Research (EMR) was
jointly funded by: the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra),
Meiosis Limited, the Horticultural Development Council (HDC) and the East
Malling Trust for Horticultural Research.
2. The
strawberry breeding programme at East Malling Research aims to develop a
range of high quality varieties with overlapping seasons, which crop in
succession from April to October. A major emphasis for new varieties is
placed on excellent fruit quality, including good flavour, attractive
appearance and good shelf life. In addition, improved resistance to pests
and diseases is another important characteristic.
3. East
Malling Research (EMR) is an independent provider of research and
consultancy serving the perennial horticulture industry. EMR builds on 90
years of experience of successfully transferring information that has
transformed horticulture. For more information, please see
www.eastmallingresearch.com
For more information,
please contact:
Dr David Simpson, Head
strawberry breeder, East Malling Research
Tel: 01732 843833
Fax: 01732 849067
E-mail:
david.simpson@emr.ac.uk
Back to Press Releases
|
Will Sibley and Gary Linsell in the new Sweet Sensation orchard at
East Malling Research |
24 June 2011 |
Partnership plants UK’s first Sweet Sensation orchard
The pear growing industry has welcomed a new arrival
in the form of the UK’s first Sweet Sensation pear orchard.
East Malling Trust has joined forces with AG Thames,
a major supplier
of
UK and internationally sourced fruit,
to plant a seven hectare orchard. At the heart of the new orchard is
the use of growing methods successfully developed in Holland and
trialled on the East Malling Group’s farm at East Malling in Kent.
The new orchard, understood to be the largest pear
orchard planted in the UK in recent years, consists of nearly 18,886
Sweet Sensation trees, alongside 4,000 Conference Pear trees
as pollinators. AG Thames has the exclusive rights to plant and
market the Sweet Sensation pears grown in the UK.
The UK climate is suitable for growing Sweet
Sensation, which is a variety that has a very attractive appearance
and a delicious sweet, juicy flavour. Sweet Sensation is a planted
in Holland and Belgium, and increasingly around the world in South
Africa, Argentina, Italy and Spain.
Red/blush pears are the biggest growth area in pears
currently, and varieties such as Forelle and Red D’anjou, have seen
good growth over the past few years. Sweet Sensation is a red pear
that can be grown within the UK and can thus take part of this
growth.
The commercial collaboration between the two
Kent-based organisations follows the productive lessons learnt from
the AG Thames/Sainsbury’s East Malling Concept Pear Orchard, planted
in March 2009.
The fully irrigated and fertigated Sweet Sensation
orchard has been planned and planted to benefit from the very latest
developments in intensive pear production from around the world and
will benefit from international advisors in addition to the East
Malling Group team.
The Sweet Sensation orchard was officially opened on
Friday, 24 June, by Will Sibley, Chairman of East Malling Trust, and
Gary Linsell, Managing Director of AG Thames Fruit. It is
anticipated that the first commercial scale crop will hit the
shelves in the autumn of 2012.
Will Sibley said: “This investment shows that, by
adopting forward-thinking techniques, there is now commercial
confidence in growing pears in Britain. The reaction from the
industry to the Concept Pear orchard has been very positive and the
results from its first harvest have now led AG Thames and ourselves
to invest in this much larger orchard with an exciting new variety.”
Commenting on the new orchard, Leon Aichen said: “As
a business we are always looking at ways to understand and improve
in what we do. This is another example of how we will now be able to
fulfill another important step in the supply chain, from growing
through to storage and distribution to our customers.
“An amount of Dutch-grown Sweet Sensation pears are
currently sold into the UK during the season. However we believe
that the consumer and retail customer would rather buy UK grown
fruit in preference to imported.”
The investment in this exciting new project is
calculated to be in the region of £250,000.
The orchard was planted by De Ruiter v.o.f and
Verbeek Boomwekweijen B.V. from Holland in conjunction with the
staff of East Malling Ltd, under the direction of Farm Manager
Graham Caspell.
ENDS
For further information or to arrange an interview
please contact:
·
Andrew Metcalf, Maxim
·
Tel: 01892 513033
·
E-mail: Andrew@maxim-pr.co.uk
Back to Press Releases
28
June 2011
Game Set and Match to Strawberry
Scientists
Come
rain or shine British
strawberries will continue
to star at Wimbledon thanks
to a Defra-funded project
to develop a climate
change resistant variety.
Scientists at East Malling
Research are developing
varieties of strawberry
that are better able to cope
with the predicted effects
of climate change,
particularly higher summer
temperatures and less
rainfall. The new varieties
will require less water to
grow and need fewer chemical
inputs, therefore reducing
the environmental impact of
strawberry production in the
UK.
Each
year, an estimated 27,000
kilos of strawberries, along
with 7,000 litres of cream,
are consumed at Wimbledon.
With summer upon us and
Wimbledon in full swing,
demand for strawberries in
British supermarkets is sky
high, and new more resistant
varieties will help growers
meet this demand at the
championships for years to
come.
