Eleven Nominations For Horti Fair Innovation Award 2012

The international jury of experts has nominated eleven innovations for the Horti Fair Innovation Award. The ultimate winner will be announced on Tuesday 30 October, the first day of the trade fair being held in the Amsterdam RAI up to and including 2 November. The jury notes that suppliers to horticulture are continuing to innovate and invest, despite the unrelenting economic climate. A total of more than one hundred new products and services are being introduced at the coming Horti Fair.

Horti Fair is the international horticultural trade show for technology, innovation and inspiration and the coming edition promises to live up to these aims. On 30 October the winner of the prestigious Innovation Award will be presented with a cheque to the value of € 2,500.00 for the next edition of the Horti Fair, as well as being assured of international attention and publicity. In addition to the Innovation Award, the Press Award will also be presented for the most striking new product in the eyes of the international horticultural press.

Investing and innovating

,,A remarkable number of entries are follow-on developments of the concept of the Closed Greenhouse and elaborate on Cultivation New Style. So the focus is on saving energy and increasing efficiency, production and quality,’’ concludes Geert van Oosterhout (director LTO Groeiservice), the chairman of the international jury of experts. The other members of the jury are Jeroen van Buren (Manager Horticulture at DLV Plant BV), Heinrich Dressler (Gb Das Magazin für Zierpflanzenbau, Germany), Cor van de Kaay (vegetable grower), Linda Kaluzny-Pinon (Culture Legumière, France), Frank Kempkes (technical researcher at University and Research Centre Wageningen UR, Greenhouse Horticulture), Leo Marcelis (Professor in Crop Production in low-energy greenhouses at Wageningen UR), Eric Moor (pot plant grower) and Steven Vale (Commercial Greenhouse Grower Magazine, Great Britain).

,,Horticulture is continuing to develop and we are also seeing more cooperation on innovation. This is also due to the high level of investment,’’ explains Van Oosterhout.

The 11 new products nominated:

AVAG (Stand no. 11.0110) – Next Generation Semi-Closed Greenhouse

Participants at the Horti Fair are using poster presentations to show the results achieved during a trial of the concept of the Next Generation of Semi-Closed Greenhouses at a nursery in Rilland. The trial is being monitored by WUR Glastuinbouw (University and Research Centre Wageningen UR, Greenhouse Horticulture) and an advisory group has been formed consisting of a number of growers with experience in the field of semi-closed cultivation. Taking part in the project are P.L.J. Bom (Naaldwijk), Certhon (Poeldijk), Van Dijk Heating (Bunnik), Glascom Tuinbouw (Rijswijk), Technokas (De Lier), VB Group (De Lier) and Zantingh (Rijsenhout). Arend-Sosef (Honselersdijk) and Priva (De Lier) are supporting the project and the DIT sustainability and innovation Fund of Rabobank Westland has contributed to the financial implementation.

Jury: ,,The initial results are hopeful and confirm the expectations for this project.

The Next Generation Semi-Closed Greenhouse can consequently make an important contribution to furthering the sustainability of greenhouse horticulture worldwide.’’

Certhon (stand no. 11.0302) – SuprimAir

Certhon has developed the SuprimAir greenhouse, which is a unique greenhouse concept for international professional greenhouse horticulture. The ingenious synthesis of greenhouse, ventilation, cooling and control makes it possible to create an ideal climate all year round. The ideal temperature and relative humidity are combined with low energy consumption and lower pest pressure.

Jury: ,,Recent technical innovations in various fields have been integrated within the SuprimAir concept. A clear example of closely targeted follow-on development.’’

Climeco Engineering BV (stand no. 11.0412) – Climate monitoring and advice

Taking measurements with a network of wireless sensors makes it possible to obtain real-time information on the uniformity of the climate in a greenhouse. A network of wireless sensors, access to the data via a server (in the cloud), together with data from the  climate computer and presentation by means of a graphic analysis program are combined with a personal approach.

Jury: ,,A new feature of this service from Climeco is an unprecedented combination of innovative techniques.”

