IOBC Canada 2017 will profile the latest pest management research. | 11
Hot in the garden
One of Canada’s largest plant trials asked visitors to name their favourites. | 18 Great to automate It’s time to invest in
Leading edge IPM strategies
IOBC Canada 2017 will welcome many of the world’s leading pest management specialists to Niagara Falls in June. | 11
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8
Business Issues 10
Tracking global trends in local plant retailing shows.
Technology Issues 11 Canada to host leading IPM specialists, with grower program planned.
Solid performers 17 Visitors to U of Guelph plant trials weigh in on their favourites.
Generalist predators 22 Their release in the early season can be effective.
Looking to diversify? 26 Greenhouse strawberries look to be a promising new crop.
12 24 30
Best year ever?
Ontario growers celebrate a solid sales season for poinsettias. How was your season?
MELHEM SAWAYA
Under the lights
More growers are moving into yearround production … and into new challenges.
DR. MOHYUDDIN MIRZA
Great to automate Farmers are increasingly moving to new technologies to boost efficiencies. BY
GARY JONES
Jeremy Van Koeveringe of Spring Valley Gardens, St. Catharines. Photo by Melhem Sawaya. See page 12.
A Growing Need For Automation
It’s not a question of “if” you’ll automate more of your crop production processes. It’s only a question of “when.”
There’s a farm labour shortage looming, and the greenhouse sector is expected to be the most seriously affected among all agricultural groups within the next decade.
Greenhouse growers will continue to face some pressing problems over the next few years. Margins remain quite tight. Expenses are rising. Labour costs are going up.
And that’s why automation and mechanization are so important. Not only will experienced workers be more expensive in wages and benefits (as minimum wage rates rise), but there won’t be enough of them, according to a recent report.
“The gap between labour demand and the domestic workforce in agriculture has doubled from 30,000 to 59,000 in the past 10 years and projections indicate that by 2025, the Canadian agri-workforce could be short workers for 114,000 jobs,” notes the newly released Agriculture
over the next few years.
CAHRC offers Agri Skills, online and in-person training programs, and the Agri HR Toolkit – an online resource guide and templates to address the HR needs of any business.
The pending labour shortage also emphasizes the importance of the existing foreign worker programs.
There are great greenhouse horticulture post-secondary programs across Canada, and there is clearly a need to boost enrolment numbers. Graduates will be increasingly in demand to match the growth of the greenhouse sector in propagation, ornamental, vegetable and cannabis crops. More graduates are needed.
Automated watering, environmental control, labour tracking and product handling systems, to name just a few, significantly improve efficiencies. Automation means less labour-intensive and repetitive work for employees, and allows managers to redeploy staff to more crop maintenance and scouting duties. The more eyes on the crop, the better.
“Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture will have largest labour gap.”
2025: How the Sector’s Labour Challenges Will Shape its Future research by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC).
Among commodities, “the greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture industry will continue to have the largest labour gap. With an expected gap of 27,000 workers in 2025, this commodity group will account for nearly one-quarter of the sector’s labour gap,” notes the report.
Traditional greenhouse operations will soon find themselves competing with the emerging cannabis sector for experienced workers, as the latter industry is poised for rapid growth
The need for automation also requires a thorough assessment of current operations.
As Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates once noted: “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”
Industry automation specialists have the experience and the expertise to assist with such operational assessments and to recommend the best solutions.
So … what do you plan to automate or upgrade this year?
Farm Labour Shortages Stifle Growth
“Labour shortages are the next growth-limiting factor on Canadian farms.”
That’s the view of Mark Wales, a director with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. He points to Agriculture 2025: How the Sector’s Labour Challenges will Shape its Future, a report by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council.
“One of the most troubling findings of the study reveals the gap between labour demand and the
domestic workforce in agriculture,” said Wales. “In the past 10 years, the shortfall in labour has doubled from 30,000 to 59,000.
Current projections indicate that by 2025 the Canadian agricultural workforce could be short workers for 114,000 jobs.”
The OFA is concerned the labour shortage will suppress the sustainability and future growth of Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food industry.
A TRULY ‘MAGNIFICA’ CELEBRATION
The Niagara greenhouse operation behind the North America introduction of one of the most talked about plants in the potted plant market has received a 2016 Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation.
Northend Gardens, owned by Ted and Carrie Oorsprong, has been growing and promoting the popular Medinilla Magnifica for the past several years.
“While visiting family
Royal FloraHolland is expected to close 2016 with a turnover of over €4.6 billion, an increase of 3,8% compared to 2015.
in the Netherlands, the owner of Northend Gardens discovered Medinilla Magnifica, a pink cascading flower unknown in Canada and the United States,” notes the award backgrounder.
“After acquiring the exclusive rights for North American distribution in 2010, Northend Gardens set out to adapt these tropical blooms to Ontario’s growing conditions. They soon found
out that the flowers required a very specific light, water and temperature regime as well as a precise growing schedule. With the help of a team of researchers and consultants, 60,000 plants were successfully produced in 2011 and by 2016, annual production hit nearly 100,000.
“With no shortage of customers, Northend Gardens has staked out a high-end niche, selling their medinillas
wholesale for $10 to $17 per plant.”
Award recipients are recognized for their contributions to boost economic growth in Ontario by creating products that support job creation, add value to existing products and support a sustainable environment. They are also supporting the province’s efforts to double the growth rate of the agri-food sector and create 120,000 jobs by 2020.
on 12/12/2017 Total turnover at Royal FloraHolland is expected to increase by more than €170 million in 2017 to €4.8 billion
When seeking the ideal balance between air porosity, drainage capacity and water retention, PRO-MIX HPCC MYCORRHIZAE is the solution growers select. With unique chunk coir reducing soil compaction and carefully selected peat moss, this formulation provides qualities promoting growth and offering a delicate, well-calculated control over the growing environment.