Environment Secretary
Caroline Spelman said:
“Strawberries are quite
simply the taste of the
summer, as inherently
British as Wimbledon itself.
Innovative research such as
this may revolutionize the
way we grow the nation’s
favourite berry.”
These
new strawberries are being
bred by crossing robust UK
and foreign lines that
contain desirable traits
such as disease resistance,
high productivity and
temperatures tolerance. The
new strawberry varieties are
then being trialled in the
field and assessed on six
characteristics: yield,
fruit size, taste, shelf
life, percentage waste and
disease resistance.
Dr
David Simpson from East
Malling Research said:
“Consumer demand for fresh
strawberries in the UK has
been growing year on year
since the early 1990s. The
British growers have done a
great job of increasing
their productivity to
satisfy this demand between
April and October. The
future will be challenging
due to the impacts of
climate change and the
withdrawal of many
pesticides but the breeding
programme at EMR is using
the latest scientific
approaches to develop a
range of varieties that will
meet the needs of our
growers for the future.”
East
Malling Research are hosting
Fruit Focus, organised by
Haymarket Ltd on 20th
July 2011 where key
representatives from the
Strawberry Breeding Club
will be available to discuss
two new UK strawberry
varieties.
Notes
For
more information on Fruit
Focus, visit the http://www.fruitfocus.co.uk/
For
more information, please
contact:
Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs Press
Office
- General press enquiries: 020 7238 6600
- Out of hours press enquiries: 0845 051 8486
Back to Press Releases
29 June 2011
'Elegance' strawberry
available for planting
Click here to see pdf of press release from Meiosis Ltd.
Back to Press Releases
30 June 2011
Strawberry set to retain summer fruit title
Strawberries are set to remain the stars of the British
summer thanks to the success of Kent-based scientists in developing new
varieties that are resistant to unseasonal weather.
Scientists at East Malling Research are developing varieties
of strawberry that are better able to cope with the predicted effects of
climate change, particularly higher summer temperatures and less rainfall.
The new varieties will require less water to grow and need fewer chemical
inputs, therefore reducing the environmental impact of strawberry production
in the UK.
The research project, designed to help UK growers satisfy
demand for strawberries between April and October, is in the fourth of five
years and delivering new varieties, thanks to funding from Department of
Environment, Farming & Rural Affairs (Defra), and a consortium of seven
industry partners who have formed the Strawberry Breeding Club
One success of the project has been the development of a
variety to be named Buddy, which is an everbearer strawberry and will be in
supermarkets for the first time in limited quantities in 2012. As a variety
Buddy is sweet and juicy and regularly topped taste tests. It is also
disease resistant and crops steadily from July to October.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: “Strawberries
are quite simply the taste of the summer, as inherently British as Wimbledon
itself. Innovative research such as this may revolutionise the way we grow
the nation’s favourite berry.”
The new strawberry varieties are bred by crossing robust UK
and international lines that contain desirable traits such as disease
resistance, high productivity and temperature tolerance. The new strawberry
varieties will then be trialled in the field and assessed on six
characteristics: yield, fruit size, taste, shelf life, percentage waste and
disease resistance.
Dr David Simpson from EMR, said: “Consumer demand for fresh
strawberries in the UK has been growing year-on-year since the early 1990s.
The British growers have done a great job of increasing their productivity
to satisfy this demand between April and October and doubled the average
yield per acre.
“The future will be challenging due to the impacts of climate
change and the withdrawal of many pesticides, but the breeding programme at
EMR is using the latest scientific approaches to develop a range of
varieties that will meet the needs of our growers for the future – and the
demands of British consumers.”
As the result of an earlier project three new EMR strawberry
varieties, called Vibrant, Cupid and Sweetheart, will be on supermarket
shelves next summer, and other new varieties will join them in the near
future.
Vibrant is an early season variety a good seven days earlier
than Elsanta. Thanks to its juicy sweet taste and smooth texture Vibrant has
been approved by Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda.
Predicted to be a popular strawberry variety in terms of
retail sales and for the amateur market, Sweetheart is a mid-season variety
which produces high Class 1 main crop yields and good fruit quality. The
berries are glossy, attractively heart shaped and sweet with a good red
flesh colour.
Cupid is well placed to help extend the homegrown strawberry
season and provides good fruit quality, including bright orange/red colour,
good skin strength resulting in a good shelf-life and a regular conic berry
shape. Cupid also has multiple disease resistance and can be grown as a late
season variety in low‑input systems
ENDS
For further information contact:
·
Andrew Metcalf, Maxim Tel: 01892 513033
·
E-mail:Andrew@maxim-pr.co.uk
Back to Press Releases
Tuesday 12
July 2011
Photocall notice and interview opportunity
Event:
Fruit Focus
Time:
2pm
Date:
Wednesday 20th July
Place:
Stand 62
Three
organisations: East Malling Trust, East Malling Ltd and East Malling
Research, will unveil their new corporate branding at Fruit Focus.
