Innovating to drive productivity

As the fruit sector continues evolving and facing new challenges, whether from rising costs, labour availability, new pest/disease threats, or an increasingly limited chemical armoury, so the need to innovate and adapt has never been greater.

 Hutchinsons is at the forefront of developing new solutions, that aim to drive productivity and sustainability, helping growers secure a more profitable future.

One major initiative is the 10-year HELIOS project, now in it’s seventh year, investigating whether orchard canopies and tree architecture can be redesigned to intercept more light and improve yields in a cost-effective, sustainable and ‘future-proof’ way. Two orchards of Gala Galaxy clones on different rootstocks have been established, in Kent and Gloucestershire, featuring different planting systems.

HELIOS trials also provide a testbed for other cutting-edge technology and techniques to improve orchard management and productivity. Below are some innovative projects Hutchinsons is involved with:

IRIS aims to improve the resilience of scab fungicide programmes in the face of a diminishing fungicide armoury. It is investigating whether biostimulants can help trees withstand disease and fill ‘gaps’ in spray programmes by triggering systemic acquired resistance. Twenty-two treatments were tested this season, with some showing excellent scab reduction.

Hutchinsons is working with partners to develop a novel system for detecting scab spores in the orchard to asses the correlation with RIMpro predictions. A cyclone air sampler collects spores, the DNA from which is analysed to identify those present.

The aim is to develop a fully automated system to provide growers with early disease warnings. Forty devices are being trialled in orchards in Kent and the West Midlands, plus eight in vineyards.

CRAFT, now in its second year, is investigating whether elicitor products, growth regulators, foliar feeds or biological fungicides can bolster natural defences of apple trees to infection by the Neonectria ditissima fungus, responsible for canker formation. “One treatment proved surprisingly effective in its first year of trials,” notes Mr Saunders.

The Innovate UK-funded project seeks to map orchard variability or detect disease with sensors, enabling variable-rate application of thinners, growth regulators and plant protection products.

It builds on an earlier Innovate UK-funded Precision Orchard Dosing System project that used winter LIDAR scanning to map tree height and density, before a drone-based blossom scan in spring.

Machine learning uses this data to develop variable rate plans for applying thinners and growth regulators through a purpose-built, highly accurate sprayer

Mr Saunders says POME will improve orchard monitoring, allowing earlier disease detection, better crop estimation, more confident marketing, improved consistency, and reduced environmental impact.

Another Innovate UK-funded project uses sensors, AI and machine learning to detect and identify unique electronic impulses transmitted within trees in commercial orchards at times of stress (e.g. drought, pest, disease or nutrient deficiency).

The Innovate UK-funded project ‘Taking UK apple production to Net Zero’ examines biochar’s use for carbon removal. It concludes this year and a report will be published for the sector.

To meet the increasing demands for multi-faceted agronomy, Hutchinsons has significantly expanded its horticultural team, with eight new members in the past two years, supported by specialist environmental, soils, and digital services teams.

Tools such as Terramap HD soil scanning, and Omnia – which includes exciting new developments within the latest upgrade – offer a real step forward for growers, allowing complete paperless record keeping and work management, alongside accurate mapping and management of crop performance variations to maximise output.

Discover how Hutchinsons can help your business at stand M20.