…boldly goes where no petunia has gone before! ‘Night Sky’ has a never-seen-before bloom pattern that is causing some buzz in the garden media. This petunia is an excellent choice for hanging baskets or patio containers for a unique display. It has great vigour and distinctive blooms – no two flowers are the same. The constellation-like speckling on a rich purple backdrop offers something special that gardeners can’t get enough of. It grows to a height of 10-16” (25-41 cm) with a spread of 24-36” 61-91 cm. It thrives in full sun. www.selectanorthamerica.com
New Sun Harmony™ NGI
Two new colours are the latest members of this successful New Guinea impatiens series – Red and Vivid Pink (pictured). They are great for your garden and will give it a real boost of colour and beauty. One of their most important qualities is the ability to tolerate
the hot sun and at the same time endure low and cold temperatures. Add to all that their low maintenance nature, and you get a perfect option for city gardening. They will add a blast of colour to public spaces and private gardens alike. www. danziger.co.il
The first red angelonia – a huge colour breakthrough in the class! Archangel has large-size blooms on upright stems. It makes a great heat-tolerant choice to extend your colourful gardening season and celebrate summer. The new Cherry Red colour lets you finally create a patriotic design mix! Angelonia is a low-maintenance plant that looks delicate but has tough
garden performance –perfect for today’s new gardener. Growers will appreciate its uniform habit and flowering time for easy, high-density production. Plus the wellbranched plants ship with less breakage, tangling and shrinkage. It grows to 12-14” (30-36 cm) in height with a spread of 10-12” (25-30 cm). It loves the sun. www. ballfloraplant.com
Miscanthus Fat Cat
Exclusively from Emerald Coast Growers comes Miscanthus sinensis ‘Fat Cat’™. This Japanese silver grass displays graceful, spherical masses of green leaves with
Miscanthus Bandwidth
The heat-tolerant Mirage series has more colour for gardens and containers, and blooms from the early season through the summer. Mirage is a self-branching S. greggii with a mounding habit that resists breaking. It features bold, bright blooms in nine great new colours. Mirage also makes a great op-
tion for mixed containers. Shoppers will love its low-maintenance and easy care. The plants are hardy in zones 7 to 9, but have frost tolerance for colour earlier and longer into the season. It grows to 12-14” (3036 cm) in height with a spread of 14-16” (36-41 cm). It grows great in full sun. www.darwinperennials.com
Get connected with Miscanthus sinensis ‘Bandwidth’™ (‘CP12511’) PPAF from Emerald Coast Growers. Its broad, bright gold bands span rich green blades. ‘Bandwidth’ forms full, compact stands that reach a height of two to three feet. It is hardy in Zones 5 to 10. ecgrowers.com
prominent white midribs, turning rich ruby in cool weather. Its red flowers soar to seven feet over three-foot clumps. It is hardy in Zones 6 to 9. ecgrowers.com
Bidens
Blazing™ Glory
While until now all the members of the Bidens series were quite large, ‘Blazing Glory’ is compact and easily managed, without losing its abundance of flowers. Another member of this series is the delightful ‘Mega Charm’ with its compact habit and big flowers. www.danziger. co.il
Mirage Salvia
STANLEY
Viewing Global Trends at Local Garden Shows
The Nannup Flower and Garden Festival is held every year in the southwest of Australia during the third week of August. Last year was the first year that the festival introduced show gardens constructed by both local organizations and landscape designers to provide the consumer with new ideas and solutions.
Around the world, gardening in many countries has declined in popularity in recent years. This has been due to a number of factors:
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Sometimes less is indeed more.
This landscape incorporates mini-golf.
• The perception of gardening as being difficult, especially with millennials.
• Smaller urban gardens.
• Too many garden retailers not stimulating sales with ideas and being focused more on the product than on consumer needs.
Events such as the Nannup Flower and Garden Festival are a positive way to celebrate gardening and encourage people of all ages to get involved in gardening. Garden shows – like this festival –around the world are being developed in exciting times when new community gardens are on the increase, schools are embracing gardening and cooking fresh food as part of the curriculum, and there is a renewed interest in growing your own food.
Show gardens provide a platform to stimulate ideas and create interest in exploring what can be achieved in a garden. The eight exhibitors at this rural show excelled in providing ideas and any of the exhibits would have easily fit into a Chelsea Flower Show.
Many consumers are more interested in learning how to create a garden that meets their needs
than they are in individual plants. Show gardens provide the opportunity to experiment with new ideas. Exhibitors at Nannup achieved that objective and excelled at stimulating new solutions for any garden whether it be in the city or a rural setting.
Trendy ideas that caught my attention included:
Garden sculptures are part of the retail mix: Creating a garden is more than selecting a group of plants – sculptures are now very much part of setting the scene in a garden and decorating the outdoor living area. They can be traditional, modern or futuristic.
Show gardeners how to recycle: Recycling is very much in vogue. A toilet can now become a conversation piece in the garden. The local Nannup mosaic group do an excellent job of recycling old items and giving them a new lease on life as a beautiful piece of outdoor art. Clubs like this can bring ideas and inspiration into a garden centre over a weekend with a demonstration of their art.
One of the landscape designers focused on gabion cubes and tubes out of snake wire. Framed mirrors were used to add interest and help the garden appear larger.
Fairy gardens are a growth category: Smaller garden lots mean smaller gardens and fairy gardens. Fairy garden workshops are a growing trend and category. A lot of interest was shown in this category at the Nannup show. At the IGA Show in Chicago in August they were noted as being one of the hottest trends in the garden category. In Australia, the consumer is ahead of the industry in growing this category.
Less is more: Fewer plants that are easy to maintain can stimulate potential gardeners into participating in the garden as an entertainment room outside, that could include a place to have a coffee or to play mini golf.
I would encourage local independent garden centres to use a local garden show as an incubator for ideas. That is what Nannup Garden Village did and it gave exhibitors an opportunity to share their ideas and develop new ones for the future.
John Stanley is a retail business coach, consultant, speaker and author. His expertise is in customerfocused layout, merchandising, marketing and branding, and customer-focused selling and service. Visit his website at www.johnstanley.com.au.
Spotlight on Pest Threats
Leading International Specialists Expected at Niagara Conference.
A major conference on the use of biological control in greenhouses is coming to Niagara in June.
The International Organization of Biological Control (IOBC) is a global organization of biological control workers that promotes environmentally safe methods of pest and disease control. It is comprised of a number of regional sections and within those regional sections there are various working groups that focus on specific uses of biocontrol. Despite the formidable sounding name, the Western Palaearctic Regional Section (WPRS) is simply that area of the world that includes 24 western European, Mediterranean and Middle East countries. One of the most active working groups within the WPRS is the Greenhouse IPM working group, “Integrated Control in Protected Crops, Temperate Climate.”
This working group meets every three years with usually 100-120 participants made up of biocontrol researchers, industry representatives (e.g. biocontrol producers) and greenhouse growers. It provides an opportunity for updates and new information on subjects such as the latest research, status of IPM in different countries, and new biocontrol products.
Although organized by the WPRS, there is always a strong contingent of attendees from other parts of the world including North America (the Nearctic Regional Section or NRS).