Members
of the senior management team will be available to outline the new
corporate image, the relationship between the three organisations, and
explain how the branding relates to their collective efforts to sustain
the UK's horticulture industry.
Ends
For
more information, please contact:
Andrew
Metcalf
Director,
Maxim PR
t: 01892
513033 m: 07990 574680
Maxim, 8
St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9NP
www.maxim-pr.co.uk
Back to Press Releases
20 July 2011
East Malling looks to bright future with brand
new image
In a move designed to emphasise that science is
at the heart of all the work undertaken at East Malling, all of
the constituent companies at the site in Kent have unveiled a
new, uniform brand.
The logo reflects the organisations’ optimism and
heritage, and also their future as a centre of excellence for
perennial crops, studies into the DNA of plants, and the broader
landscape in which the scientists and management teams work.
Peter Gregory, Chief Executive of East Malling
Research, said: “I am delighted to be leading such a vibrant
organisation at a time when the issue of food security and how
producers can increase production sustainably and adapt to
climate change are at the heart of the Government’s policies.
This new logo reflects our collective optimism, as well as our
ambition to be the UK’s pre-eminent institution for strategic
and applied horticulture research.”
The new brand has been adopted by East Malling
Research and East Malling Trust, as well as East Malling
Limited, which is responsible for managing the 600 acre estate,
which also includes the Conference Centre and a portfolio of
commercial property, alongside the farm.
The logo was unveiled by Peter Gregory and Adrian
Padfield, Chief Executive of East Malling Trust, at Fruit
Focus, the industry event and exhibition held on Wednesday 20
July, at East Malling Research.
 |
Peter Gregory, Chief Executive of East
Malling Research, Will Sibley, Chairman of East Malling
Trust, and Adrian Padfield, Chief Executive of East
MallingTrust, unveil the new logo |
ENDS
For further information,
or to visit and arrange an interview, please contact:
·
Andrew Metcalf, Maxim. Tel: 01892 513033
Back to Press Releases
28 July 2011
Partnership working boosts crop science research
The University of Reading has further
strengthened its research in horticultural crop science by announcing that
East Malling Research in Kent has become an Associated Institution.
East Malling Research (EMR) is widely
recognised as the UK's leading research centre for the horticultural
industry and the new partnership will complement the expertise at Reading in
the areas of diet, health and global food security.
As an Associated Institute, EMR research
staff will be invited to become honorary members of the academic staff to
foster greater co-operation for the benefit of national and international
food and health security. The two organisations are already collaborating on
aspects of the National Fruit Collections at Brogdale, which is managed by
the University of Reading on behalf of Defra.
The announcement builds upon the existing
relationship between the two institutions, which earlier this year, saw the
appointment of Professor Peter Gregory as Chief Executive of EMR and also as
Professor of Global Food Security at the University.
Professor Richard Ellis, Dean of the
Faculty of Life Sciences, said: “The University of Reading and East Malling
Research bring together the complementary skills
of the two leading
UK horticultural research
providers
to meet future food security
challenges. Associated Institute status will bring an even great degree of
co-operation focused on shared scientific research, which we are very
excited about.”
Professor Peter Gregory, Chief Executive
of EMR, said: “There is a strong and natural synergy between the two
organisations. It is an important development for EMR as it formally links
us to a university which has a strong reputation for high quality research
in the land-based sector.
“It will enable us to have access to
research students, library facilities and staff with both basic and
strategic research expertise and perfectly complements EMR’s strategic and
applied research capabilities.”
The University of Reading has long been
involved in researching the impacts of climate change in agriculture and
horticulture and remains a leader in this field with its investment in the
Walker Institute for Climate Systems Research. In recent years the
University has pioneered and championed the use of spectral filters and
ushered in a new generation of crop forecasting techniques with the grower
in mind.
Its Centre for Food Security joins
together existing areas of research excellence at the University, including
biodiversity, diet and health, and sustainable agriculture. Professor
Gregory will be working with the Centre for Food Security Director,
Professor Richard Tiffin.
Professor Tiffin said: “By strengthening
our links with East Malling we have
created a critical mass in
horticultural crop research which
will allow us to make a leading contribution to the global objective of
delivering a healthy balanced diet to all, that is central to ensuring food
security.”
East Malling Research is widely known as a
provider of top-class research serving the food chain and other sectors of
the land-based industry As well as developing the first dwarf rootstocks and
storage technologies, which are now used throughout the world, EMR
scientists have been at the heart of improving the sector's ability to
improve yields, environmental performance and adapt to the impact of climate
change.
