Hortalisses

Nueva variedad de patata de color púrpura para el mercado de chips

07/05/2026 - El centro tecnológico Neiker ha inscrito oficialmente la variedad Atsegiñe en el Registro de Variedades Comerciales, un hito que permitirá la llegada al mercado de una patata de piel morada y...

By Harry Langford, Innovation Director at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, who shares his thoughts on the event.The Northern CEA Symposium brought together growers, researchers, technologists and agri-tech businesses in Sheffield with a shared focus on turning innovation in controlled environment agriculture into solutions for commercial growers. Across the day, presentations explored practical challenges facing the sector, from nutrient efficiency and water use to substrates, sensing and circular inputs. The emphasis was consistently on application, including how technologies might reduce costs, improve control, and operate reliably in real production environments. New approaches to sensing and monitoring were discussed as a way to give operators clearer, faster feedback on crop performance, helping them make decisions with greater confidence. Substrate innovation also featured, reflecting growing pressure to move beyond traditional materials while maintaining consistency at scale. Alongside this, approaches to reduce the energy footprint of CEA were tabled and their economics explored. What stood out was the openness of the community, with speakers acknowledging the need for further testing, integration and validation, reinforcing the importance of environments where technologies can be trialled under realistic conditions and assessed against commercial priorities. Our involvementThe UK Agri-Tech Centre took part in the symposium, organised by UK Urban AgriTech and the University of Sheffield, to share how we support CEA innovation through test, trial and demonstration and how our new Greenhouse to Global programme is supporting innovative CEA technologies to scale. Too often, promising technologies struggle to move beyond pilot scale because they lack credible, independent evidence of performance in commercially representative environments. We outlined how our programme supports SMEs working across sensing, substrates, lighting and control and how we are testing these technologies together to produce commercial case studies for specific industry use cases. The companies we spotlightedThrough the ACDC spinach production case study, we showcased how Ostara, Fotenix and Vertically Urban are working together to address core challenges in vertical farming: consistent quality, reduced energy use and reduced labour costs. The case study collectively illustrates how integrated control, crop monitoring and tuneable lighting can support more responsive, dataled growing decisions, saving 25% in energy use. We also featured GyroPlant and its substrate-free approach, overviewing the work that we have done with them on both leafy green production and strawberry propagation, to reduce the reliance on unsustainable substrates whilst maintaining performance at commercial scale. Throughout the day, the research and development presented demonstrated how collaboration can help CEA innovation progress from early ideas into solutions that can be adopted across the sector. Alongside the technical discussions, UK Urban AgriTech also used the symposium to float a thought-provoking idea: the potential for a cross-CEA umbrella organisation that better represents the full breadth of controlled environment production in the UK. The concept was framed around bringing together sectors, from crops to mushrooms, insects and seaweed, to improve knowledge transfer and engage more proactively with policy development. Again, this reiterates the importance of the sector working together to maximise the potential of CEA in the UK. If you would like to work with the UK Agri-Tech Centre, get in touch at [email protected]

