The vertical farm has several key advantages – high productivity per occupied space and relatively low operating costs per unit of production, as well as environmental friendliness of products, the conditions for growing of which are controlled.

Besides, there is also an aesthetic component. Culinary and aromatic herbs, fresh vegetables and fruits on the shelf always attract consumers, and supermarkets are well aware of this. As for vertical farms, their multi-tiered shelves with plants and LEDs of a certain spectrum are still a novelty for consumers. Tusya Garibashvili, the founder of the Urban Farming project, and Adjara Group, known for design hotels, offered a solution that satisfies both environmental and aesthetic criteria.

For two years now, the first vertical farm in Georgia, Space Farms, has been attracting Instagram bloggers to Café Stamba in the very heart of Tbilisi. A wide range of herbs, lettuces and edible flowers, grown in a hydroponic vertical farm, are delivered ultra-fresh to the café. Thus, the distance from the farm to the table is no more than 10 meters. During the pandemic, signing up for a monthly or weekly delivery of a range of fresh herbs grown at the urban vertical farm has become particularly popular.

Andriy Yarmak, economist at the Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), spoke in more detail about the Space Farms farm, as well as the opportunities for developing vertical farming in the regions, in his blog.

Tusya Garibashvili, who has been engaged in urban farming for more than five years and has gained practical experience in growing herbs and berries in a controlled environment, decided to offer an affordable solution for those who want to have their own vertical farm – Space Farms Spot. The spot is a transparent showcase with shelving and a lighting and irrigation system. The new solution is compact, as it takes up only 2 sq. m. and has low costs – 10–15 kW per day for electricity and minor water costs, since the spot consumes only about 100 liters of water per month due to recycling. At the same time, you can get up to 600 bushes of plants within a month.

If the average weight of one plant is 50 g, then up to 25 kg of culinary and aromatic herbs can be harvested monthly from 2 sq. m. of such a mini-farm. Space Farms Spot is fully automated and controlled from a smartphone app. Therefore, such a mini-farm does not require labor – one person will be enough to plant seedlings and harvest. Together with the equipment, Space Farms offers a service that will periodically supply seedlings for planting in a mini-farm. According to the founder of the company, such a service will be available throughout the region, as it is planned to produce seedlings in other countries of the South Caucasus and Central Asia for uninterrupted supplies to the owners of Space Farms Spot. It is also important that the buyer chooses the assortment, based on demand, and the company is ready to provide any seedlings.

The project is aimed at the B2B sector, primarily hotels, restaurants, and large supermarkets. Also, the mini-farm will be interesting for those who want to develop a “vertical business”, but do not yet dare to make serious investments. Working with Space Farms Spot, it will be possible to understand how suitable this business is for owners before investing tens of thousands of dollars. The declared price of Space Farms Spot is $15 000, financing through leasing is also possible. According to Space Farms, the investment pays off in 5 years.

Сообщение Georgian restaurants will serve ultra-fresh herbs thanks to Space Farms Spot появились сначала на EastFruit.

Average annual losses from spring frosts of fruit and berry producers in Ukraine reach UAH 2 billion. But only a few farms in the country are investing in frost protection technologies today. In the EU countries, wind machines are becoming increasingly popular, which are a perfect equipment for protecting orchards.

This opinion was expressed by Denis Moskalyov, a representative of the FROSTLEE frost protection systems for agricultural crops, during the 17th international conference  “Fruits and Vegetables of Ukraine-2021. New Investment Opportunities” on December 2-3, 2021 in Brovary (Ukraine). The event was organized by the APK-Inform project: Vegetables and Fruits with the informational support of the EastFruit International Platform and the Ukrainian Horticultural Association (UHA).

The problem of frosts is relevant and will remain so for European and Ukrainian farmers

According to Denis Moskalyov, the problem of frosts has not been sufficiently addressed in Ukraine.

“Meanwhile, the harvest losses for this reason are huge. There has been an increase in such losses in the past 10 years, and this trend, unfortunately, will continue in the future.

Thus, according to research by the APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits project, apple producers lose about UAH 700 million annually, and in some seasons their losses reached UAH 1.5 billion.

In addition, producers growing stone fruits – apricots, peaches and cherries – bear great losses from spring frosts. In recent years, the frost issue has affected blueberry producers in connection with the increase in the area planted with blueberries in Ukraine, and farmers growing walnuts,” a representative of the FROSTLEE company said.