Each meeting is usually hosted by a different country within the WPRS. However, twice in the last 25 years (California in 1993 and British Columbia in 2002), it has been hosted in North America.
At the last conference in Belgium in 2014, it was decided to hold the next meeting outside Europe once more, with the 2017 meeting being awarded to Canada. Canadian delegates chose Ontario as the appropriate location. This is a real
honour for Canada and Ontario, and provides us with a unique opportunity to showcase the status of IPM in our greenhouse industries and the expansive research and extension programs which have been so important in advancing the use of biological control.
ONTARIO 2017
An international meeting like this obviously takes considerable time and resources to plan and organize. A local organizing committee comprised of research and industry personnel, has been actively planning this meeting (with administrative support from our European colleagues) since late 2014. The meeting will be held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, from June 4-8.
Activities will include three to four days of scientific discussion and presentations, bus tours of greenhouses highlighting the use of biological control, and a social program that will provide opportunities for further networking and information exchange among delegates.
Of particular note for local growers is a half-day session in the program (afternoon of Wednesday, June 7) focusing on the practical implementation of biological control in greenhouses. There is a special registration page for growers on the conference website and the registration fee will be $25 per person (which includes lunch).
The benefits for growers include the opportunity to hear presentations on the practical use of biocontrol from international speakers, and to network with attendees over lunch and coffee during the afternoon. For more information, visit the conference website at http://iobccanada2017.ca.
Graeme Murphy, retired OMAFRA greenhouse floriculture IPM specialist and now an industry consultant, prepared this report for the organizing committee.
LEFT
IOBC Canada 2017 will tackle all aspects of pest management.
RIGHT
Scientists networking at the 2014 conference in Belgium.
BEST YEAR EVER? Solid Sales Season for Poinsettias
Ontario growers who thought 2015 was a good year for the crop had a very pleasant surprise last fall, thanks to perfect weather conditions, excellent cuttings and minimal pest pressures. Retailers, too, were in a most festive mood.
BY MELHEM SAWAYA
I thought 2015 was the best year ever for poinsettia production, sales and consumer satisfaction. Well poinsettia production in 2016 was even better than 2015, making it the best year for production. Sales were better for the growers in general, but not great for all retailers depending on the product sizes, packaging, displays and sales timing. And consumer satisfaction depended on which product they ended up with.
SALES AND MARKETING:
Last year began with slow sales compared to other years, but finished strong. It featured great weather for sales and shipping, with no snow or frozen loads or blizzards to keep
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shoppers away.
The slow start was primarily for outlets that race to put poinsettias on their shelves before Remembrance Day, thinking that the red poinsettia is the same as a red poppy. Poinsettias are for Christmas and any push to sell them early is a recipe for sales shrinkage.
Early products that don’t move off the shelves start to look bad. By the time the consumer is ready to buy, all they find are nearly dead poinsettias and/or plants that are far from fresh.
“Timing is everything,” and we do not need snow to sell poinsettias. Some 70 per cent of poinsettias are sold in regions that never get snow! About 75 per cent of the
Poinsettia trees that are consumer friendly.
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poinsettia crop grown in Ontario last season was sold in the province compared to 95 per cent in 2015. The low dollar helped move a higher percentage of plants grown in Ontario.
Growers and buyers establish their programs six to 12 months in advance –last minute or spot buying is rare. Buyers for large chains have to have consistent suppliers for more than one product. That is why spot buying is their last choice. A buyer managing 100-plus stores does not want to deal with too many suppliers. This is a positive because programs will prevent price-cutting – growers and buyers will know what they are getting into right at the start of growing the crop.
A new realization from growers that is long overdue is the cost of shipping, which has risen over the last few years by 30 per cent even with comparatively low fuel costs. This has triggered greater co-operation among growers and buyers to focus on local markets where possible. Calculating total costs should include every aspect of growing and selling the crop, and transportation is a major expense.
The demand for large pot sizes and plants has been less than normal. All sizes were completely sold out in Ontario except the 8” pot size due to:
• With 8” pots, most of the space is filled. Growers end up growing whatever the space allows. They’re not so much filling an order as they are hoping for the best. In other words, they’re growing on speculation and we’ve
long known that growing on speculation usually has disastrous outcomes.
• The consumer appetite is for smaller poinsettias, both for the price point and the size of their living quarters. They can also see that the size of the new varieties in a 6” pot is much larger and they have many more blooms that can easily compete with the 8” pot size.
A buyer managing 100-plus stores does not want to deal with too many suppliers.
The new sizes for successful production, while giving the consumer a better chance to succeed in having a longer lasting plant, includes one plant/pot for 2”, 5” and 7” containers, and three plants/ pot for 10” and 12” containers.
I know it is hard to change growing the old traditional sizes, but by working with your buyer and advertising the benefits, you will be ahead of the curve in providing a much better product.
Different poinsettia varieties require different production schedules for different sizes. Following these sizes is a good thing because that’s when the plants are used at their maximum potential and at
the most economical cost. What is more important is that it will give the consumer a better chance of keeping the plants much longer.
PRODUCTION
Most stock producers are doing a better job every year in providing good quality cuttings that are generally pest-free. The whitefly battle was quiet this past poinsettia season for growers using biologicals or chemicals. As well, the hot, dry summer helped limit the number of field whiteflies. Even tomato fields in the province had far fewer whiteflies than normal.
However this same weather also led to higher populations of spider mites and Lewis mites, especially in greenhouses largely relying on biological control. Normally, mites are not a serious problem in poinsettia production and predators that control whiteflies do not work on spider mites.
All in all, it was a much better year for pest management.
The most effective control seems to be a combination of using biologicals at the beginning and chemicals at the finish. But in the quest for chemical-free greenhouses, biological producers have to come up with beneficial predators that can clean the last of the whiteflies. Eretmocerus mundus is an effective predator but it is no longer available nor easy to produce. The good news is that I know of one biological company that is going to produce it but its availability is going to be to the growers who are going to use their total biological program for the other pests.
LEFT Princettia is a new type of poinsettia. RIGHT Christmas Beauty North Pole is a great new white variety.
Last season was the best year ever for rooting poinsettia cuttings, even though it was not the best weather. Good cuttings arrived on time and came from much healthier stock plants.
The most important improvement was the much-improved skills of the propagators. They have developed the best procedures to have healthy, strongly rooted cuttings especially at the rooting stations.
In addition to all of this, the excellent fall weather helped in having the best poinsettia crop ever. The crop ended up:
• Being earlier than normal due to the higher solar energy.
