Archive

Bejo has presented the first 100%-male purple asparagus, Erasmus, which can be cultivated in cold

and intermediate areas. Erasmus is delicious when used fresh and unpeeled. This super sweet salad asparagus is best left uncooked in order to keep the bold purple colour, which can be lost during cooking process. The special characteristics of the Erasmus purple asparagus distinguish it from well-known green and white varieties and represents an interesting addition to the current asparagus market.

Bejo’s Cumulus variety is a well-known beautiful and tender white asparagus with an exceptional taste that can also be enjoyed when cultivated as a green asparagus. When grown slightly beneath the soil surface, it develops attractive tricolour spears: white, green and purple. Besides offering a colourful asparagus, Cumulus also promises a special taste experience and can be consumed fresh unpeeled. Easy to prepare, healthy and tasty, this tricolour asparagus can meet the changing consumer demands. It’s delicious used raw in fresh salads, as well as cooked in stir-fry dishes and on the BBQ.

Tenrit has added a new product to its range of asparagus peeling machines: the TENRIT SOLO A GREEN. The innovative feature of the machine is that it peels both white and green asparagus, with the latter only being peeled in the last third of the asparagus. The change from white to green is made quickly at the push of a button. “This makes it possible not only to peel green or white asparagus continuously, but also to respond flexibly to customer requests,” said Carl Philipp Tenge-Rietberg, managing director of Tenrit. Via the touchscreen, peeling pressure can also be selected to match the selected sorting: thin asparagus requires less pressure than thicker asparagus. The device also peels products with curved shapes and bent heads, which are more common in green asparagus. This new peeling machine is suitable both for production, with a continuous output of 3,600 pieces per hour, as well as for farm shops or weekly markets. The machine has a footprint of 1.90m x 0.70m and can be equipped with compressor and water supply for mobile use. It only requires 230V electricity.

Strauss Verpackungsmaschinen is a world-famous supplier of harvesting, sorting, weighing and packing equipment for asparagus. The company is focused on optimising processes and reducing labour costs by using machinery. The firm’s latest invention, released in 2020, is the PLC software solution for existing combination weighing units, providing easy handling thanks to a powerful and precise machine. Strauss sorting machines come with an improved counter-rotation system under the camera for even better turning of bent asparagus. Moreover, thanks to its weighing segments, the customer can process exact bundles to achieve best-quality results. Meanwhile, the firm also offers the GUB buncher to cut foil consumption. As a stand-alone machine or in addition to a sorting or weighing machine, the device bunches products with two rubber bands and an optional label application, or with one rubber band and one ElastiTag®. Strauss customers can benefit from the support of a close network of sales and service teams (especially important during Covid-19 restrictions), which the firm has developed over the past 20 years. Along with online training and remote control opportunities, Strauss also provides consultation, service and maintenance directly by the customer’s side. The firm is currently working with a university and specialised robotic companies on a green asparagus harvesting prototype, which should be launched within the next 1½-2 years.

Reyenvas, S.A. has developed a new product for cultivating white asparagus called Rey Pro TR, which is revolutionising the European markets. This new pocket-film is designed to reduce labour costs and improve crop quality. The figures obtained to date show that it boosts yields by two or even three times compared to traditional films and offers a clear improvement in crop quality.  The Rey Pro TR is a multilayer sheet, the underside being of black PE, the middle of white PE and the top of black Biopolymer. With growth, the biodegradable sheet is stretched, at which point, the white colour of the middle-sheet appears to prevent burns or the opening of the asparagus heads and improves fruit size. This biodegradable sheet disappears within 12 to 16 weeks. Asparagus can grow to up to 15cm above the ridge, significantly reducing the percentage of colouration or open heads and cutting harvest frequency to every 4-10 days, thus increasing profits by up to €10,000 per hectare. This innovative product is distributed in Europe by F.I. Trading, which actively participated in developing the Rey Pro TR.

