With a well-filled program, around 27 visitors gathered at the Vegetable Research Station for a guided tour of the tomato facility on August 27. Those who wanted to learn more about the control of Tuta absoluta could visit Evelien Aussems. She tested several plant protection products against the tomato leaf miner this year.
The application of Dipel and Neemazal had a good effect, while Affirm showed only limited efficacy in this trial. A spray application of Mycotal and Naturals also gave only limited results. She also tried watering the latter agents, as scientific literature suggests that watering endophytes early in the crop would have a good effect on killing off L1 and L2 larvae of Tuta. However, this was found to have no added value.
Cover materials on water basins
The crops in the greenhouses were not on display, but the water basins could be visited. There, various covering materials are being evaluated within the Life ACLIMA project. Covering a basin has various advantages. It lowers evaporation, so less water is lost. But the water temperature also rises less quickly on hot days and there is also less algae growth.
In addition to the water basin with solar panels, visitors also saw the hexacovers, ICOS cones, and a basin with a traditional sail. Ado Van Assche demonstrated that the ICOS cones have the greatest impact on evaporation and water temperature.
Judging different tomato varieties
In addition, tomatoes of different varieties were extensively inspected by the attendees. Lieve Wittemans shared her experiences with these varieties. The outstanding loose and vine tomatoes were discussed with their advantages and disadvantages. The rootstock trials of Tobinaro and Bronski were also discussed. Those who want to know more about these varieties can find a detailed discussion on the tasting station's website (accessible only to tasting station members).
Source: Vegetable Experimentation Station