The scale of losses is also significant in the EU countries, that annually lose of around 1.5 million tonnes of apples average, and in some years – about 3 million tonnes, excluding quality losses. In monetary terms, the annual losses of EU apple producers are estimated at $1 billion.

Denis Moskalyov cites the French agro-industrial complex as an example. The Minister of Agriculture and Food of France called the consequences of frosts this year “the worst catastrophe in the agricultural sector of the XXI century”, as they destroyed plantations on hundreds of thousands of hectares. Losses ranged from 20 to 100% of the harvest.

Since 2018, frosts in France have caused significant damage to blueberry plantations, and this year 80% of the crop has been destroyed in the country.

“Due to the large financial losses, growers are looking for systems that effectively protect their orchards and plantations from frost. Therefore, about 200 wind machines of the European brand GENER were delivered in autumn 2021, the exclusive representative of which in Ukraine is the FROSTLEE company,” Denis Moskalyov notes.

Wind machines are the most effective frost protection method to increase the grower’s profit

A FROSTLEE representative notes that farmers use various methods to combat frosts: thermal guns, film, and fire-lighting. According to Denis Moskalyov, the most effective way is to use wind machines.

The expert notes that GENER windmills carry out heat transfer using the forced convection method, taking warm air from the upper atmosphere and mixing it with cooler air in the field area. In this regard, the air temperature rises and all conditions are created to preserve the harvest.

“At the same time, the transfer of warm air masses is carried out over large areas, thanks to the rotation of the machine around its axis, which allows to spread warm air 360 degrees over the field,” explains Denis Moskalyov, adding that it is recommended to equip wind machines with thermal boosters. They help increase the efficiency of heat engines by increasing the temperature of the generated warm air by 2 degrees Celsius.

According to Denis Moskalyov, one GENER machine is capable of frost protection from 3 to 7.5 hectares of a field at temperatures down to -6 degrees Celsius.

“The effectiveness of protection directly depends on the type of crop, the model of the machine, the geolocation of the field. At the same time, GENER wind machines are planned to be delivered to Belgium, France and other EU countries in 2022,” Denis Moskalyov notes.

Among the advantages of wind machines, it is worth noting that they can be installed in any farm, berry farm or vineyard and do not depend on any infrastructure. In addition, such a protection system can be installed in a matter of days and is easy to maintain. Among other advantages of wind machines is their durability – usually the manufacturer claims from 10 years of operation, however, as practice shows, wind machines can be used much longer.

It is important that this method of frost protection pays off in the very first year of frost. In other words, these machines will not pay off only if a farmer or winegrower never encounters abnormal weather conditions during the period of use.

According to Denis Moskalyov, frosts cause direct damage to the volume of the harvest and affect its quality.

“Indeed, under improper conditions for the formation of the fruit, defects appear. In this connection, the grower will not be able to sell fruit on the fresh market. An investment in frost protection systems is an opportunity to sell a high-quality harvest at a high price in the future.” the FROSTLEE representative summarizes.

Сообщение Investments in frost protection systems are a solution for a high-quality fruit and berry harvest – opinion появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to EastFruit, the accelerating pace of climate change in recent years has the greatest impact on the fruit and vegetable industry, resulting in multibillion-dollar losses for fruit growers and winegrowers. Naturally, farmers do not want to put up with this, so they are increasingly looking for ways to reduce climate risks, and often find them.

“Fruit growing is the most sensitive to climate change segment of agribusiness. Any deviations in temperature from the norm during the year lead to a decrease in yield or quality of fruits, and sometimes to the loss of trees and shrubs. The greatest danger for fruit growers and winegrowers in Europe, and other parts of the world, is spring frosts – in just a few hours, a frost can wipe out all efforts and deprive a grower of his annual income. Even abnormally low temperatures in winter and too high temperatures in summer can cause serious damage to farmers growing fruits, berries, grapes and nuts. Early frosts in autumn often cause significant damage, too. Studying the global experience of protection from the negative impact of weather on horticulture and viticulture, we found that the USA and New Zealand are the leaders in this segment, while a smaller percentage of farms in the EU are protected from climatic anomalies,” explains Andriy Yarmak, economist at the Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The main ways to protect orchards, vineyards and berries from frost, according to EastFruit, are:

• Over-plant sprinkler irrigation (also called ice shell) is perhaps the most effective way to protect against frost, although this method, like others, has a number of serious limitations, which we will consider below.
• Under-tree sprinkler irrigation is similar to the first method, but less effective.
• Irrigation or flooding is an even less effective way to protect orchards from frost.
• Smoke is one of the most ancient frost protection methods, but is nevertheless very time-consuming, costly and limited in efficiency.
• Heating orchard is an ineffective and dangerous old method of frost protection.
• Wind machines are a versatile frost protection method that can also be used to cool the orchard during critically high summer temperatures.
• Growing under cover – obviously, this is the best way to protect against frost, but investment in it is much higher than the actual investment in the orchard or berry field itself, so we will not consider this method in this material.

Frost types and their influence on the choice of protection method

Not everyone knows that frosts are different. The bad news is that many basic defenses are almost powerless against one of the two main types of frost, advection frost.

Advective frosts are usually accompanied by rather strong winds and clouds and can persist for quite a long time, which often negates protection efforts. Cloudiness also prevents the air and soil from warming up in the daytime and leads to the absence of temperature inversion. These frosts are the most damaging to lowland orchards because cold air accumulates and is held here longer.

Accordingly, it is difficult to find a mean of protection from this type of frost. Perhaps the only relatively effective method will be over-plaant irrigation, but there are many limitations and nuances here, and most producers cannot apply this method. But more on that below.

Radiative frosts are caused by the cooling of the soil due to effective radiation and are most often observed at night in clear and calm weather. At this time, the effective radiation of the earth’s surface is high, and the turbulence is low, which makes it difficult to mix the cooling subsurface air layer with warmer, higher layers. This type of frost is quite common in the climatic zone of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It is much easier for farmers to deal with this type of frost, and the effort is usually more effective. In this case, many methods with varying degrees of success can be applied.

Important points to understand the effectiveness of frost control

A healthy orchard, berry plantation or vineyard always tolerates frosts better  than a weakened one. Therefore, frost protection starts with strict adherence to all basic agricultural practices, from planting an orchard to caring for it. The absence of diseases and pests, balanced nutrition, correct placement of the orchard, windbreaks – all elements have a direct impact on how much of the crop will be preserved when critical temperatures come.

It is necessary to remember about the reasonable selection of varieties and rootstocks when growing fruits, berries, nuts and grapes. Farmers in our region often buy seedlings in warmer countries, which either do not tolerate low temperatures in winter, or bloom too early, being affected by the waves of spring frosts.

Placing the orchard, berry field or vineyard near a large reservoir always allows to partially protect the farm from minor frosts or reduce damage from lower temperatures.

What type of frost protection should I choose? The main limitations when choosing a method of frost protection in the farm.

The efficiency of over-plant irrigation (or ice shell) is quite high. Moreover, it can be used in the case of advective frosts. In some cases, growers keep the plants safe even at -9 degrees Celsius, using this method of protection. Due to the fact that the flowers, ovary and leaves are covered with a crust of ice, the temperature inside the crust is kept at a level close to zero. This means that there is no freezing and formation of ice crystals inside plant cells, which damage leaves and plants.

Unfortunately, only a few farms will be able to use it. And that’s why:

1. The main problem is that a fruit grower or winegrower needs huge reserves of unfrozen water, which must be poured all the time as long as the air temperature remains near zero or below zero.
2. In addition, you must initially plan a much more expensive water supply system to use this method: more powerful and expensive pumps, pipes, etc.
3. A grower must have a high trellis, which is quite expensive and is used only in intensive orchards.
4. Sprinklers for this frost protection method are much more expensive than conventional ones, as plastic sprinklers will not be able to withstand low temperatures.

The same restrictions, except for a high trellis, are also relevant for under-tree sprinkler irrigation. However, this method is much less effective.

Irrigation or even flooding the orchard can help protect the orchard, mainly from short-term radiative frosts, but only at temperatures no lower than 2-3 degrees Celsius.  Even regular flooding before frost will help reduce damage by increasing humidity and temperature.

