Innovative solutions to veg growing challenges
From the effects of a changing climate on soil health and crop establishment, to pest control and the search for alternatives to established pesticides, vegetable growers face a range of challenges that can affect crop performance and profitability. At the Hutchinsons/Allium & Brassica Agronomy Vegetable Innovation Hub near Spalding, Lincolnshire, these challenges are being tackled through practical, science-led trials designed to establish which new technologies and agronomic approaches can deliver tangible benefits under commercial growing conditions. Located in the heart of the UK’s intensive vegetable-growing region, the hub brings together Hutchinsons agronomists, researchers and industry suppliers to evaluate innovations on the Grade 1 silty clay loam soils typical of the area. The aim is to help growers make better-informed decisions on crop management and use inputs more effectively. Hutchinsons fresh produce manager Dr Tim Lacey explains:
“The aim of the Vegetable Innovation Hub is to showcase the innovation that Hutchinsons is bringing to crop management, as well as the services that we can bring with our Omnia platform. We’re here to support growers, help them make more targeted input decisions and establish which techniques can deliver practical benefits.”
Cropping reflects the wider region, with brassicas the main focus, alongside other crops typically seen in rotation in the region, including onions, lettuce and pumpkins. Open days this autumn have highlighted a range of technologies and techniques, with a particular emphasis on soil and crop health. Soil conditioning
Soil capping is a recurring problem on the region’s silty soils, potentially restricting crop emergence in drilled crops. Trials in onions planted this autumn are investigating whether soil conditioning products can help stabilise aggregates, reduce capping and limit nutrient leaching. Products under evaluation include Flobond, a polymer-based soil protector and enhancer; Breaker, a non-ionic organosilicone wetting agent; and Soil-Jet, a biodegradable surfactant. “Our aim is to help stop capping, which is quite common here, but we also want to try and look at some of these products for helping maintain soil condition and soil moisture. They are not yet used widely in the UK, but interest is growing with changing weather conditions,” said Tim. Boosting establishment with biostimulants
Hot, dry conditions can make crop establishment particularly challenging. A broccoli trial is assessing whether biostimulant treatments applied to modules before planting can promote root development and help plants establish more quickly.
“If it is a hot and dry summer, brassica modules have got to start and strike into the soil quickly to get going and have the best chance of surviving. We are looking at applications of biologicals and biostimulants to broccoli modules before, or soon after, planting to help root growth, get roots striking quickly and get the crop going,” explained Tim.
The trial includes Maxicrop Triple, a concentrated seaweed extract; Lalstop K61, a biofungicide based on the naturally occurring bacterium Streptomyces griseoviridis strain K61; Lalrise Start, a microbial biofertiliser based on Bacillus velezensis NCIMB 30322; and BioCat, a biophage bioactivator combining viruses that target harmful soil bacteria
“The idea is that it will help improve the soil bacterial consortium present by taking out or reducing some of the bad guys, allowing the good ones to proliferate, helping improve establishment and reduce damping-off diseases,” said Tim.
“These products are not necessarily new technologies, but we are looking at new uses,” he added. “Soil like this is often worked hard and is probably depleted somewhat in terms of its nutritional and biological values, so adding back beneficial microbes is a useful thing to try and do to regain some of the soil biology.”
Enhancing photosynthesis
Trials on broccoli also include Glaia Fragaria Plus, a biostimulant and photosynthesis enhancer that uses proprietary carbon-based nanomaterials, known as ‘carbon dots’, to influence photosynthetic activity at the cellular level.
“You can see a measurable change in photosynthetic activity in the plant, and a measurable reduction in plant oxidative stresses as a result of applying it, which then translates into stronger, healthier plants. It’s been working well on soft fruit, and we’re trying it on some other crops to see what value it can bring,” said Tim.
According to Glaia business development manager J.P. Dorgan, crops treated with Fragaria Plus can process up to 20% more sunlight. The product is already commercially available for use on berries, where yield increases of up to 21% have been recorded. Further development work with Hutchinsons is investigating its potential in aubergines, peppers and tomatoes.
Boosting soil health with cover crops
A soil pit at the hub gave visitors a close-up view of cover crop rooting and its effects within the soil profile.
Hutchinsons soil specialist Cat Dyer explained that trials on the site are investigating the role of cover and catch crops in providing roots to explore more of the soil profile, capturing nutrients, which can be returned and cycled back for the following cash crop.
“The problem with this soil type is that as soon as it starts raining and there’s no cover, the soil will just run together, and cap. We are doing as much as we can to minimise that, keeping some cover over the winter to take the force out of the rain and protect the soil as much as possible,” said Cat.
Although cover and catch cropping is becoming more common in vegetable rotations, growers must consider the risk of carrying over pests and diseases. Brassica-containing mixes, for example, may be unsuitable where brassicas feature in the cash crop rotation.
Hutchinsons has developed MaxiVeg, a specialist brassica-free cover crop mix for growers seeking to retain the benefits of soil cover while managing this risk, added Cat.
Protecting pumpkins
The UK pumpkin market has developed from a relatively small seasonal crop into a substantial commercial business, with some growers supplying large volumes in the four-week period around Halloween.
Powdery mildew is the main disease concern in pumpkins, and effective management can help boost yield, said Tim.
A trial at the hub is comparing five products: Amistar (azoxystrobin), Perseus (fluxapyroxad + difenoconazole), Signum (boscalid + pyraclostrobin), Reef (copper + sulphur as sulphate) and Karma (potassium hydrogen carbonate), a contact biofungicide that inhibits fungal growth and helps prevent infection.
“Reef is a nutritional product; it’s not a fungicide, but we find it to be very useful in helping crops to grow through powdery mildew,” said Tim.
Rethinking aphid control
The anticipated loss of Movento (spirotetramat) from the GB market after UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, which could be as soon as 2028, would remove a critical option for aphid control in brassicas, increasing the need to identify effective alternatives and complementary treatments.
Aphids are common pests in brassica crops, with mealy cabbage aphid among the most damaging species. During 2026, a trial at the hub compared five treatments, including an untreated control, to assess the performance of conventional chemistry and alternative approaches.
The treatments were Movento; Axalion Active (dimpropyridaz), which is not yet approved for use in the UK; Eradicoat Max (maltodextrin); and Siltac SF, a product based on silicone polymers that acts physically rather than through conventional insecticide toxicity.
All four treatments reduced aphid numbers compared with the untreated control, although their performance varied. Axalion Active delivered the lowest recorded aphid count, followed by Movento.
Siltac SF provided an intermediate level of control, reducing aphid numbers compared with the untreated plots, but not to the same extent as Axalion Active or Movento. Eradicoat Max initially suppressed populations, but numbers increased substantially at the final assessment, leaving greater overall aphid pressure than with Siltac SF.
“They’ve all done something in terms of reducing aphid numbers, but I was particularly interested to see how well the Siltac SF has done. A 60-ish per cent reduction in aphid numbers is not as good as the conventional chemistry, but to have another tool that can help with additional control is useful,” said Tim.
Source: press release issued by Siafu.