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Plant Science in Peru
The International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) is considered the leading independent organization for horticultural scientists. It's purpose is to promote and encourage research in all branches of horticulture and to facilitate cooperation of scientific activities and knowledge transfer on a global scale by means of its publications, events and scientific structure. The vast majority of the more than 7,000 members represent 150 countries and are connected with universities that conduct ongoing research in all areas of horticulture. The ISHS has over 100 working groups that conduct research in specific areas of horticulture. The different working groups sponsor over 30 conferences per year throughout the world. The Soilless Culture working group conducts research in hydroponics. Every two years, the working group sponsors a conference in a different country focusing on hydroponics. In late August, a conference was held in Lima, Peru with 125 attendees from 26 countries. China, by far, had the most attendees with 25 researchers present. The four-day conference was held at the National Agricultural University in the La Molina part of Lima. The first day was filled with presentations and the second day offered presentations in the morning and hydroponic farm tours in the afternoon. The evening was spent on a horse farm/hacienda with Peruvian entertainment and a dinner. The third and fourth days were filled with more presentations. With over 30 presentations in three different tracks (Crop Physiology, Growing Techniques and Growing Media), it would be impossible to cover all of them. I would like to summarize a few, which in my opinion, were notable and will be of most interest to Growing Edge readers. A report of Green Salad Production in Soilless Culture under Saline Irrigation Practices research was presented by A. Hamdy, R. Kaf Alghazal, G. Pacucci and C. Troccoli at Bari University in Bari, Italy. Their research showed there was a high potential for using saline water for the production of a lettuce crop. The research was conducted at Bari University in Italy. In the arid and semi-arid region of the Mediterranean area the demand for water is increasing, while fresh water resources are exhausting. The results showed a high potentiality of using saline water for the production of a lettuce crop. However, the water irrigation salinity level should not exceed the level the plant can tolerate. The study was carried out in a greenhouse using pozzolon, gravel and perlite. The plant growth and yield were similar using all three growing mediums. Citrus Nursery Production in Soilless Culture research was presented by P. R. Furlani, M. Zanetti and O.C. Bataglia in Brazil at the Conplant C.T.R. and Development Ltd. company in Campinas, Brazil. The Brazilian citrus industry represents an important economical activity in the country for both export and internal consumption. Currently, controlled environment greenhouse production of citrus has over 15 million citrus plants cultivated on over 370 acres. The soilless medium used in production of citrus is coco fiber and composted pine bark in two-gallon bags. The use of fertigation is the only way to apply water and nutrients during all stages of citrus plant growth. Nitrate Reductase (NR) Activity and Chlorophyll Content in Lettuce Plants Grown Hydroponically and Organically was presented by G. Coronel, M. Chang and A. Rodriquez-Delfin at the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima Peru. Two lettuce varieties were grown in a floating root hydroponic system, organics and traditional. Greater NR activity and chlorophyll content was observed in plants grown in hydroponics rather than in organic and traditional systems. Yield was also greater in lettuce grown hydroponically. During the 90-day crop cycle the researchers got two harvests of lettuce in the floating root hydroponic system and only one harvest in the organic and traditional culture. With both higher NR activity and chlorophyll content, it is a good reason to produce lettuce hydroponically with a low nitrate content. Recent Developments in Aquaponics research was done by Nick Savidov of the Crop Diversification Centre South in Brooks, Alberta, Canada and by Mike Nichols of the Institute of Natural Resources in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Aquaponics produces valuable fish protein with a minimal pollution of fresh water resources, while at the same time producing horticultural (usually vegetable) crops. Two recent developments (one in Canada and one in Netherlands) greatly improve the efficiency of the system. In Canada, a totally closed circuit system reduces water losses to a minimum and achieves a Nutrients Use Efficiency (NUE) close to 100 percent - where practically all nutrients contained in the organic input (fish feed) are solubilized by the fish and bacteria and are utilized by the fish and plants with no waste left. Thus, the aquaponics system developed in Canada represents a first artificial entirely balanced ecological system based on fish, plants and bacteria recreated for purposes of food production. The system requires no supplemental mineral fertilizers. In the Netherlands, the pH and mineral levels in the solution used by the fish and the plants is precisely controlled, and water and nutrients continually removed from the system provide acccurate control. The potential for organic certification of both the fish and the horticultural crops would appear to be very realistic. With limited fresh water resources in the world, aquaponics would appear to have considerable potential. A report of Perennial Production of Green Hydroponics Forage research was presented by Gloria Samperio of Toluca, Mexico. The need for the production of animal food for ruminants and poultry in an efficient way with less investment, higher yield and year-round, inside reduced environments, has given rise to different techniques like the production of green hydroponics forage. The proposed work enables even more reduction in the cost for animal alimentation and allows growers to perform annual or biannual sows to obtain harvests every fifteen days from the higher part of the forage and every month from the root, taking advantage of both for animal alimentation. The technique of cultivating perennial forage using a light substrate, good seeds, programmed irrigation, specific cuts, and balanced nutrition allow the consumer to keep preserving the plant for long periods of time in an economical and adaptive way. Green Asparagus Culture in Organic Substrate in Solar Greenhouse research was performed and presented by Zhi-bin Zhang at the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers in Beijing, China. Asparagus, which is a kind of upscale crop with rich nutrients and is beneficial for health. It's also an important export crop in mainland China. Up to now, cultivated areas of asparagus took up more than 197,000 acres in mainland China. Only 49 acres of asparagus were cultivated in a greenhouse, which couldn't satisfy the market's need in the winter. Results of cultivating asparagus in an organic substrate in a solar greenhouse in the winter showed the quality of the asparagus has improved. Total sugar increased 9.8 percent, crude protein increased 10.2 percent and the vitamin C content increased 3.6 percent compared to the soil control plants. Recent Advances in Coir as a Growing Medium research was done and presented by Michael A. Nichols at the Institute of Natural Resources in Palmerston North, New Zealand. In intensive greenhouse production (controlled environment agriculture) improving the root environmentnot only becomes feasible but necessary. Soil is not a good option in CEA and over the past 50 years the only products to gain general acceptance have been rock wool and peat. Peat is now considered to be a limited resource and the production of rock wool is energy demanding with the additional problem of disposal after use. Coir (cocopeat) is obtained from the husk of the coconut and is essentially a waste product. It has been used for at least 10 years as a potting medium and is slowly gaining acceptance as a growing medium because of its excellent aeration and water retention properties. Unfortunately many comparative studies between coir and other growing media have been undertaken without defining these two important parameters. Grading coir for particle size by sieving, and then appropriately mixing the different size grades provides an opportunity to optimize the physical characteristics of the mix and thus match the medium to the crop, enhancing crop productivity. For more information on the ISHS, visit their Web site at http://www.ishs.org and check out their calendar listings of conferences during the next two years. Networking during breaks and at social functions with leading international scientists will increase participants understanding of horticultural practices. Participants also learn valuable history and sociology lessons about the country where the conference is held. 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