However, even here you need to have quite large reserves of water that, especially in spring, many farmers do not have. Likewise, it is better to have a powerful irrigation system in order to quickly pour out significant volume of water.

Smoke is an ancient, expensive and not the most effective method of protection. The smoke spreads through the farm, steeping the trees, and its temperature is higher than the air temperature. In addition, smoke prevents soil from giving off heat, keeping it in the orchard. Here are the main reasons why this method of frost protection can be used only in extreme cases and only in small orchards:

1. Many workers are needed, even at night;
2. Large stocks of combustible materials (usually slightly rotten straw) or of smoke pellets are needed;
3. The method is quite expensive in terms of cost;
4. Cannot be used near built-up areas, because smoke damages public health;
5. Not effective for advection frosts, because the wind blows away the smoke quickly.

The advantages of the smoke method are no special investments in equipment needed and protection can be deployed quite quickly, if you have everything you need.

Heating method, i.e. burning various types of fuel to raise the temperature, and not to generate smoke. It is completely ineffective from all points of view: costly, requiring huge labor resources, fire hazard and can even damage or completely destroy a farm or vineyard.

This method allows you to get beautiful photographs of an orchard or vineyard at night under numerous lights, but this is hardly an advantage. It is usually used by growers on the most valuable varieties of grapes, only because they use the cuttings of vines of which they have many.

Wind machines are perhaps the most affordable and universally applicable frost protection method that can be used anywhere. Moreover, wind machines can be useful for farmers and winegrowers and to reduce the air temperature in the orchard in summer. The point is in mixing the upper inversion layer of warm air with colder air in the orchard.

By combining wind machines with heat guns, the effectiveness of this method approaches that of the above-plant irrigation.

However, this method has its drawbacks:

1. It is usually not effective in advective frosts, if there are strong wind and cloudiness – cloudiness prevents the formation of an inversion layer of air, and when the wind is higher than 7-8 km/h, the wind machines are turned off for safety reasons;
2. It is better to place wind machines no closer than 120-150 meters from residential buildings. The farther they are placed, the better, since they usually work at night and create noise that can disturb local residents.
3. Another disadvantage of wind machines can be considered temporary – the demand for wind machines greatly exceeds their supply now. In the EU countries and New Zealand, most of the leading suppliers no longer accept orders until 2023, because their factories are operating at full capacity.

However, the advantages of wind machines far outweigh their disadvantages. Here they are:

1. They can be installed in any farm, berry or vineyard and do not depend on any infrastructure, in contrast to the system of above-plant irrigation;
2. Fast installation (the protection system can be installed in a matter of days), unlike the irrigation system;
3. Investment per hectare is lower compared to above-plant irrigation;
4. It can be used not only for frost protection, but also for cooling the orchard during high air temperatures in summer;
5. The possibility of using a wind machines to protect against autumn frosts and extend the season for the sale of some crops, the fruiting of which stops with the first frost;
6. Ease of system maintenance;
7. Durability – usually manufacturers claim 10 years of operation, however, wind machines can be used much longer, as practice shows.

Does the investment in frost protection systems pay off, and if so, how quickly?

We will analyze only effective frost protection measures that require investment: i.e. over-plant irrigation and wind machines.

Both types of frost protection pay off in the very first year of frosts. In other words, they will not pay off only if the grower or winegrower never encounters abnormal weather conditions during the period of use.

Why does the investment in frost protection return in the first year of frosts? Farmers who invest in frost protection equipment are in the minority. Frosts sharply reduce both production volumes and product quality. Therefore, there is a sharp decrease in the supply of high-quality fruit and berry products, which leads to a sharp increase in prices.

This means growers that have invested in frost protection systems will receive a high yield of quality products, and they can even increase income compared to a normal year without frost. As it has already happened many times with apples, blueberries, raspberries, nuts, and other fruit crops, prices often rise by 1.5 to 2 times. Thus, growers with a frost protection system can double their income in such years!

So, we need to see how often frosts occur in our region.

In most regions of Ukraine and Moldova, there were 2-3 cases of frost that caused damage to farmers over the past 5 years. In most regions of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Georgia, frosts have occurred 1-2 times over the past 5 years.