ENDS
For further information on the University
of Reading, please contact Rona Cheeseman, press officer, on 0118 378 7388
or email
r.cheeseman@reading.ac.uk
For further information on East Malling
Research, please contact Andrew Metcalf on 01892 513033 or email
andrew@maxim-pr.co.uk
Back to Press Releases
28 July 2011
New short courses at East Malling
To support fruit growers across the South East, The East
Malling Trust has established a new training centre situated in the East
Malling Research complex which will provide short training courses and
workshops for land-based businesses. East Malling Short Courses, (EMSC) has
been established and successfully registered as a Lantra Awards approved
training provider and will help employers ensure that their staff have the
required range of technical and statutory qualifications.
EMSC has already unveiled its first programme of courses
designed to serve the land-based sector. This programme provides high
quality training for legislative requirements, such as pesticides
application training, first aid, forklift and tractor driving.
In addition to being a Lantra Awards approved training
provider EMSC can also provide training for a wide variety of National
Proficiency Test Council (NPTC) certificates of competence.
Adrian Padfield, Chief Executive of East Malling Trust, said:
“As part of the Trust’s overarching support for the horticulture industry we
are now committed to delivering courses which are responsive to the
industry’s training needs. We shall expand the portfolio of courses offered
in line with demand”
Participants on the courses will be able to benefit from the
facilities on the 600 acre estate farm at East Malling and from the
techniques and systems developed by the crop protection experts at East
Malling Research.
Fran Gallwey has been appointed as Manager of the new unit
and all enquires should be sent to Fran via email,
fran.gallwey@emr.ac.uk
or by phone, 01732 523755
Dates of courses for this Autumn are :
-
PA1 10th August (1.5 days), 12th
October (1.5 days)
-
PA6 11th August (1.5 days), 13th
October (1.5 days)
-
PA2 - Dates available for November
-
Tractor Driving dates available late September and late
November
-
Emergency First Aid at Work (1 day) 6th
September and 15th September
-
Industrial Counterbalanced Forklift 19th, 20th
and 21st September.
ENDS
For further information or to arrange an interview please
contact:
Back to Press Releases
21 September 2011
Dr Michelle Fountain
WILD BEES KEY TO BOOSTING QUALITY BLACKCURRANT YIELDS
Trials by scientists at East
Malling Research (EMR) have revealed that wild solitary
bees and bumblebees are key to high yield blackcurrant
harvests and larger more uniform berry size. This was
found to be especially important in bad weather.
Honeybees, however, were not
found pollinating flowers on the nine plantations
surveyed, and so play little part in the contribution to
blackcurrant pollination.
The EMR team, led by entomologist
Dr Michelle Fountain, has been growing Ben Gairn and Ben
Hope blackcurrants in a series of 12m long flight cages.
The team has been closely monitoring the success rates
of different, native pollinators.
“The results are clear,” said Dr
Fountain. “With just our wild bees, we achieved maximum
pollination in warm, sunny weather on our Ben Gairn
trials.
“In the year of the trial, Ben
Hope flowered later, during a period of poor weather
with low temperatures and between 10 and 15mm of
rainfall. The fruit set of the blackcurrant was up to 40
per cent lower in the open pollinated bushes compared to
those which were supplemented with bumblebee nest
boxes.”
“This is because the poor weather
made wild bees less active.”
The study has so far identified
13 species of bee foraging for pollen and nectar on
blackcurrant.
Dr Fountain is now keen to see
guidelines drawn up to assist blackcurrant and other
fruit growers to maximise pollination levels by
developing good local habitats for previously underrated
wild bees.
“Good management of local
biodiversity and the wider environment plus considered
use of pesticides could make all the difference to
pollination levels and the quality of harvests.
“Good pollination leads to
well-formed, high quality fruit which must be every
grower’s aim,” she said.
EMR advice includes careful use
of insecticides, especially around the time of flowering
when native wild bees may be foraging within the crop.
Other crop management techniques
suggested include ensuring native bees have access to
the different environments they need for nesting,
raising their broods and overwintering; encouraging a
wide range of wild flowers and plants on field margins;
mowing flowering alleyways before applying insecticides
to avoid spraying foraging bees; and nurturing
sustainable hedgerows to encourage biodiversity.
“The blackcurrant trials, funded
by Defra, GlaxoSmithKline and other industrial partners,
have told us a great deal about pollination. However,
they have also opened up new areas of scientific
challenge which we are keen to pursue to provide our
fruit growers with even more information to ensure
maximum pollination and quality of their crops,” said Dr
Fountain.
ends
For further media information, or to arrange a visit to
East Malling Research, please contact:
Delphine Houlton, Andrew Metcalf or Andy Rayfield, at
Maxim, tel: 01892 513033
Back to Press Releases
11 October 2011
Concept Conference Pear orchard exceeds industry
production standards
After nearly doubling its yield to 22 tonnes in only its
second harvest, and producing 97-98 percent Class 1
fruit from one hectare, the East Malling Concept Pear
Orchard is being heralded as the future for the UK
Conference Pear industry.
