The staff pride themselves on being able to deliver what the client requires with rigorous testing procedures in place to ensure that the results can be used by the horticultural industry with confidence. Research and development work is carried out in the following sectors:
• Field vegetables • Protected crops (edible and ornamentals) • Hardy ornamental nursery stock • Soft fruit
Areas of expertise include:
Variety evaluation • Full cultivar testing – yield, quality and shelf life • Demonstration plots for seed company use • Evaluating cultivars for pest and disease susceptibility
Novel crops The centre is active in developing blueprints for growing novel crops including those for potential pharmaceutical use. The influence of agronomic inputs on the quantity of active substance required can be studied to increase yield of active substance or bulk biomass.
Herbicide testing • Efficacy trials on a range of field crops • Residue trials • Crop screening trials for new actives • Developing herbicide strategies • Developing integrated weed control strategies
Crop environment studies • Comparing glasshouse environments for their effects on crop yield and quality and economic evaluation • Comparing spectrally modifying polythene film cover materials • Evaluating crop cover materials for season extension and pest control • Evaluating substrates with commercially available products for glasshouse crops
Crop nutrition and irrigation • Evaluating new fertiliser products • Minimising nitrate residues in crops and in the soil after harvest • Developing irrigation strategies to optimise water usage • Developing fertigation strategies to optimise crop nutrition
Crop safety • Glasshouse crop safety studies - pre-emergence and young plant stage to OECD 208 guidelines • Evaluating cultivars for their sensitivity to crop protection products
Compost testing • Germination and growing on trials • Evaluating new products to commercially available standards • Monitoring quality standards in composted green waste products • PAS 100 testing • Evaluating new wetters to speed water uptake in composts
All year round cucumber production house, incorporating leading commercial technological innovations.
Compost evaluation trial
Assessing commercial products on pansy development.
Assessing composted conifer bark as a growing media for tomato production and reducing waste disposal costs.
Investigating novel irrigation strategies for reducing nitrate levels in lettuce crops.
For more information contact: Stockbridge Technology Centre Ltd Cawood, Selby, North YorkshireYO8 3TZ Tel: +44(0)1757 268275 Fax: +44(0)1757 268996 Email:enquiries@stc-nyorks.co.uk