• Bracts and plants were larger than normal.
• Lower heating costs.
• Minimal shrinkage, if any.
• Negligible disease pressures.
• Bract edge burn ... what is that?
• No botrytis.
And if the plants were ordered for the traditional sales period, there was very little shrinkage at retail.
VARIETIES
Few new varieties are going to be in production this year. Try the new varieties on a small scale and then decide whether to include them in your program. Remember to drop your least desirable varieties if you add new ones.
Two years ago the Ontario poinsettia trials were moved from the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre to nearby Linwell Gardens. The move was a great improvement for growing and flexibility.
This year the trials are going to take place at Jeffery’s Greenhouses in St. Catharines. This will feature variety trials designed to answer many of the “what if” questions in poinsettia production. An open house will be held to share the information with growers and buyers. It’s time to take poinsettia production, marketing and consumer success to the next level. Stay tuned for more information.
In this feature’s photos we present a few of the varieties that look promising. Some are new and others were introduced a few years ago but are not widely grown. Varieties that are good for 5” pots are not necessarily good for 10” production, or at least you would need to modify the production schedule drastically to use the same variety for every size. Read the variety specs and try it in the new sizes.
Red poinsettias are at least 93 per cent of the total, followed by white (four per
— Juan Sebastian Ponce Head Grower Propagation
Head Grower Propagation
Metrolina Greenhouses
Metrolina Greenhouses
Juan has been using BotaniGard® for several years and says, “Since we started using BotaniGard in our program, we have noticed a big difference in our IPM report with less early readings of thrips, aphids, whiteflies, leaf miners, fungus gnats and shore flies on yellow cards.”
BotaniGard Biopesticide
✦ Controls early stages of thrips, whiteflies, and aphids
✦ Excellent tool for resistance management
✦ Safe for use with many beneficials
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— Juan Sebastian Ponce
cent) and pink (two per cent) pink. The rest are in the “miscellaneous” category.
This fall’s trials will include shelf life longevity, treatments of different growth regulators and different production applications. The open house will be held as close to Nov. 20th as possible, allowing growers to see the varieties before they are all mature and starting to look the same.
Regardless of which variety you grow, remember to ensure the planting media is not filled flush with the pot rim. This will give the stores and homeowners a reservoir to be able to water the plants effectively.
Two seasons ago a study group of growers and educators began meeting once a month (starting in June) to discuss production issues. They mainly concentrated on whitefly control this past season. The study group met in different greenhouse operations and had a discussion and tour of the host grower’s crop. Next season we are going to do the same thing and try to include more topics than just whitefly control.
PROBLEMS IN 2016
Insects: Whitefly is the major pest with poinsettias. However with the greater use of targeted biological control other insects are popping up, including Echinothrips and spider mites. And for the first time we have seen mealy bug that came with the cuttings on a couple of cultivars.
Diseases: Diseases were not a big issue in 2016, thanks to the good weather and great cultivars. For growers who paid strict attention to good cultural practices, there were no problems at all – even without the use of fungicides, and biological
IN SUMMARY
• Grow varieties you are familiar with and try new ones on a small scale.
• Calculate your cost for any required specs and do not forget about packaging and shipping.
• Take an order when there is still some profit margin and not just dollar sales.
• Never grow on pure speculation.
• Running out of plants at the end of the season and you need to buy some – that is when you are starting to make headway profit-wise.
• Do not cheat on what the crop needs to grow properly; it will cost you much more at the end if you do.
• Start a study group with the growers in your vicinity.
• And last, but not least, if all the conditions that took place in 2016 are repeated this year, then growing poinsettia could be quite profitable.
or chemical controls.
Physiological disorders: There were problems with heat delay in a couple of spots because of malfunctioning heat valves. And in another example, a light bulb over a sidewalk kept a 50-foot circle of plants green for a time, but the problem was corrected and the plants were shipped just before Christmas.
Melhem Sawaya of Focus Greenhouse Management is a consultant and research coordinator to the horticultural industry – mel@ focusgreenhousemanagement.com.
“ It’s important for us to connect with those who aren’t involved in ag and explain what agriculture today really looks like.”
Pamela Ganske, Agvocate Ag Retailer
Gardeners Weigh In On Their Favourites
Visitors at the University of Guelph’s renowned Ornamental Trials in Vineland, Royal Botanical Gardens, Milton and Guelph were able to vote for the varieties that performed best in 2016.
BY RODGER TSCHANZ
In a similar article last year, a number of visitors’ favourites from an open house at the container trials at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) were presented.
This year the content has been expanded to include voting responses from visitors at the four different university of Guelph trial sites: Guelph, Milton, Royal Botanical Gardens (Hendrie Park) and at Vineland. This expansion allows the article to include both ground bed and container responses.
The container data was collected from Guelph and Vineland while the ground bed data is compiled from responses at Milton, Guelph and the RBG. The production of all plants for the four trial locations primarily took place at the University of
MAIN ‘French Quarter.’
Guelph’s research greenhouses.
No PGRs were used during the greenhouse production phase of the bedding plant crop. Growth control on the benches was achieved by physically trimming the plants once on the greenhouse benches in late April.
VEGETATIVE AND SEED PROPAGATED MATERIAL
The trial plant material was composed of both vegetative and seed propagated material and was planted outdoors over a two-week period extending from the end of May to the beginning of June in 2016.
Table 1, next page: This table lists the top 10 container grown cultivar selections as determined by
ABOVE Rodger Tschanz, of the University of Guelph.
Genus
Lantana Lucky™ Red Ball FloraPlant Liner 47/121/24
Verbena (hybrid) Magelana Red Star Syngenta Liner 38/87/39
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Table 1. Top 10 container-grown cultivar selections as determined by visitor votes during period of July 27 through Aug. 20, 2016.
visitor votes during the period of July 27 through Aug. 20, 2016. It presents a compilation of votes from the Vineland and Guelph trial sites. The measurements were taken from the Vineland trial on Sept. 12. Unless otherwise indicated, each container was planted with three plants (11 cm pot size) on May 26 or 27, 2016. Height equals the maximum height of container plant above soil level in pot; spread equals maximum spread of the three combined plants in container; drop equals the measurement of plant material draping over the rim of the pot measuring from the pot rim downward.