Importantly for growers, the Concept Pear Orchard,
developed with Sainsbury’s by Chingford Fruit Ltd, part
of AG Thames based near Dartford, in partnership with
East Malling Ltd, has exceeded the national production
average in just two and a half years, after being
planted in March 2009.
A traditionally planted and managed pear orchard can
take 10 to 15 years to reach maturity and produces an
average of around 14 tonnes per hectare and 78-80
percent Class 1 fruit.
In only its third leaf, and second harvest, the
intensive pear orchard, produced more than 22 tonnes of
top quality fruit from its one hectare, 10 tonnes more
than in the 2010 harvest.
Adrian Padfield, Chief Executive of East Malling
Limited, said: “Nearly doubling last year’s harvest, and
producing an estimated 97-98 percent of Class 1 pears,
shows that there is a strong commercial case for
investing in intensive pear production and adopting the
same techniques used by the estate team at East Malling.
“To exceed the industry’s typical levels of production
in only its second harvest is fantastic news. We are
confident this performance will be replicated on the
Sweet Sensation pear orchard of nearly 19,000 trees
planted intensively in a seven hectare orchard
established earlier in the year in partnership with AG
Thames.”
Francis Wheatley of AG Thames, said: “The whole reason
we planted this orchard with East Malling Limited was to
play our part in informing, educating and, we hope,
inspiring UK growers to invest in new orchards. Through
this partnership with Sainsbury’s we are showing that
there is the ability to increase productivity, as well
as exceed the traditional levels of quality to provide a
sustainable future for the UK grower, and also help to
satisfy growing consumer demand for homegrown fruit.”
Chris Atkinson, Head of Science at East Malling
Research, said: “Last winter’s chill helped the
development of the fruit bud and the above average
spring temperatures produced a good fruit set. With the
orchard using drip irrigation and fertigation delivering
water and nutrients to the trees, the orchard has been
able to handle the year’s weather erratic particularly
the early dry conditions, and still produce very high
quality fruit.
“Persuading and demonstrating how growers can produce
fruit on this intensive scale is vital to achieve ‘more
from less’ and help to underpin our future UK food
security.”
After harvesting the pears were put into coldstore
before being packed and despatched to Sainsbury’s stores
across the UK.
The investment is part of Sainsbury’s pledge to increase
English top fruit production to meet customers’ growing
demands for British produce rather than imports.
ENDS
--
Andrew Metcalf
Director
t:
01892 513033 • m: 07990 574680
Maxim, 8 St John's Road,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9NP
www.maxim-pr.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter
@Maxim_PR
Back to Press Releases
21 October 2011
TOP
SPEAKERS LINE UP TO ADDRESS FOOD SAFETY ISSUES
The East Malling Research (EMR) Food Safety Day on
Thursday, November 3, has attracted a host of expert
speakers focusing on topics ranging from this year’s
E.coli
outbreak to the safety of pesticide-treated fruit
and threats to fresh produce and grains during
transportation.
Sian Thomas, of the Fresh Produce Consortium, will
launch the day by examining the lessons learned about
the spread of
E.coli during 2011 to be followed by Dr Chris
Hartfield, of the NFU, on the management of food safety
issues in agriculture.
Dr Linda Nicolaides, of NRI, will give a presentation on
the prevention of outbreaks of food borne illness in
horticultural products while CMi certification will be
discussed by Robert Evans, of NSF-CMi Certification.
The threats to fresh produce and grains during
transportation will be described by Dr Roger Bancroft,
of NRI, and Dr Stephen Humphreys, of Bayer Crop Science,
will discuss the safety of pesticide treated fruit.
Professor Jerry Cross, of EMR, will talk about the
benefits and design of Integrated Pest and Disease
Management (IPDM) programmes.
The day will conclude in style with EMR’s biannual Amos
Memorial Lecture with Professor Wyn Grant, of the
University of Warwick, focusing on the theme, Safe,
Sustainable, Sufficient: the challenge for food.
Tickets, including lunch, cost just £10 for East Malling
Research Association (EMRA) members and students, and
£20 for non-members. The event is registered for BASIS
and NRoSO points. Numbers are limited and tickets
allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To book,
contact Ursula Twomey, tel: 01732 523723 or email:
Ursula.twomey@emr.ac.uk.
Admission to the Amos Memorial Lecture, which starts at
3pm, is free. These biannual open lectures are held to
mark the career of Jesse Amos (1913 – 1945) who was
associated with the founding and development of the
original East Malling Research Station. He was
particularly responsible for leading research on fruit
tree rootstocks and small fruit classification.
ends
For further media information, or to arrange a visit to
East Malling Research, please contact:
Delphine Houlton, Andrew Metcalf or Andy Rayfield,
at Maxim, tel: 01892 513033
Back to Press Releases
31 October 2011
Partnership bears fruit
A community partnership between East Malling Research
and Joining Hands is literally bearing fruit - and
vegetables.
