The big picture: using wildflower strips for pest control
They may be beautiful, but these strips prove pretty deadly for every farmer's mortal enemy: aphids
Glasshouse Facilities
Ranging in sophistication from basic frost-free protection to fully heated, lit and thermally screened compartments our glasshouse facilities provide a total of 1,452 m2 of growing space with some spaces benefitting from automatic irrigation systems, (flood benching, drip irrigation and capacity for hydroponic horticulture). A portion of our glasshouse facility is specifically designed to grow plants which require containment or quarantine measures, (CL1,CL2) or temperature sensitive plant trials. Many of our glasshouse compartments are monitored and operated using a climate control system.
In addition we have 2 polytunnels, (70-m2), a protected poly-roofed cage, a netted and irrigated sand bed and an irrigated tree nursery facility.
Controlled Environment Facilities
These environments are comprised of 4 buildings dedicated to plant growth and we are able to offer a wide range of climatic environments from tundra to tropical.
Plant Growth CERs
There are 25 CERs which offer growing spaces from 2.4 m2 to 10.5 m2. We have 2 CERs are dedicated to plant vernalisation, (4 – 6 0C) and 1CER offers the photobiologist the capacity to vary the spectrum. All our CERs are compliant for plant studies involving GM organisms, (CL1) but 11 are suitable for plant quantine, fungal and pathogen studies or insect studies, (CL1, CL2, CL3).
CERs are lit using daylight spectrum LED gro-lamps, (Valoya and Heliospectra) and offer intensities from 100 to 1000 umols, a temperature range 70C to 30 0C. Some offer humidity control 60-90% and CO2 enhancement. In a few CERs we are able to increase the temperature range boundary up to 35 0C for short periods of time.
Plant Growth CECs
Our CECs offer between 0.5-m2 – 3-m2 of shelved growing space, offer temperature control, (7 -45 0C) and humidity control, (60 – 98%). 3 of our chambers can run at -1 0C for short periods of time. Dimmable daylight spectrum is provided by either Valoya or Hettich LEDs and some of our chambers offer enhanced CO2 supply.