In the fight against asparagus beetle, Oxybiotop proposes SILSTIM. The product consists of macerations of insect-repellent plants, which are classified as “basic materials”, making it eligible in AB). Recommend dosage is 10L/100L of water sprayed with 2L of (very viscous) black soap. The application must be used preventively (i.e. before the presence of insects), even before the appearance of stems and foliage in the summer. It must be reapplied every 15 days, or every 7 days in cases of heavy rains. SILSTIM repels insects before they can even lay their eggs and it also prevents the development of any eggs by gluing larvae and adults together with a very viscous black soap as well as through the plants’ repellent effects. According to the Oxybiotop, SILIBOOST allows soil oxygenation despite compaction and thus stimulates biological activity, providing a healthy bacterial shield and guaranteeing soil and plant balance.

ESPASO – the most sold automatic asparagus grading machine for white, green and purple asparagus over the world, is developed by Neubauer Automation with the best technology to simplify work flow, reduce costs and increase productivity. Now we are glad to introduce the unique system in the market: The SEC -WATER JET CUTTING -. This is an option you can add to the ESPASO. The length of each spear is determined and its curvature is also taken into account. Then the spear is cut to the exact length according to your requirements by the water jet cutting robot. This procedure significantly reduces the waste of each spear and will markedly improve your profits up to 12%!

MEDINBIO, pioneer and leader in the System Approach, has just obtained the approval of GAIA Sol for all crops and particularly relevant for Asparagus. An unique combination of 2 synergetic microorganisms: Trichoderma, strong soil colonization and Bacillus, close to the roots and rebiotics (algae, humic acids,etc) to promote the microorganisms’ development.

Better yield with

• accelerating of the nutrients’ release
• occupying the soil, thus reducing fungal pressure
• eliciting the roots and the plant protection against Stemphylium.

For these actions, GAIA offers a remarkable cost effectiveness ratio.

Application: Autumn: 1,5-3 kg/ha depending on sanitary conditions; Postharvest if risk of soil diseases increases during winter: 1,5 kg/ha; End of summer 1,5 kg/ha to activate the defense systems to face the risk of Stemphylium.

MEDINBIO’s product range for ASPARAGUS also includes GREENFLASH and KHI2 for defense systems activation, while SCUD and CLEANHEX will be applied during the risk period.

Composed of medicinal plants and essential oils, ALGOPREV promotes a healthy and protective environment for asparagus crops and prevents certain biotic stresses, (e.g. larvae and insects). Keragro manufactures a range of specialties capable of preventing certain invasions or diseases. The formula is made up of seaweed, plants, essential oils and trace elements to NOURISH, FORTIFY, DRY, DESSICATE, PROTECT and SCAR OVER asparagus crops. KeraSoufre powder has a proven track record thanks to its repellent and fungistatic effect. Keragro supplies direct to customers in France and is currently seeking distributors outside of the country.

For several years now, JANNY MT has been working on the development of new membranes to improve their permeability and therefore increase the volume of asparagus stored in a natural controlled atmosphere in their storage modules. This has now been achieved. In practice, the far superior permeability of this new membrane makes it possible to optimise the modules to store up to 180 kg (compared to 90 kg previously). This new material will still be tested by a number of companies in 2021 to expand on a bigger scale the following years. “I think we have achieved an important breakthrough for the industry: we now need to bring it on to the profession.” Comments JANNY MT.

T

he asparagus sector of Navarra swears by HEPRO®’s industrial peeling machines. “We always fly to Spain as a team. During commissioning, we take the time to answer queries and familiarise customers with how the peeling machines work,” said Ellen Reinhold, responsible for sales in Benelux, Spain and Peru. The vertical peeling principle is particularly popular within the asparagus processing sector. It enables customers to cut personnel costs and optimise the peeling process. In addition, thanks to HEPRO®´s unique vertical-cut quality, there is no need for reworking.

The machines are manufactured in Germany and marketed worldwide. HEPRO® peeling machines have been used successfully in Spain, Peru and China for over 10 years. “We visit our customers on site at regular intervals. We are also very well positioned in terms of IT, so that spare parts can be shipped worldwide within 24 hours. Our customers can reach us by phone at any time. But nothing can replace an on-site visit,” said Reinhold.