The collaboration called Communigrow, is a community
growing project for the benefit of young people, adults
and families interested in growing their own produce.
Based on one acre of land at East Malling Research,
Communigrow is reaching out across Maidstone and the
Weald by developing links with local schools and
community groups.
Louise Rowe-Leete, a young person employed through the
Future Jobs Fund by Joining
Hands, a social enterprise based in Ashford and working
across Kent, approached East Malling Trust, which owns
the 550 acre estate including the facilities at East
Malling Research, to develop the project.
The team of volunteers and visiting pupils has
just planted their winter vegetables, including
cabbages, cauliflowers and swede.
Adrian Padfield, Chief Executive of East Malling Trust,
said: “Connecting our young people with the land will
give them a better understanding for where their food
comes from and what is required to deliver a successful
crop. We also hope it may cultivate an interest in them
entering the world of horticultural research as a
profession and help them find ways of increasing
productivity using less resources, in particular
chemicals and water.”
Betsy Aidinyantz, Founder of Joining Hands, said: “We
are grateful to Sally Flanagan and East Malling Trust
for this opportunity.
The project has been a great way to connect the
generations and learn from everybody at East Malling who
have a wealth of experience. By making the productive
use of the land the focus of the project, young and old
have been able to work together towards a common
purpose, and the communities reap the reward of their
own hard work and adopt healthier lifestyles in the
process.”
Recent groups visiting the site have included Malling
School, Sutton Valence School and a number of families
and volunteers.
For further information on the work of Communigrow visit
http://communigrow.co.uk.
ENDS
Or further information on the work of East MallingTrust
or East Malling Research please contact:
Andrew Metcalf, Maxim Tel: 01892 513033
E-mail:
Andrew@maxim-pr.co.uk
Notes to editors:
For
more information, please contact:
Andrew Metcalf
Director
t:
01892 513033 • m: 07990 574680
Maxim, 8 St John's Road,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9NP
www.maxim-pr.co.uk
Back to Press Releases
29 November 2011
Industry on course for training success
The success of the first series of short courses
delivered by East Malling Short Courses (EMSC), each
aimed at supporting land-based businesses across the
South East, has led the training provider to announce a
wider range for the first part of 2012.
EMSC’s first training programme delivered National
Proficiency Tests Council Pesticides Application
courses. These are
specialist qualifications for agricultural land-based
businesses. A 100% pass rate was achieved on these first
programmes and the team at
EMSC is confident of securing high customer numbers for
2012.
Adrian Padfield, Chief Executive of East Malling
Limited, the commercial operations of East Malling
Trust, said: “The response from the industry to our
first courses was very good and has been the impetus
behind repeating the existing ones and adding to the
portfolio.
“Just as our scientist colleagues at East Malling
Research are supporting the improved productivity of the
country’s growers, we are confident that EMSC is
fulfilling a need in the industry.”
The 2012 pesticides courses will include the foundation
unit, which covers the use of hand held applicators,
boom sprayers, mounted or trailed, and also broadcast or
boom sprayer with or without air assistance, as well as
fogging, misting and smokes.
New courses offered by EMSC, which is also a Lantra
Awards approved training provider, include an NRoSO
workshop: ‘Water, Widgets, Wotnots’, aimed specifically
at the fruit growing industry. EMSC is also offering
NPTC units in forestry and arboriculture, including
CS30/31, (Chainsaw maintenance & cross cutting/ safe
felling of small trees); CS31, (Safe felling of small
trees) CS38, (Climbing trees and Aerial rescue) and
CS39, (Use of a chainsaw from a rope and harness). Other
courses provided are Emergency First Aid at work and An
Introduction to Tractor Driving.
The initial programme of training courses, delivered at
the East Malling Research complex in Kent, achieved an
average satisfaction level from each applicant of 4.75
out of five.
For further information on the dates, times and prices
of the EMSC programme of courses contact Fran Gallwey,
Manager via email:
fran.gallwey@emr.ac.uk
or by phone, 01732 523755.
ENDS
Andrew
Metcalf
Director
t:
01892 513033 • m: 07990 574680
Maxim, 8 St John's Road,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9NP
www.maxim-pr.co.uk
Back to Press Releases
28 July 2011
Melons: Made in England – the garden of England.
Horticultural experts are predicting that thanks to the
changing growing conditions, melons could become a
significant crop in Kent alongside strawberries, apples
and cherries, following the first harvest of a
commercial trail at East Malling.
The melon crop is the result of collaboration between
East Malling Ltd, the farm which is home to East Malling
Research, and Mack Multiples, which
sources fresh fruits, salads and vegetables from over 60
countries and supplies the UK's major multiple
retailers.
Graham Caspell, Commercial Farm Manager at East Malling
Ltd, said: “This varietal trial has produced results
which far exceeded the expectations of ourselves, the
scientists and food technologists. We are delighted not
only with the quality of the melons produced, but also
the quantity, with a harvest of 9,000 to 10,000
expected.