Exotic Plant bvba (stand no. 10.0208) – Vriesea Spica [P]

pot plant

A successful newcomer to the multiflower range. This gorgeous plant easily develops five dark pink flowers. The combination with its elegant, abundant and dark green leaves  gives an interesting addition. ‘Spica’ grows to a height of 60 cm and the best results are obtained in pot size 14.

Jury: ,,An asset to the bromelia range, 90% of which consists of single-flowered varieties.’’

Van der Hoeven (stand no. 11.0610) – ModulAIR

This greenhouse concept is a tailor-made and economically feasible solution in practically any situation. Always based on the principles of lower energy consumption, higher CO2 concentrations, higher light transmission, lower pesticide use, optimum climate control and higher production yields under sustainable conditions compliant with the requirements of food safety.

Jury: ,,The option of modular construction increases the economic feasibility of this concept, which enables development that is based more closely on the customer’s requirements.’’

HortiMaX B.V. (stand no. 11.0502) – HortiMaX CX500

HortiMaX’s awareness that there are specific solutions for every climate and every country is the basis for the HortiMaX CX500 process computer. This computer, which  controls climate and irrigation, can be adapted for all types of greenhouses, climatic conditions and the knowledge levels of the users.

Jury: ,,The modular structure is an excellent example of customer orientation, which makes a solution available for small and large businesses and for many countries, climate zones and growers.’’

Klimrek (stand no. 09.0202) – RS Mover

Positioning plants more closely together on special racks in the first weeks of cultivation means the grower only has to keep a section of the greenhouse warm. This leads to an annual saving of 10% on energy. In countries outside the Netherlands, for growing under lights and with a crop like cucumbers, the system also offers the opportunity of prolonged production for a large part of the business.

Jury: ,,A clever application of an existing idea.’’

KUBO Tuinbouwprojecten B.V. (stand no. 11.0202) – Ultra Clima® V3

Whereas the air conditioning units in the previous Ultra-Clima® greenhouses still had two radial fans, the current air conditioning units only have a single large radial fan. The size of the unit has been drastically reduced as a consequence, with the cooperation of the manufacturer.

Jury: ,,The main advantages of the Ultra Clima V3 are the additional light that enters at the end wall, a greater cultivation area and the lower investment in comparison with its predecessor.”

Maurice Kassenbouw B.V. (stand no. 11.0412) – Air & Energy greenhouse with LT heating

The Air & Energy greenhouse means it is currently possible not just to ventilate a greenhouse, but to heat it as well. Until now, higher temperatures could not be blown inside with the hose system. The use of the reheater in the hose makes it possible to uniformly blow a higher temperature inside.

Jury: ,,An example of follow-on development that increases the efficiency of heating systems by means of LT (Low Temperature) heating. Also offers benefits when used with waste heat and geothermal energy.’’

Peter Dekker Installaties (PDI) (stand no. 11.0202) – Double Slip-In

The guiding profiles in the Double Slip-In system are ingeniously inserted into and simultaneously mounted to the screen profile and the trellis. This is in contrast to the existing Slip-In system, which requires the profiles to be mounted in the greenhouse before the screen fabric is drawn through them.

Jury: ,,The decisive reasons for this nomination were the labour-friendly method of installation and the extremely small volume of fabric.’’

Sercom Regeltechniek and Environmental Monitoring Systems (EMS) BV (stand no. 08.0305) – Air Monitoring

This innovation can be used to control the air quality in the greenhouse, in addition to the traditional parameters of temperature, humidity and light. This means that a new step forward has been taken in measuring and controlling plant quality. The key focus is the use of fewer resources. The CO2 dosage can be even better adjusted, the growth potential of the crop increased even more, and heat utilized even better.

Jury: ,,This combination tool (MACView Greenhouse Gas Analyser and SERCOM climate computer) controls on better air quality and ensures added value for the quality of the crop.”

On Monday 29 October the jury will assess the nominations during the construction of the Horti Fair. ,,So we will also be talking with the experts from the companies that have registered the innovations. That often makes things clearer. Technological advances make new growing systems increasingly complex. A personal explanation – and that is also the strength of a trade show like the Horti Fair – provides extremely effective clarification,’’ says Van Oosterhout.

Source: International Horti Fair B.V.