Developing innovative tools to manage risks associated with improving resource efficiency and fruit quality and reducing waste in substrate soft fruit production

更有效地利用包括水、化肥和农药在内的投入对所有英国农业企业未来的成功至关重要。虽然过度灌溉和高化肥投入会导致植物过度生长、增加疾病易感性、降低市场产量、感官质量差和保质期短，但由于缺乏信息、合适的管理工具和作物监测系统，许多种植者不愿意减少水（和化肥）投入。East Malling Research开发了科学衍生的施肥策略，提高了资源利用效率，增加了适销产量和水果质量，减少了生产过程中的浪费。扩大这种精确施肥方法，使其能够在许多公顷的高价值基质草莓上安全实施，需要在农场测量数据的细节上进行一步改变。该项目财团（BerryGardens Growers Ltd, East Malling Research, Delta-T Devices Ltd， Eden Irrigation Consultancy Ltd和Technology Research Centre Ltd）将开发新技术，在多公顷高价值软果生产中实施、监测和管理精确施肥。将开发用于评估植物健康、量化作物质量和预测市场产量的成像工具，并针对暴露于不同程度的生物和非生物胁迫下的商业草莓品种的常规但密集的生产力科学措施进行验证。对英国园艺业的好处将是提高资源利用效率，减少农药使用，提高产量预测，延长保质期，减少储存浪费，为消费者提供更好的水果质量。

More efficient use of inputs including water, fertilisers and pesticides is vital to the future success of all UK agri-businesses. Although over-irrigation and high fertiliser inputs can lead to excessive vegetative growth, increased disease susceptibility, lower marketable yields, poor organoleptic quality and a short shelf-life, many growers are reluctant to reduce water (and fertiliser) inputs due to the lack of information, suitable management tools and crop monitoring systems. Scientifically-derived fertigation strategies have been developed at East Malling Research that improve resource use efficiency, increase marketable yields and fruit quality and reduce waste during production. Scaling-up this precision fertigation approach so that it can be implemented safely across many hectares of high-value substrate strawberries requires a step change in the detail of on-farm measurement data. The project consortium (BerryGardens Growers Ltd, East Malling Research, Delta-T Devices Ltd, Eden Irrigation Consultancy Ltd and the Technology Research Centre Ltd) will develop new technologies needed to implement, monitor and manage precision fertigation across many hectares of high value soft fruit production. Imaging tools to assess plant health, quantify crop quality and predict marketable yields will be developed and validated against conventional but intensive scientific measures of productivity in commercial strawberry varieties exposed to differing degrees of biotic and abiotic stresses. The benefits to the UK horticulture industry will be improved resource use efficiency, reduced pesticide use, improved yield predictions, extended shelf-life and reduced wastage in store and better fruit quality for consumers.