“Importantly we have taken 77 days to get from a
transplanted plant from the greenhouse to ripe fruit,
which is about two weeks ahead of what we expected,
thanks in part to the uncharacteristically warm Spring.
This has been a trial, not only in varieties, but also
in terms of the planting distances, plant husbandry,
irrigation and fertigation methods that we have used.”
While it is not the first time that melons have been
grown in the country, the trial has shown that it is
possible to grow a commercial harvest of melons. The
trial, which included Charentais, Cantaloupe, Galia,
Yellow Honeydew, Turkish, Persian, Heirloom and Piel de
Sapo varieties, was undertaken using polytunnels in
Kent.
The melons, once tested and graded for quality, will be
sent by Mack Multiples to Sainsbury’s stores across the
South East.
As a crop, melons do require careful nurturing and it is
standard for them to be grown under polytunnel and drip
irrigated. The team at EMR believe that its expertise in
water management could be apply the techniques it has
developed for growing strawberries to melons, which
would improve the efficiency of production while at the
same time producing high quality fruit.
James Cackett, Melon Technologist at Mack Multiples,
said: “It’s still a learning curve, but we have
demonstrated here that it is possible to produce any
kind of melon, in particular Charentais and Cantaloupe,
in a commercial size as you would see grown in either
open or protected environment in much hotter climates.
Melons could become a commercial crop in Kent on
north-south facing slopes.”
Chris Atkinson, Head of Science at East Malling
Research, added: “Kent’s southerly warm location and
summer climate this year in particular has closely
mimicked Spain in the spring. As a result Kent’s
produced melons would hit the market as the volume and
quality of Spanish ones is declining.
“This is a great example of a grower seizing the
opportunity that climate change provides by trying
something different; approaches like this will enable
Kent and the UK to reduce the requirement for imported
fruit. It also gives us a glimpse of the future
for what Kent may be growing commercially in
10-15 year.”
Melons are also prone to Verticillium Wilt, a soil borne
fungus, which damages the crop. With the removal of
certain sprays under recent EU Pesticide Directives, a
team at EMR has been developing way of tackling the wilt
on strawberries, and these techniques may be
transferable to melon production.
ENDS
Images and interviews
·
The melons are being cultivated in polytunnels in East
Malling, Kent.
·
The team responsible for the melon crop will be
available for interview
For further information,
or to visit and arrange an interview, please contact:
·
Andrew Metcalf, Maxim. Tel: 01892 513033
Back to Press Releases
9 December 2011
With pic:
Professor Julian Ma and Chris Atkinson inspect
the plants promising low-cost drugs to prevent
the spread of HIV |
East Malling Research aids HIV research
Medical scientists on a quest to provide low cost-drugs
to restrict the spread of HIV across the world are
working with plant specialists at East Malling Research
(EMR) in Kent to find a solution.
The horticultural researchers are now successfully
growing genetically modified tobacco plants which are
exuding a potentially lifesaving drug through their
roots. It is the first small experimental set up of its
kind undertaken in Europe.
The EMR team, led by Dr Chris Atkinson, and Professor
Julian Ma, of St George’s, University of London, are
seeking ways to use plants to produce large quantities
of a drug known to block HIV infection.
Following the first year of trials with tobacco plants
at EMR, Professor Ma is optimistic that the new
techniques will enable effective HIV drugs and
preventative medicines to be produced ‘in plants’ where
they are needed and in sufficient quantities to be
available to millions of people in the next five years.
The plant growing technologies being developed by EMR
also raise the possibility of plants producing other
drugs rapidly in large quantities to counter serious
pandemics.
The
current EMR HIV drug production experiments use tobacco
plants which have been transformed by Prof Ma’s team at
St. George’s University of London to produce a protein
called cyanovirin-N, which research shows prevents HIV
from binding to human cells.
EMR is developing ways to grow the plants hydroponically
in the research centre’s secure containment facility,
the UniGro ‘GroDome’. The dome’s control and design
sophistication allows carbon dioxide to be elevated,
along with light levels and optimal temperatures all of
which can improve the rate of plant growth. These
factors are also being used scientifically to manipulate
the way the plant produces the protein in the roots and
how specifically, to maximise root growth.
EMR scientists are also developing procedures to promote
the release of the cyanovirin protein into the
hydroponic nutrient solution which the plants are
growing in. Being able to collect the protein from the
nutrient solution flowing over the roots enables its
extraction and purification to be much simpler than
taking it from the leaves where it is also produced.
It also should be much cheaper to extract from
this solution
The growth potential of the plants is monitored closely
and manipulated to optimise the concentration of
cyanovirin production as much as possible. Additionally,
the facility also enables the tobacco plants to be
propagated, so once the initial transformation has been
achieved 1,000’s of seeds can be produced which contain
the lifesaving drug.
Dr Atkinson, Deputy Chief Executive at EMR, said: “This
is a groundbreaking and globally significant piece of
research with huge potential.