We will not manage to list here all the cases of frost in our region in recent years. In 2021, Uzbekistan suffered huge damage from frost, where a large part of the harvest of apricots and other stone fruit crops was lost. By the way, they even touched upon the problem of the local apple harvest. A similar situation was in Tajikistan, where mainly the earliest, most expensive varieties of apricot and cherry were affected, which also led to an increase in prices for dried fruits. In 2020, several waves of frosts in Ukraine destroyed a large part of the blueberry harvest, and sharply reduced the apple harvest. A similar situation arose in 2019 (for two years in a row), when the apple harvest in Ukraine was extremely low due to frost losses. Moldova harvested one of the lowest apple harvests in 2020, partly due to frosts. Both Ukraine and Moldova annually lose a huge percentage of stone fruit and berry harvest due to spring frosts.

In other words, producers installing frost protection systems will be able to repay them in Ukraine and Moldova in 1.5-2.5 years, and in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan or Georgia in 3-5 years.

Additional benefits of frost protection systems for the horticultural business

“In modern business, the quality of fruit and vegetable products and the reliability of their supplies is extremely important. Many large growers or cooperatives of fruits, nuts, berries and grapes producers have contracts for the sale of 70-80% of the expected production a year before the harvest. Accordingly, a frost protection system gives the producer additional advantages in the eyes of the buyer (supermarket chain or importer), because he knows that contracting with such a farmer has a lower risk level. Likewise, a bank lending to an agrarian will also pay attention to the grower’s desire to reduce the risk level of his business and will be inclined to offer cheaper credit resources – and this is a direct savings,” adds Andriy Yarmak, FAO economist.

One cannot discount such a factor as reputation. If a producer provides its counterparties with quality products even in difficult climatic conditions, while competitors do not succeed, his reputation in the eyes of buyers grows.

It is high time to think about reducing the risk levels of business for farmers of Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Georgia, Tajikistan and other countries of the region, annually losing tens and even hundreds of thousands of tonnes of cherries, apples, blueberries, nuts, grapes, apricots and other products. After all, it is very profitable and provides excellent long-term benefits amid growing competition in the market.

Efficient frost protection systems will be presented during the 17th international conference  “Fruits and Vegetables of Ukraine-2021. New Investment Opportunities” to be held on December 2-3, 2021 in Kyiv (Ukraine). Register to participate via the link not to miss the event.

Сообщение How to protect your orchards and vineyards from frosts? Protection methods, effectiveness, cost and availability появились сначала на EastFruit.

One of the most important stages in preparing fruit and vegetables for sale is optical sorting. High-quality sorting is the possibility to get sorted product by various characteristics: weight, size, color, diameter, quality, etc. It ensures that final packaged product will meet the requirements for further sale or processing. SEEDS.org.ua wrote.

The characteristics of raw products are very important, and sometimes even crucial in the mechanization of vegetables and fruit processing. The products for the fresh market are subject to post harvest handling – for instance, optical sorting for fresh blueberries or cherries, which helps to extend the shelf life of product and get sorted by quality product of certain grades.

Experts say that sorting and packaging are necessary terms for export-oriented production. According to Natalia Zelenska, business development manager at Tolsma Technik, such a popular berry as blueberry is now exported to Asian countries only when sorted and packaged.

Ukrainian retailers also prefer to have sorted and packaged berries on their shelves.

“This is absolutely reasonable – fresh berries with not very long shelf life could spoil being in bulk much faster, especially if the product has not been sorted by quality – a rotten or soft berry can spoil surrounding berries,” Natalia Zelenska notes.

The Cherry Class and the Berry Class sorting machines from Elifab Solutions offered by Tolsma Technik are very compact, occupying the smallest possible space in the packing house compared to other machines and significantly reducing the cost of cooling the premises and maintaining the temperature in it.

The sorting machines are equipped with a highly sensitive optical system (color and infrared cameras) and software – the TrueSort ™ technology developed by Ellips. These are the machines with the most delicate treatment of berries, blueberry keeps it’s natural bloom, for example.

The Berry Class sorting machine can sort blueberry by any defects: soft, unripe, damaged, dehydrated, rotten berries, berries with a stem, a flower, etc., and berries of a certain hardness and caliber are sent to the corresponding exit for further packing.

Moreover, the machine detects both internal and external quality of the berry. First of all, soft berries are eliminated – they will spoil in a few days when transported across Ukraine, not to mention if such berries are sent for export.