For over 30 years, Hillen Nurser y Inc. has remained dedicated and passionate about the nursery industr y. We invite you to visit our website with easy access to our complete up-to- date listings of hundreds of varieties, look ing good photo's and more
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SOME OF THE TOP CONTAINER PERFORMERS
Lantana ‘Lucky Red’ – This lantana cultivar displayed vigorous growth, season-long bloom and pollinator attractiveness in the trials. It was suitable for both container and landscape plantings. After 3.5 months of growth in the Vineland trials, three plants in 41 cm containers reached a height of 47 cm and a spread of 121 cm. After 3.5 months growing in the trial beds at Guelph, the landscape spread was 110 cm. Verbena ‘Endurascape Pink Bicolor’ – The summer of 2016
Table 2. Top 10 ground bed grown cultivar selections as determined by visitor votes during the week of Aug. 15-20, 2016.
was a great year to observe summer heat performance of cool-loving annuals such as verbena. This particular cultivar had noticeably more bloom throughout the heat of the summer than the other verbena entries. It is a vigorous grower in both containers and ground beds.
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Impatiens ‘SunPatiens Compact Tropical Rose’ – The variegated foliage of this cultivar provides a favourable backdrop to its large rosy coloured blooms. Visitors to the trials also liked the way this plant was showy in the evening under lower light conditions. ‘Compact
Tropical Rose’ had a noticeably compact growth habit compared to the spreading versions of the SunPatiens series.
Cyperus ‘Prince Tut’ – In the U of G trials this plant was a full 50 cms shorter than ‘King Tut.’ Everything else was similar between the two cultivars – same
plant form and shoot density. The reduced height of this plant was very appealing in a container.
Calibrachoa ‘MiniFamous Double Pink 17’ – This dark pink, double-flowered calibrachoa caught the attention of visitors with its profusion of relatively small blossoms.
Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Pomegranate Punch’ – There were 34 different calibrachoa cultivars in the 2016 container trials. Many were eye-catching and prolific bloomers. This was one of them with a deep shade of red and blackish floral centre.
Petunia ‘Opera Supreme Raspberry Ice Imp’ – This seed-propagated petunia is similar to the Supertunia Vista series in vigour. The medium-sized blooms (5.7 cm diameter) were found to have exceptional rain tolerance. This cultivar is a good choice for both containers and the landscape where each plant exceeded one metre in spread and 43 cm in height.
Petunia ‘Supertunia Picasso in Purple’ (PIP) – During the greenhouse phase of the trial, this cultivar was observed to be less aggressive on the benches than ‘Pretty Much Picasso’ (PMP). Like PMP, this entry has flower petals edged with light green. When grown side by side in the outdoor container trial, the vibrant bloom colour and densely packed blooms of ‘Picasso in Purple’ drew the eye away from ‘Pretty Much Picasso.’ The average bloom size of PIP measured 5.3 cm compared to 4.7 cm for PMP.
Petunia ‘Sweetunia Lemon Frost’ – This petunia has medium vigour and bloom size (5.5 cm diameter). Trial garden voters were attracted to its pale yellow bloom accented with light pink highlights. This cultivar performed the best in containers over ground beds.
Verbena ‘Magelana Red Star’ – This cultivar of verbena had acceptable heat tolerance and all-season bloom in both containers and ground beds. Its unique bright red and white star pattern on the flower attracted voters.
Table 2, previous page: Top 10 ground bed grown cultivar selections as determined by visitor votes during the week of August 15-20, 2016. This table presents a compilation of votes from the
Herbaceous
Perennial Plants
Armitage’s extensive travelling, teaching and trialling experiences provide a depth of understanding of the best ornamental perennials for North American gardens unparalleled by any other garden writer.
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The third edition of “The Big Perennial Book” (as it is fondly referred to by many practitioners) describes 3,600 species in 1,224 pages. More than 300 colour photos complement detailed text filled with the author’s pointed observations of plant performance, cultivar selection and current taxonomy.
Armitage’s trademark wit and passion are both in abundance, making reading as pleasurable as it is informative.
t H ir D e D ition
ABOVE ‘Lucky Red.’
Milton, Guelph and RBG University trial sites. The hot and dry conditions of 2016 were ideal for growing heat-lovers such as zinnias and peppers so it isn’t surprising that a number of cultivars of these species were exceptional and chosen as open house favourites!
SOME OF THE TOP GROUND BED CULTIVARS
Capsicum ‘Ornamental Pepper AAS 16OS09’ – This All-America Selections (AAS) entry in the 2016 trial was a dark-purple coloured foliage ornamental pepper with a compact, bushy growth habit. The foliage colour and fruit shape is very similar to that of ‘Black Pearl’ but is half the height. Although the seed for this entry isn’t commercially available for this season we hope it will be soon.
Zinnia ‘Profusion Red’ – This zinnia was entered in the 2016 AAS trial where it was judged to be a National AAS winner for 2017. Its unique true red bloom colour and continuous bloom habit made it popular with trial garden visitors as well.
Solenostemon ‘French Quarter’ –This coleus has what might be called traditional coloration and patterning; green leaf with shades of purple and rose coloring the leaf centre. This was a vigorous growing plant, achieving large dimension in the sun and shade, in containers and in the ground. The container specimen grown in Vineland had a height in September of 100 cm.
In addition to attractive foliage and plant size this cultivar was not observed to have bloomed at any of the trial locations; from a maintenance point of view, not needing to physically remove the flowers is an attractive feature.
Capsicum ‘Black Pearl’ – This was an AAS winner for 2006 but continues to catch the attention of visitors to the trial garden.
Rodger Tschanz is a greenhouse technician and sessional lecturer at the University of Guelph. In 2001, he was asked by the Department of Plant Agriculture to create and manage the university’s Ornamental Trial Garden program.
The trial garden locations have expanded over the years to currently include ground bed trials in Guelph, Milton and the Royal Botanical Gardens as well as container trials in Guelph and at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.
At the Guelph site, Tschanz is a judge for the annual and perennial entries of the All-America Selections organization.
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An Early Start for Generalist Predators
It is important to know the biology of the natural enemy in use.
BY DR. ABIDA NASREEN
During early season, greenhouse crops are often considered as simple ecosystems with low biodiversity. Particularly, crops in modern greenhouses appear sterile compared to outdoor crops and this is because plants are grown on hydroponic systems in a closed environment.
However, infestations by several small pest species cannot be avoided and the release of natural enemies against these pests adds to the diversity. Seemingly “clean” greenhouse crops often accommodate complex artificial communities of multiple pests and natural enemies. One reason for the increased diversity might be the introduction of exotic species – more species than ever before develop into pests and release off a variety of natural enemies.