26/03/2026 -

Agri‑tech businesses today face a defining moment: the sector is ready for AI‑powered tools, but only the solutions backed by robust field data, end-user trust and commercial proof will break through. Messium’s story shows how that breakthrough happens. As we mark UK Tech Week 2026, much of the national discussion focuses on how artificial intelligence can accelerate innovation and productivity. For farmers, this means looking for practical, trusted tools that help them make good decisions under pressure.The UK Agri‑Tech Centre provides support to agri-tech businesses who want to develop just those kinds of innovations, helping these businesses to commercialise their tested solutions. The journey of Messium, a company using hyperspectral satellite imagery and AI to guide nitrogen management, shows how this support translates into real‑world impact. It’s also a familiar challenge for many agri-tech businesses: strong science and a great concept, but the need to validate the effectiveness of their solution and to scale quickly, reliably and with the end-user at the core.When Messium joined the UK Agri‑Tech Centre Community, their technology already worked well in early trials, but it still needed to scale for use across real farms. Their sampling‑based nitrogen recommendations worked well, but they needed to shift to a satellite‑driven model suitable for commercial deployment. This is where agri-tech businesses often get stuck, not because the tech fails, but because it needs real farm data to mature. Unlocking Messium’s next phase of growthTo help accelerate Messium’s transition, the UK Agri‑Tech Centre provided multi‑site trials, expert data collection and direct farmer feedback. These activities allowed Messium to validate their AI models at pace while refining a farmer‑friendly interface. In practice, this meant faster testing with lower risk involving farmers at every stage. It also opened doors to key partners, including Frontier and the Centre’s robotics and AI specialists, helping position the technology for wider adoption. Trials, data and measurable progressThe first season of trials ran in 2025, an extremely dry year that constrained nitrogen application windows and limited the range of recommendations that could be validated. But despite the challenging conditions, the trials delivered the ground‑truth data Messium needed.Their technology progressed quickly:Nitrogen recommendations moved from early testing to use on working farmsSatellite models reached >85% accuracy compared to lab samplesAn interface farmers could easily use was co-developed with the UK Agri‑Tech Centre networkThese are the signals investors and partners look for: performance in the field, not just in a lab, and a product farmers can actually use.For farmers involved in the trials, the technology offered something increasingly valuable: timely, evidence‑based nitrogen decisions without relying on labour‑intensive sampling. Even in a constrained season, it provided clarity at moments when application windows were exceptionally tight. Driving commercial readiness and expansionThis technical progress helped Messium secure a £3.3 million investment round, expand their engineering and operations teams and build the commercial partnerships they needed to scale. Strong field data and farmer feedback don’t just improve the product, they unlock investment.Messium are now working with Frontier to onboard 30–60 more UK farmers, and Hutchinson’s agronomists have committed to bringing 100 farmers into the programme. That means more fields, more seasons and faster learning, the foundation for reliable scale‑up.Additional collaborations are emerging with organisations such as Hutchinsons, Syngenta, Bayer, Mondelez and Weetabix. Messium have also been recognised by the European Space Agency as the UK/EU champion for agricultural hyperspectral imaging, credibility they say was strengthened through their consortium, including the UK Agri‑Tech Centre. What began as a UK-led development journey is now shaping nitrogen decisions globally.Internationally, Messium now operates across France, Australia, New Zealand and North America, with further trial expansion planned for 2026. What this means for agri-tech businessesMessium’s experience highlights what many AI-focused agri-tech businesses need but often struggle to access:High‑quality, multi‑site field data to train and validate modelsA farmer network to ensure products meet real operational needsTechnical expertise to manage data quality, interoperability and trial designCredibility and visibility when seeking investment or building partnershipsThe UK Agri-Tech Centre supports agri-tech businesses to move further, faster with less risk. By giving agri-tech businesses access to farms, data, expertise and networks, we help turn emerging technologies into market‑ready tools. Making AI an everyday farming toolFor Messium, the next stage is all about scaling responsibly. They are refining their recommendations engine to allow farmers to choose between profit‑optimised and environmentally‑optimised guidance. They are onboarding additional satellite providers for greater resilience. And, through the UK Agri‑Tech Centre, they are beginning to expand into new crops, including barley, with future potential in oilseed rape and maize. More crops mean more value across the rotation.Ultimately their aim is to make AI‑powered nitrogen management a reliable, disruptive and globally scalable solution.This UK Tech Week, Messium’s journey shows how AI in agriculture is no longer experimental. This is one example among many. With the right support, more agri-tech businesses can turn proven ideas into practical tools farmers rely on every day. What could your technology achieve?To get involved with the UK Agri-Tech Centre, get in touch at [email protected].

19/03/2026 -

Amazone advances fertiliser spreaders with radar-based automation

- Modernised facilities in Nunhem will increase processing capacity, improve quality control, and support global vegetable seed supply using energy-efficient operations.

Danfoss Power Solutions at Agrishow 2026

- Harting highlights how sensor integration and real-time data enable adaptive fertiliser spreading in precision agriculture.

