Hydroponic growing top of mind at InfoAgro

The fifth edition of Infoagro Exhibition opened yesterday in Aguadulce, Almería and hydroponic growing is top of mind at the visitors and exhibitors of the 2025 event. The biannual exhibition organised in the heart of Europes vegetable garden serves as a platform for the greenhouse industry, with the 2025 edition marked by broader international participation.

For the first time, exhibiting companies from Turkey and China are present, with the latter represented by a delegation offering greenhouse construction structures marketed at price levels drawing attention in the protected cropping industry.

Among the developments presented, biological solutions for crop nutrition and protection remain a growing segment. Exhibitors are displaying a wide range of biostimulants and biological inputs as alternatives to conventional active substances. These alternatives come at a time when the European Union maintains a regulatory trajectory focused on reviewing and withdrawing certain chemical substances.

Dutch Plantin - Wim Roosen and Alfonso Labajos

The exhibitors note a demand for hydroponic supplies. The team with Dutch Plantin already noted earlier this year the expansion of soft fruit and vegetable cultivation in Southern Europe and Latin America is driving interest in alternative substrates, such as coco. New in the Dutch Plantin assortment is FRESH50, which was already used in strawberries and blueberries, but is now also used in the growbags for vegetables and flowers. "It will change the market", says Alfonso Labajos. "Additionally we've brought Ozone20, our 'mix' system consisting of coco planks on or in the ground."

Hydroponically growing is spreading to other products besides the traditional vegetables, like dragon fruits and even grapes. THe team with NGS shows how it can be done.

SmartAgro
The SmartAgro segment is also expanding. Several exhibitors are showcasing sensor-based and software-driven systems aimed at monitoring and optimizing crop inputs and operational costs. The density of this segment at the fair reflects its integration into current production models among growers utilizing high-tech greenhouse systems.

Pest pressure remains a recurring topic in Almería. An emerging virus affecting pepper crops has been topic of debate, but the true danger lies in Thrips parvispinus, which continues to be a major concern for growers, with its presence noted across multiple crop types.

The Biogard team

The Svensson team

Regarding tomato production, seed companies at Infoagro are presenting varieties bred for resistance to Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV). The availability of such genetics has become a consistent topic in the industry, especially given the global spread of the virus in recent years.

The exhibition will continue over the next two days, with conferences and technical presentations scheduled alongside the main exposition.

We'll publish a photo report on Monday.