The release of natural enemies, especially generalist predators (except some predatory mites) early in the season is not considered important conventionally. Growers prefer to release specialists instead as a preventive measure to manage the insect pest problems depending on the crop and
pest threat.
For instance, pepper growers like to apply Amblyseius swirskii for thrips and Aphidius colmani for aphids; cucumber greenhouses release A. swirskii for thrips and whitefly problems; and tomato farms use Encarsia Formosa to prevent whitefly pests.
It is important to know the biology of the natural enemy in use. The adult life of specialists is shorter than that of predators or generalists because they can feed on a variety of pests, pollen and plant material. However, parasitoids or specialists do not have this ability and cannot survive without a specific food; mites can survive a bit longer then parasitoids but without egg production.
Generalists may locally drive pests to extinction without necessarily leading to a decline in predator numbers. Thereafter, generalists may adopt a lying-in-wait strategy, maintaining their numbers on non-pest prey and preventing re-invasion by the pests.
PHOTOS COURTESY
DR. ABIDA NASREEN
When generalist predators are released in greenhouse crops, pest species such as thrips, whiteflies, spider mites and aphids can be involved in apparent competition. Examples of such generalist predators are anthocorid bugs (Orius insidiosus), mirid bugs (Dicyphus hesperus), and predatory mite (Amblyseius swirskii).
For example, Dicyphus and Swirskii are able to control both whiteflies and thrips effectively on greenhouse tomato and cucumber. Direct observation suggests that these predators mediate apparent competition between the two pests; whitefly control was substantially better in the presence of thrips. Moreover, spider mites were controlled better by the presence of thrips through apparent competition. Although neither Dicyphus or Swirskii is an effective predator of spider mites, (especially Swirskii because it is strongly hindered by the webbing), they can prevent the formation of new colonies of spider mites by threatening, disturbing and predation. As a result, generalist predators can even have significant effects on prey species they cannot suppress successfully on their own.
FIELD STUDIES
Manipulative field studies show that in approximately 75 per cent of cases, generalist predators, whether single species or species assemblages, reduce pest numbers significantly. For instance, in Mediterranean countries leaf minor (Tuta absoluta) in a greenhouse tomato crop was controlled by the combined work of mirid bug (Macrolophus pygmagus and Trichogramma species) despite intraguild predation. Scientific studies also show that this predator presents preference between parasitized and unparasitized Trichogramma eggs. For instance, predators Macrolophus pygmagus and Nesidiocoris tenuis and the parasitoid Eretmocerus mundus have shown their efficacy at controlling B. tabaci populations when used in combination as biological control agents, leading towards conservation of biological control strategies. In another example, coccinellids and carabids both feed on aphids within a crop (additive), but dislodgement of aphids by the coccinellids in the canopy also causes them to fall to the ground where they are more vulnerable to the carabids (synergistic).
In the majority of studies, individual species of generalist predators are shown to reduce pest density significantly when used in proper predator/prey combination
(pests reduced significantly in 70 per cent of cases) or inundative releases of predators (pests reduced significantly in 82 per cent of cases). It has been demonstrated through scientific studies that predators have a significant beneficial effect in reducing crop damage or increasing yield in 20 out of 21 cases (95 per cent). Inundative releases of predatory mites against spider mites and thrips have been observed to be successful not only on greenhouse crops but on citrus, grapevines, hops and in lily propagation as well.
Another approach of combining arthropod natural enemies with entomopathogenic fungi in the light of new methodologies and technologies such as conservation biological control, greenhouse climate management, and formulation and delivery offers new opportunities to optimize and further develop biological pest control.
Scientific results suggest that a combination of the generalist predator Dicyphus Hesperus and the entomopathogenic fungi Paecilomyces fumosotoseus has a potential to cause mortality of whiteflies despite evidence of minimal interference.
Similarly, and using the example of potato plants, increased diversity of natural enemies, including a predatory beetle and predatory bug above ground and entomopathogenic nematodes and entomopathogenic B. bassiana below ground, provides a significant reduction in the Colorado Potato beetle population while also presenting an increase in plant biomass indirectly.
Furthermore, a new study has shown that compatibility and overall increased effects are observed when both emtomopathogenic fungi and an arthropod predator are applied.
Greenhouse crops offer unique opportunities to design and optimize ecosystems through releases of arthropod natural enemies and by manipulating the greenhouse climate. Implementing such new techniques enhances the possibilities to completely manage the greenhouse climate. Interestingly, these new techniques also offer new opportunities to temporarily adapt the greenhouse climate for other purposes, such as optimizing pest control with microbials. For example, increasing greenhouse humidity levels significantly increased pest control with B. bassiana.
Let’s start another era with new approach of IPM.
Dr. Abida Nasreen is the director of research and development with GrowLiv Ltd., www.growliv.com.
Strong, well-shaped poinsettias in the greenhouse. Strong
SUPPLEMENTAL Lighting Challenges
If you’re growing vegetables in winter or under low light conditions, artificial lights are a must. Without them, you’ll never get up to PAR in bringing the crop to harvest.
BY DR. MOHYUDDIN MIRZA
BELOW (from left to right)
Photos A, B and C – lighting applications.
Growing vegetables in winter using supplemental lights is on the increase in Canada. Alberta currently has over 30 acres under lights for winter production of cucumbers and some tomatoes. Growers are experimenting with peppers as well.
A one-acre range of tomatoes has been built with LED lights and a crop is being grown. This is the first project of its kind in the province, although a few growers have been experimenting with LED inter-lighting. Some great research work is being conducted at the Greenhouse Research and Development Complex, Crop Diversification Centre South in Brooks, Alta.
The challenges of using supplemental light were highlighted when the weather was cloudy for several days in December. This is when prices are good and you want excellent quality production to supply the market.
The reason we refer to artificial lights as “supplemental” lights is that these units supplement the natural sunlight. Without sunlight, these lights don’t provide sufficient photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). For example in November and December 2016, the light intensity measured by sensors ranged from 47 joules to 153 joules and this was over a period of 10 days. These light sensors are located outside the greenhouse. The light coming inside the greenhouse is further reduced.
The PAR light provided by artificial lights is truly supplemental. Photo A shows the distance from HPS lights to young plants. The PAR was around 50-70 micromoles/sq.m/second. These seedlings were growing adequately due to the supply of sunlight in October.
Photo B shows where plants are fully grown and situated closer to the supplemental lights. The light measured at the top of the plants was close to 150 micromoles/sq.m/second. You can see LED top lights on the left side of the picture.