These are not the only defects the machine can detect and sort out. It is also easy to add and program any new berry defect for further sorting.

Сообщение Smart sorting is the key to successful berry sales появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to Narodnoe Slovo, on February 2, 2021, agro cluster Jizzax Organic got permission from Uzbekistan’s Civil Aviation Agency to operate crewless aerial vehicles. Jizzax cluster will be the first Uzbek enterprise that uses drones in agriculture. In particular, drones will be used to:

• identify anomalies in the growth and development of plants;

• apply spot fertilization;

• monitor the uniformity of watering.

“Unmanned aerial vehicles will provide Jizzax Organic specialists with up-to-date and complete information about the quality, damage, or death of crops. Such monitoring by agronomists takes a long time and does not allow covering every meter of land. If the damage to the seedlings occurred in the depths of the field, there is a risk of not noticing it. With unmanned aerial vehicles, we will identify and eliminate problems at the early stages: diagnose diseases, spray weeds, fight pests, and complete sowing,” said Hikmatilla Karimov, director of Jizzax Organic.

The prototype arrived in Uzbekistan in November 2020.

“We will use the drone for mapping and tracking plant vegetation. Also, this year, Jizzax Organic will purchase a heavy-duty fertilizer spraying drone. Based on the test results, it will become clear how many drones we need to cover the sown areas fully. In 2021, forage crops and grasses will occupy 10,000 hectares,” said the director of Jizzax Organic, Hikmatilla Karimov.

The national Jizzax cluster has already received a radio frequency for the drone and will start operating it with the start of sowing operations.

Reference: Jizzax Organic LLC was established in 2019. The enterprise is aimed at developing the agricultural sector of Uzbekistan. Jizzax Organic LLC is engaged in animal husbandry, crop production and selection, and genetic work. The total investment in the Jizzax agricultural cluster is $150 million.

Сообщение Agro cluster Jizzax Organic from Uzbekistan will use drones  появились сначала на EastFruit.

The best of Eastern and Western blackberry genetics collaborated to create varieties Eclipse, Galaxy, and Twilight produced by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Agrotimes writes about this with reference to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The ARS Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, working in collaboration with the Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station, has combined the desired traits of the eastern upright blackberry and western blackberry in new varieties with semi-upright thornless shoots.

Eclipse was the first of three of these crosses to go from test fields to final selection.

Triple Crown, one of the parent Eclipse strains known for its high yield, energy, and flavour, ripens in late summer. Eclipse inherits the same strong performance but matures earlier.

“Eclipse has inherited the outstanding Triple Crown flavour with sweet fruity notes and hints of root beer and spices. But the Eclipse strain has a firmer rind, which allows for better handling and transport of the berries, which is a benefit for the fresh market,” said biotechnologist Mary Peterson, who works in the blackberry breeding program.

The second blackberry variety, Galaxy, is also from the Triple Crown and inherits similar traits. However, it has a harder skin like the Eclipse, and it ripens a few days earlier than Eclipse. Galaxy berries are slightly larger and darker than Eclipse berries.

“People who have tried Galaxy notice notes of blueberry, mint, and grape,” said Mary Peterson.

The third variety also has a “heavenly” name – Twilight. It matures as the last of the three varieties, 4-5 days after Eclipse. Twilight plants are taller than Eclipse. Tasters noted its complex, deep blackberry flavour with floral and honey notes, but the berries may not be as sweet.

Сообщение American scientists presented three new varieties of blackberries появились сначала на EastFruit.

In recent years, apple growers have been interested in varieties with monochromatic fruits that are in demand in export markets.

AgroTimes reports this with a link to the Sady Ogrody portal.

Gala and its varieties are very popular in Polish gardens. One of the most attractive varieties is Gala Schniga Schnico Red, the fruit of which is completely covered with an intense dark red blush, darker than Gala Schniga SchniCo.

Polish nurseries also offer a new variety known as Gala Dark Baron. The fruits of this variety, in comparison with other Gala, are distinguished by an intense blush and a very early colour of the fruit. During the harvest season, a red-purple blush without stripes covers the whole fruit. A single-phase harvest ensures even colour and ripening of fruits.

Gala Brookfield Baigent is also a promising, stable dark red Gala mutant.

