BioWorks expands biological toolbox to address evolving greenhouse challenges
Source: HD.com
BioWorks expands biological toolbox to address evolving greenhouse challenges Greenhouse growers continue to face increasing pressure from pest and disease resistance, rising production costs, and abiotic stress. "A product that controls these unique 'weeds' without affecting plant quality and marketability will be an important tool for nurseries and ornamental greenhouses across North America," he says.
In poinsettias, a single high-rate application achieved near-complete liverwort control within 14 days without damaging the crop. Similar success was observed in Artichoke Agave, where both spray and sprench applications at the 12.8 oz rate provided excellent liverwort control, while the sprench treatment also delivered superior moss control.
Crop safety evaluations across more than 30 plant species found only minor injury on a single variety, with no injury observed on new growth. Our trials increasingly focus on real-world grower use patterns, including compatibility studies, product performance within integrated programs and economic performance under commercial production conditions." Dr Brownbridge expects biological solutions to play an even greater role in controlled environment agriculture as growers increasingly integrate beneficial insects, mites, nematodes and microbial biocontrol agents into production systems.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