Photo C shows how more light is available at the top and how lower leaves are shaded.
The end result is that if natural light is low, the plant is not making enough food or assimilates to feed or fill all the fruit that is set. The first sign is that fruit abortion occurs. The point I am making is that if natural light is less than 600 joules/sq.cm, then it will be considered a low light situation.
Besides fruit abortion the fruit quality will also be affected and reduced. The fruit is hanging on too long to mature. Shelf life is very poor in such cucumbers. In Photo D you can see loss of colour, soft blossom ends and with a slight touch the skin can sink.
As mentioned earlier, if light levels are low, the plant cannot manufacture enough assimilates to satisfy the demands of the roots, shoots, leaves and fruits. The plant will try to make more leaves and temporary root decay can occur. A warning sign is that the pH of the growing medium will start going down. I have seen pH values below 5.0 and that can cause root damage.
Here are some strategies growers can use to keep plants growing and producing:
• Manage temperatures daily based on leaf temperature. Use a handheld infrared thermometer to check the leaf temperature. – On cloudy days, the 24-hour average temperature can be reduced to
around 20.5 C in the case of cucumbers. You can reduce day temperature to achieve this.
• Adjust your watering accordingly. – If light levels are low, the plant is not transpiring much and so water needs are reduced. Cut down on drain percentage, otherwise a waterlogged situation can cause pythium.
• Electrical conductivity (E.C.) in the feed can be increased to over 3 mmhos and the leach can be maintained around 4.0 mmhos.
• Increase your carbon dioxide levels to around 800-900 ppm. If you are using carbon dioxide from boilers, be sure to check the nitrous oxide and ethylene levels inside the greenhouse.
During cloudy days and cold weather, there is minimum venting and the levels of these pollutants can go to toxic levels. The first symptoms appear on leaves with them being very dark green, puckered and smaller sized. The leaves start turning yellow very early. Note the effects in Photo E (short-term exposure) and Photo F (long-term chronic exposure).
Plants under such conditions are very susceptible to insects like thrips, whitefly and aphids. Watch the plants carefully and manage accordingly.
Powdery mildew can become very aggressive under cloudy conditions, so plan to control this fungus early.
Avoid climate fluctuations as this could result in edema – the cells burst open due to a rapid drop in temperature when lights are turned off.
Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza is an industry consultant, drmirzaconsultants@gmail.com.
V-shaped habits mean you can sleeve our poinsettias and ship them to stores with less
PHOTOS
PHOTO D
PHOTO F
PHOTO E
DIVERSIFICATION: Berry Crops Look Promising
Researchers are identifying exciting new crops that grow well in the greenhouse and that are expected to find growing and enthusiastic markets throughout North America.
BY PETER MITHAM
Growing exotic produce in greenhouses has been known since the 18th century, but growers attending the Pacific Agriculture Show (PAS) in Abbotsford, British Columbia, were told not to discount their commercial potential.
Rising immigration and the desire to boost local food options have combined to turn fresh attention on crops not normally seen alongside the standard tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and lettuces in greenhouses across Canada.
Take strawberries, for example. Typically grown in fields or foraged in forests, they’re seldom seen in Canadian greenhouses. That’s not the case in Asia and Europe, and now
Mexico, where growers are adding them to their greenhouses.
“I thought that strawberry cannot be grown in an open field, because living in Tokyo, strawberry is a greenhouse crop,” said Dr. Chieri Kubota, a Japanese-born professor in the School of Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona. She oversees the university’s greenhouse strawberry research.
“We started this program about six years ago, knowing that we need something else, other than tomato, cucumber or lettuce in the greenhouse.”
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Kubota said greenhouse production is a missed opportunity that could help ABOVE
There is growing interest in greenhouse strawberries.
PHOTO COURTESY
DR. CHIERI KUBOTA/U OF ARIZONA
take the pressure off California field growers hit hard by labour shortages and drought.
Greenhouse berry production focuses on maximizing the value of the end crop and depends on timing, just as with poinsettias.
The cycle begins in May with the preparation of plant material, followed by transplanting of the young plants to the actual production system. Harvest begins in November, just in time for the holiday season when local supplies are shortest and the fruit commands the highest price. The season ends with crop termination in April.
“You have to look at what’s available in what timing, and depending on the varieties, the limitations need to be considered,” Kubota said, emphasizing the need to select varieties that will hit the market at the right time.
“If you want very flavourful strawberries, you’ve got to look at the [nighttime] temperature.”
Day-neutral and short-day (or June-bearing) varieties are both available for greenhouse production, but both have issues that require attention.
• Day-neutral varieties, for example, tend to bear in a cyclical pattern, with a barren period between crops.
• Short-day varieties bear well, but require time-consuming, labour-intensive management to keep flowering and harvest on track, and prevent growers from missing the peak holiday market.
‘Albion,’ one of the most popular varieties in B.C., has been the top day-neutral greenhouse berry to date. It yields large fruit to the tune of eight kilograms a square metre, and checks in at eight degrees Brix.
‘Nyoko,’ an older Japanese variety, had small fruit and lower yields, but exceptional flavour at 10 degrees Brix. Plant management is painful, however, so Kubota continues to seek a short-day match for ‘Albion.’
CLEAN MATERIAL
Kubota recommends growing new plants
from misted runners. Grown in greenhouses, they’re free from outside contaminants and effectively accustomed to the greenhouse environment.
She transplants the young plants to raised troughs that are easier on workers, and provide a more amenable and forgiving environment for the roots. (Kubota recommends two litres of substrate to accommodate the extensive root systems.)
“Root zone environment for strawberries is very important. They are so sensitive to everything, but particularly [the] root zone environment,” Kubota said.
A pH of 5.5 to 6.5 is ideal, while nitrogen and potassium requirements are smaller than for tomatoes and other greenhouse crops.
Above ground, the daytime air temperature should be in the range of 18 to 24 C, while the nighttime air temperature should be approximately 10 to 13 C.
“This is for the flowers, the size, and also for the sugar accumulation,” Kubota said. “If you want very flavourful strawberries, you’ve got to look at the [nighttime] temperature.”
Humidity, as in other crops, is critical to ensure plant and fruit quality, and avoid burn at the leaf tips and calyx. Kubota devised an under-the-trough system that maintains an ambient environment around the plants.
“It seems to work really well, except the time we are heating a lot,” she said. “So now we are trying to develop a strategy that even works the nights we have to heat from the beginning of the night.”