Zuzi Gala Select apples are covered in a more intense dark red blurred blush, while Zuzia Gala has a more carmine blush with delicate stripes.

Many gardeners cultivate varieties of the Jonagold group. Several years ago the variety Red Jonaprince and the new mutation Wilton Star Red Jonaprince Select prevailed in the offer of gardens. Now the growers note that there are already enough apples of this variety on the market.

King Roat Red Delicious was very popular last season. Apples of this variety sell very well in foreign markets. According to representatives of Polish nurseries, King Roat is currently one of the most promising varieties. It is characterised by an intensely shiny dark red blush that covers the whole fruit.

There are many requests for the Red Chief variety this season.

The variety of Muna is new in recent seasons. The variety gained fame for its yield and yield stability, good fruit colour and long shelf life.

The variety of Muna is new in recent seasons. The variety gained fame for its yield and yield stability, good fruit colour and long shelf life.

Сообщение Which apple varieties are considered promising in Poland? появились сначала на EastFruit.

In Ukraine, there is a growing interest in the production of dried fruit and berry products. Last year, a record for the last five years was achieved in the export of dried fruits. Seeds notes that the positive trend continues this year.

In the first two months of the new season (June-July), Ukrainian exporters delivered abroad about 0.4 thousand tons of dried fruits worth $ 407 thousand. For the same period last year, 0.2 thousand tons of dried fruits were exported, and export proceeds amounted to $ 279 thousand.

However, despite the positive dynamics of growth in the export of dried fruits and berries, Ukraine remains a net importer of these products. Moreover, the annual growth in dried fruit imports has been observed over the past five seasons. If, in the 2015/16 season, foreign supplies of dried fruits amounted to only 2.7 thousand tons, then in the 2019/20 season, this figure reached 11.2 thousand tons.

One of the reasons for the growth in the export of dried fruits and berries today is the rapid growth in imported products’ volume since Ukraine partially re-exports foreign dried fruits.

The growth of its production and the construction of new enterprises for drying fruits and berries in Ukraine is still quite slow. Therefore the increase in demand for dried fruits in the country is, in most cases, covered by supplies from Turkey, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

These countries’ climatic conditions allow the mass drying of fruits and berries under the sun without spending additional funds on industrial drying equipment and electricity. However, the climatic zone in which Ukraine is located does not allow using the “technologies” of the above countries for drying fruits and berries.

Therefore, local manufacturers carry out drying exclusively with the help of industrial dryers. And this has its advantages because the use of modern equipment for drying fruits and berries allows you to get such quality products that cannot be achieved when drying fruits under the sun of Asian countries.

In particular, representatives of the Tolsma Technik company, which specializes in providing integrated solutions for Ukrainian farmers and enterprises to process vegetables, fruits, and berries, note that modern dryers allow preserving the nutritional properties of fruits and berries in fresh products. In contrast, the storage of dried products is greatly facilitated.

“On the one hand, it is more profitable to dry fruits and berries in the sun, since energy costs are zero. On the other hand, this type of drying is associated with the constant use of manual labor. Besides, products must be carefully protected from insects and other biological organisms.

Accordingly, industrial drying of fruits and berries is a safer way, since the production goes through all stages of preparation such as washing and sorting, and the possibility of damage to products is minimized,” notes Natalia Zelenskaya, Business Development Manager at Tolsma Technik.”

Modern machines for drying fruits and berries offered by Tolsma Technik are manufactured by the Italian company Tecno Frutta. Dryers are versatile, can be used for various types of fruits, vegetables, berries, mushrooms, herbs, and are designed to minimize the impact on products.

The operation principle is based on removing moisture from the products through the forced circulation of hot and dry air created by the aerothermal group. This is an entirely natural process that ensures a high level of quality in the finished product.

Accordingly, the manufacturer can use the equipment today, conditionally, for drying apples, and tomorrow – for drying plums, cherries, or strawberries (garden strawberries). Given the availability of an automatic washing system and an automated control system, the transition from drying one product to another is carried out as quickly as possible.

“All dryers presented by Tolsma Technik are versatile since each of them is equipped with the function of adjusting temperature, airspeed, and conveyor speed.

The same product can be dried to a different state, that is, to obtain both semi-dried products and completely dried products, the residual moisture in which does not exceed 1.5%. For example, with the help of such dryers, you can get a soft, half-cured apple, as well as crispy apple chips,” notes Natalia Zelenskaya.