Se detecta la enfermedad de Aujeszky en EEUU

06/05/2026 - El Servicio de Inspección de Sanidad Animal y Vegetal (APHIS) del Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos (USDA) ha confirmado un brote de enfermedad de Aujeszky en una explotación porcina...

EE. UU. confirma pseudorrabia en porcino en Iowa y Texas

05/05/2026 - El 30 de abril, los Laboratorios Nacionales de Servicios Veterinarios (NVSL) del Servicio de Inspección de Sanidad Animal y Vegetal (APHIS) del Departamento de Agricultura de EE. UU....

El sector citrícola valenciano exige respuestas ante el avance del virus de la clorosis nervial amarilla

05/05/2026 - La confirmación oficial del virus de la clorosis nervial amarilla de los cítricos (CYVCV) en la Comunitat Valenciana ha desencadenado una respuesta conjunta del sector. La Unió Llauradora y ASAJA...

El cordero llega a Amazon Fresh en formato de guiso preparado

05/05/2026 - INTEROVIC colabora con la chef Paola Freire para lanzar un plato innovador que busca modernizar el consumo de cordero más allá de las ocasiones especiales.La apuesta por nuevos...

El 3,6 % de los alimentos importados a la UE incumplen los límites de residuos de pesticidas

- El 3,6 % de las muestras analizadas de alimentos importados a la Unión Europea en 2024 incumplieron los límites de residuos de pesticidas establecidos, por lo que no entraron en el mercado...

El campo extremeño plantará su tienda de campaña en el Ministerio de Agricultura

04/05/2026 - APAG Extremadura Asaja ha convocado una acampada reivindicativa indefinida frente a la sede del Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación en Madrid a partir del próximo martes 5 de mayo. La...

El uso de cubiertas vegetales con altramuz se presentan como una alternativa sostenible para los cultivos de cítricos

04/05/2026 - ¿Cómo mejorar la...

Intervienen casi cuatro toneladas de fitosanitarios en una nave ilegal en Galicia

30/04/2026 - Efectivos de la Guardia Civil y técnicos de Sanidad Vegetal de la Xunta de Galicia han intervenido cerca de 4 t de productos fitosanitarios en una nave de Santa Comba (A Coruña). La actuación se...

El reglamento antidesforestación llega a su revisión clave con el sector en pie de guerra

29/04/2026 - Un grupo de organizaciones que representa a los sectores agrario, ganadero, forestal, de piensos y de aceites vegetales ha reclamado a las instituciones europeas que aprovechen la revisión prevista...

How does oligochitosan induce plant resistance against potato virus Y?

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Can rhizobacterial metabolites enhance plant drought tolerance?

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El Gobierno autoriza la distribución de más de 207 millones de euros entre las comunidades autónomas para financiar intervenciones de desarrollo rural, agricultura y ganadería

- >NoticiasEl Consejo de Ministros ha autorizado hoy la distribución territorial entre las comunidades autónomas de ocho...

La Comisión de Agricultura del PE da luz verde al reglamento transitorio de la PAC 2021-2022

- La comisión de Agricultura del Parlamento Europeo dio este martes luz verde al Reglamento Transitorio de la Política Agrícola Común (PAC) que se aplicará en 2021 y 2022.El...

Galicia recibe 14,9 millones para programas agrícolas, ganaderos y de desarrollo rural

- Un total de 14,9 millones de euros. Esa es la cantidad que le ha tocado a Galicia en el reparto de fondos para programas agrícolas, ganaderos y de desarrollo rural formalizada durante la conferencia...

La Conferencia Sectorial de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural acuerda la distribución de 326,5 millones de euros entre las CCAA para programas agrícolas, ganaderos, de alimentación y de desarrollo rural

- De estos fondos se destinan 104,1 millones de euros para para la financiación de los Programas de Desarrollo Rural 2014 – 2020Para apoyar al sector vitivinícola se distribuyen 163,9...

A Natural Variation-informed Systems Genetics Framework for Tomato Multi-Stress Tolerance

28/04/2026 - Climate change poses escalating threats to agriculture, with drought and salinity causing substantial yield losses in tomato, Europe’s most economically significant vegetable crop. SOLGENSYS...

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