“Tobacco is an ideal non-food crop for this research
thanks to the speed it grows and matures and our deep
knowledge of its physiology and transformability, which
has been the focus of scientific attention for more than
20 years.”
Professor Ma and EMR’s work is a three-year
investigation funded by the National Institutes of
Health, the US national medical research funding agency.
Cyanovirin is a protein produced by a cyanobacterium
which occurs naturally in the blue-green algae found in
a wide range of natural environments but are possibly
most known from being visible in large blooms across
freshwater.
Professor Ma believes that one of the first uses for
cyanovirin produced by tobacco plants will be in
combination with two other HIV prevention drugs as a
cream or gel for women to use to prevent infection
during sexual intercourse.
“A combination of drugs is important because the HIV, as
with many viruses, can mutate rapidly,” he said.
“Once we have perfected the plant technology for
producing cyanovirin and delivered successful clinical
trials for this drug, growing these plants in different
parts of the world will be relatively simple.
“Producing a drug where it is actually needed will save
all the difficulties and costs of large-scale
manufacture and transportation.
“Success with this project could also pave the way
towards developing the elusive HIV vaccine both cheaply
and in the vast quantities we would need to help
millions of people.”
ENDS
For further media information, or to arrange a visit to
East Malling Research, please contact:
Delphine Houlton, Andrew Metcalf or Andy Rayfield,
at Maxim, tel: 01892 513033
Notes
to Editors
About St George’s, University of London:
-
St George’s, University of London (SGUL),
established in 1733, is distinctive as the UK’s only
independent medical and healthcare higher education
institution. It benefits from strong links with the
healthcare profession, including a shared site with
St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust in Tooting, south
west London.
-
SGUL is dedicated to the education and training of
doctors, nurses, midwives, physician’s assistants,
paramedics, physiotherapists, radiographers, social
workers, healthcare and biomedical scientists. It
attracts around 6,000 students, some of whom are
taught in conjunction with Kingston University.
-
Research at SGUL has a UK and international focus
and aims to improve prevention, diagnosis and
treatment of disease in areas including infection
and immunity, heart disease and stroke, and cell
signalling. It also aims to enhance understanding of
public health and epidemiology, clinical genetics,
and social care sciences.
-
www.sgul.ac.uk
East Malling Research
-
EMR is the principal UK provider of top-class basic,
strategic and applied horticultural
research
-
EMR scientists integrate their knowledge of
breeding, molecular genetics, genomics, pest and
disease biology and management, crop and post
harvest physiology, agronomy, environmental science,
food product development and consumer research, to
address current industry issues and deliver
innovative solutions
-
EMR customers include:
Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs, commercial
companies, EU, retailers, growers,levy bodies and
Research Councils (EMR is affiliated to the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council)
-
EMR is currently engaged in eight HORTLINK projects
including integrated pest and disease management,
optimising water use and using plants as soil
biomfumigants
-
For further information about EMR visit
www.eastmallingresearch.com
Back to Press Releases
12 January 2012
DIARY DATE
Profitable pear
production in the UK
27 February
2012
East
Malling Conference Centre
A one day conference on 27 February, organised
jointly by East Malling Research (EMR) and English Apples and Pears Ltd (EAP), will focus closely on all important aspects of the UK pear
industry from production, to market and consumers.
The programme for the event will cover a range of topics including:
-
The UK pear industry and market
-
Growers’ experiences
-
The East Malling Concept Pear Orchard
-
The economics of pear production
-
Agronomy
A more detailed programme will follow shortly.
The event is expected to attract BASIS and NRoSO points.
Registration for the event
at the East Malling Conference Centre will begin at 10am with the programme
beginning at 10.30am. The
registration fee of £10 for Members of the East Malling Research Association
and £20 for non-members includes lunch and refreshments.
For more information and or to book a place, please contact Barbara Walsh,
Telephone 01732 843833, e-mail barbara.walsh@emr.ac.uk,
www.eastmallingresearch.com
***ENDS***
Notes for Editors:
East Malling Research
(EMR) is an independent provider of research
and consultancy serving the food chain and other sectors of the
land-based industry. EMR builds on 90 years experience of
successfully delivering cutting-edge research and development.
www.eastmallingresearch.com
English Apples and Pears Ltd
is a limited registered
company formed in 1990 to organise and develop the promotion of the
English industry. The Company acts as a trade association, to promote
and safeguard the interests of its members, all of whom are English
growers, and to promote English grown apples and pears.
www.englishapplesandpears.co.uk
East Malling Conference Centre
www.eastmallingconferencecentre.co.uk
For further information please contact:
Ursula Twomey or Penny Greeves
Tel:
01732 843833
Email:
ursula.twomey@emr.ac.uk;
penny.greeves@emr.ac.uk
Fax:
01732 849067
East Malling Research, New Road, East Malling, Kent ME19 6BJ
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