QUALITY IS KEY TO MARKET SUCCESS
Since strawberries in North America don’t command the prices seen in Asia, growers need to be cost-conscious when managing their crop.
Kubota said production costs in her test greenhouse are approximately $3.81 US per plant, with one plant per square foot. The break-even price given an average yield of nine kilograms per square metre (1.84 pounds per square foot) is about $2.59 US a pound.
“You need to sell much higher than this, obviously,” she told growers. “If you have to compete with California, you need to create a very niche market – local, niche, flavour-driven, quality-driven market.”
Peter Mitham is a freelance writer in British Columbia.
Invincibelle fundraising nears $1M
The Invincibelle® Spirit Campaign has raised over $973,000 for breast cancer research and will surpass the $1 million dollar benchmark in the coming year.
Since 2009, the campaign has supported the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® by donating one dollar for every Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea sold and through Pink Day fundraisers hosted by independent garden centres.
Proven Winners® ColorChoice®, the brand behind Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea.
BCRF provides critical funding for cancer research worldwide to fuel advances in tumour biology, genetics, prevention, treatment, metastasis and survivorship.
In 2015, Invincibelle Spirit II hydrangea was added to the Proven Winners ColorChoice shrub line. This new introduction improves upon the original Invincibelle Spirit while continuing the legacy of donating one dollar from each plant sold to BCRF.
From the continued H. arborescens breeding of Tom Ranney, this new hydrangea improves upon the original with brighter flower colour, stronger stems and superior container presentation.
Like its predecessor, Invincibelle Spirit II hydrangea is a reliable rebloomer that will perform from Manitoba to Mobile.
NEW PRODUCTS
New PGR from Engage
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Broad spectrum control
FujiMite® from Engage Agro is a group 21 contact miticide/insecticide with broad spectrum control of mites as well as suppression of whiteflies that can be applied on greenhouse ornamentals and vegetables. It is active on all developmental stages of mites and provides ovicidal activity on eggs. It is IPM compatible and an excellent choice for resistance management. www.engageagro.com
FATMAX water hose
Bond Manufacturing has launched the STANLEY® FATMAX® professional grade water hose. The average industrial hose in today’s market can be a chore to work with, as constant kinking and unmanageable weight becomes a hassle. The first in a series of new watering products, FATMAX seeks to solve those problems with proprietary technologies. It is scratch and abrasion resistant. www.Bondmfg.com
CANADA CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIED RATES: Minimum order $75.00 or 84¢ per word, word ads must be pre-paid. CLASSIFIED DISPLAYS: $72.00 per column inch, or $5.14 per agate line. GENERAL INFORMATION: Payment must accompany order. Copy required by the 1st of the month preceding publication. All advertising copy subject to the approval of the publisher. Send order and remittance to: Classified Dept., Greenhouse Canada, P.O. Box 530, 105 Donly Dr. S., Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5
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INSIDE VIEW
GARY JONES | Gary.Jones@kpu.ca
Automation is Creating New Career Opportunities
I don’t very often check out the business section of the BBC News page, but a recent headline caught my eye. “In the not-too-distant future, our fields could be tilled, sown, tended and harvested entirely by fleets of co-operating autonomous machines by land and air.”1
It was partly the heading, but also the fact that agriculture automation was being flagged up on such a prominent, public news site that caught my eye. Jackpot – it’s like being on the front page of a Google™ search!
Discussing “Driverless Tractors that Follow Pre-Programmed Routes,” “Drones Buzzing Over Fields Assessing Crop Health and Soil Conditions,” and “In Japan, the World’s First Entirely Automated Lettuce Farm is Due for Launch Next Year,” the report added that “they’ll be working both day and night.” The basic assumption was that technology could “help farmers produce more food, more sustainably, at lower cost.”1
This sector of automation is growing at an incredible rate, and in a project called “The Hands Free Hectare,” engineers in England are trying to show it’s now possible to farm a field without a human ever setting foot on it. And “Japanese firm Spread’s automated (vertical rise) vegetable factory in Kyoto, due to launch next year, could produce 30,000 lettuces a day.”1All done by machine.
course were asked to make a 15-minute movie on “The Greenhouse of the Future.” Many of the resulting broad concepts of rooftop glasshouses, greenhouses on floating barges, vertical garden tower buildings and food production in derelict buildings are already happening on a fairly wide scale. But, as ever, many stressed that labour would be crucial and automation extensive. Nearing the end of their two years of studies, it was interesting to see how concerned – almost fearful – these students were of the potential reduction in jobs because of the mechanization they are seeing. Fear not, I say …
The Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council (CAHRC) recently published its “Agriculture 2025: How the Sector’s Labour Challenges Will Shape its Future” report. This points to the fact that “in 2014, 26,400 jobs went unfilled in Canada’s agriculture sector, which cost the sector $1.5 billion in lost revenues.” Because of this, agriculture now relies on foreign workers for 12 per cent of its workforce. The gap is widening, and by 2025, CAHRC claims the sector’s labour shortage will increase to 113,800 people. For our sector, “the greenhouse, nursery and floriculture industry will continue to have the widest gap,” with about 27,000 jobs unfilled by 2025.
Agriculture relies on foreign workers for 12 per cent of workforce.
You may have seen the (night) light shows presented by dozens of drones flying in ever-changing formations, creating stunning 3-D patterns of multi-coloured LEDs.
A 21st century equivalent of millennia-old Chinese pyrotechnics perhaps. Well, agricultural engineers are using drones to work together in swarms, for example moving to high concentrations of weeds in a field to help out their aerial weeding colleagues
Of course, automation might promise more efficient food production, but some would argue it also threatens agricultural jobs. The BBC claims that “robots will surely accelerate this decline” (in the percentage of agricultural jobs in the workforce).
This year’s students in Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Greenhouse Structures and Equipment
Horticulture jobs of the future will surely include “agri-drone squadron supervisor,” “vertical farm technology manager” and perhaps a “robo-cop.” Exciting sounding careers? CAHRC says the number of lower-end jobs not being filled is increasing rapidly. So automation is perhaps developing in response to (rather than creating) these labour issues. That leaves more fulfilling jobs looking for suitable candidates. Human-less fields do not mean no farmers on site. They mean the farmer has changed. Surely this is a great time to be entering this fascinating industry.
1 Padraig Belton, Technology of Business reporter, BBC.com/News/Business. 25th November 2016.
Gary Jones is co-chair of horticulture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langley, B.C. He serves on several industry committees and welcomes comments at Gary.Jones@kpu.ca.