The expert also noted that today there are two types of convection dryers on the market – conveyor, multi-level continuous dryers, and static dryers (cabinets). The principle of operation in such machines is almost the same. The main difference is that in conveyor dryers, there is a continuous process of drying fruits, vegetables, berries, or other products. Such a machine should work without interruption for 3-4 days.

This drying method is used to minimize the consumable part. The greatest consumption of electricity and steam in industrial machines occurs when they are started, and then the dryers operate continuously. Accordingly, the longer the machine works, the lower the production cost.

Static machines carry out periodic drying of products. The process lasts 5-10 hours, depending on the product, its size, initial moisture content, and the product’s required final moisture content. Besides, these machines use more manual labor, since all products must be manually laid out on trays.

We add that more and more attention is paid to such parameters as food quality and safety every year. Therefore, by creating dried fruits of the highest quality, Ukraine can squeeze Asian products out of international markets. Moreover, the snack segment is now rapidly developing, especially when it comes to products made without sugar.

The demand for dried fruits and berries will grow every year among retail chains and suppliers of energy bars, muesli, and other healthy snacks.

In Ukraine, this niche is not occupied by anyone yet. However, in European countries such as Germany, Great Britain, and France, producers are effectively using the opportunity to make money on dried fruits and berries.

Сообщение Use of modern equipment will allow Ukrainian producers to make money on dried vegetables and fruits появились сначала на EastFruit.

Wax or paraffin has been used for many years to preserve apples’ presentation and create a glossy surface. Some manufacturers have experimented and used fat, gelatin, and overcooked soy sauce as a coating. However, none of these methods produced satisfactory results, and the fruit after processing still required washing before eating.  Agri-gator reports that everything changed this year when the American company Stemilt has developed an innovative edible coating Apeel, which significantly increases the shelf life of apples and keeps fruits fresh.

“Our team has been studying the application of Apeel coating on organic apples for two years. The technology has tremendous advantages in keeping Artisan Organics fruit fresh and flavorful to the end-user,” said Brianna Shales, senior marketing manager at Stemilt.

Processed apples retain their juiciness, and shelf life is extended. In particular, the shelf life of products treated with Apeel is two times higher than that of untreated ones. According to the company’s representative, the sale of fruits, and the demand for organic fruits will increase.

According to the company’s specialists, the material was created exclusively on a plant basis. This not only makes the coating edible but also allows for more environmentally friendly disposal of products.

Сообщение Edible coating Apeel keeps apples fresh for longer появились сначала на EastFruit.

A scientist from the University of Vienna received a grant for 5 million Euros to develop and introduce potato varieties with improved characteristics. Potatoes are one of the most important food crops in the world.

However, a serious threat to the safety of culture is its vulnerability to environmental stress. Due to the combination of heat and drought, such periods are becoming more common due to climate change. These conditions are often followed by seasonal flooding, which can kill the entire crop in a matter of days.

Fruit-inform reports, citing Freshplaza.com that plant biologist Markus Teig from the Faculty of Life Sciences of the University of Vienna received a 5 million Euro grant from the EU Horizon 2020 program to investigate the mechanisms of adaptation of potatoes to numerous environmental stresses.

Markus Teig coordinates a consortium of 17 leading European research institutes, potato breeders, an EU non-profit association, a government agency, and a screening technology developer. The ADAPT project aims to define new breeding targets and match potato varieties to future growth’s specific challenging environmental conditions. The total budget for the next four years is € 5 million from the EU Horizon 2020 program.

“As part of this project, we will investigate the molecular and phenotypic responses to various stress conditions that affect potato yield in the face of climate change. Together with breeders, we will identify traits and genes that can increase stress tolerance in this very important food crop,” says the scientist.

The project’s researchers will combine molecular biology, stress physiology, systems biology, and analytics with engineering and molecular breeding, and will engage end-user-focused agencies to test varieties and trade in potatoes to translate the results into practical applications.

“We strive to define new breeding goals and match potato varieties to specific environmental conditions. The knowledge gained from our research will directly reach the most important stakeholders and end-users,” concluded the scientist.

Сообщение European project develops potatoes adapted to weather stress появились сначала на EastFruit.