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More than 400 exhibitors and 6,000 visitors attended the ExpoSE trade fairs, specialised in asparagus and berries, and ExpoDirekt, for direct sales, in Karlsruhe (Germany). Despite the concerns felt about the show Simon Schumacher, General Manager of VSSE, Association of Asparagus and Strawberry Producers of the Southern Germany, said he was satisfied with this edition which had a higher attendance than expected in a positive and dynamic atmosphere, and sometimes with some exhibitors having some unexpected contacts from Egyptian or Swedish visitors. Asparagus trade show ExpoSE hosted the first IAM, International Asparagus Meeting co-organised with Asparagus World magazine. In a European market of about 300,000 tons, Germany, a major player with 120,000 tons is currently experiencing a drop in production and consumption of about 15%. German technicians are finding, “With the increase in production and labour costs, some farming methods are no longer profitable.” This country, which has experienced the biggest increase over the last ten years, has also experienced a sharp drop in production since 2017. This year was also marked by a decline in asparagus consumption by German consumers, hitherto “European champions”.

Prototypes of harvesting robots

The same was true for the eight IAM stakeholders. Common concerns are mainly focused on the difficulty of recruiting labour for harvesting which has led to several prototypes of harvesting robots such as the one for green asparagus made by Muddy Machines currently under development in the United Kingdom. However, the labour costs presented by the speakers show marked differences: ranging from 35 euros per day in Greece to 17.63 euros per hour in the Netherlands.

Faced with a difficult 2022 campaign assessment, the project for a European observatory of asparagus production was led by Christian Befve, international consultant at IAM. “The 33rd Spargeltag – asparagus day – addressed more technical topics such as the use of plastic films, the prevention of browning of the spear, the robotisation of the harvest,” says Isabelle Kokula, asparagus advisor and organizer of the day.

Constantly bringing new innovations to the market is part of Innovak Global’s DNA. And every two years, it brings together advisors, distributors and professionals with close links to it in order to share details of its latest advances. In July, 2022, over 200 people from all over the world attended the Innovak Evolution event in Cancún featuring talks by eminent scientists and demonstration stations of the company’s new technologies. It was there that the root biostimulation pioneer launched Pfenergy, its new technology named to reflect the use of polyphenol components as the source of energy for plants.

The Root Dynamics Regulation approach

Innovak Global was one of the first companies in the world to study the root and its environment, considering it a vital component with great potential to increase crop productivity. Accordingly, it set up a knowledge centre called the Rhizosphere Center, where researchers develop solutions for root problems in different crops. By 2005, the company had developed its Root Dynamics Regulation (RDR) approach to understanding all the processes that take place in roots and their environment during the crop cycle. With a focus on maximising the productivity of crops in a sustainable way, RDR is constantly updated as the company generates new findings or develops new products addressing emerging problems in the fields. For example, Innovak Global recently launched Balox, a biostimulant based on polyphenols that addresses plant saline stress.

Boosting root activity in crops

This comes in response to the root stress issues now facing various crops around the globe. Balox stimulates plants to generate their own osmolytes to face adversities in the environment, allowing better crop development amid salt stress. Innovak Global’s RDR technology covers five areas critical to crop development, starting with soil conditioners to improve plant establishment, followed by the previously mentioned root stress, such as that caused by saline stress. Then there is a focus on boosting root activity in crops, such as generating new roots, so as to improve nutrient absorption and fertiliser efficiency. Next is the rhizospheric environment and facilitating the beneficial interaction that exists between microorganisms and the roots, while the fifth area involves maximising root health so plants can better deal with the presence of soil-borne diseases that affect crop productivity.

“We are very glad that we have been able to convince so many interesting companies to join our dual trade fairs, expoSE and expoDirekt. The new products clearly show that companies know what is important in the industry: reducing costs, simplifying work, saving on personnel expenses, and adjusting production and direct marketing” explains Simon Schumacher, board spokesman for the Verband Süddeutscher Spargel- und Erdbeeranbauer e.V. and the event organiser for the expoSE and expoDirekt. Both new and proven products alike will be on display at the Messe Karlsruhe at the dual trade fairs expoSE & expoDirekt from 23rd to 24th November 2022. A total of around 400 exhibitors from eleven countries will be presenting at the 26th expoSE – Europe’s leading trade fair for asparagus and berry production – and 11th expoDirekt – Germany’s largest specialist trade fair for agricultural direct marketing.

Specialist presentations at the 33rd Asparagus Day and the Direct Marketer Forum

The 33rd Asparagus Day will focus on criticised aspects, as well as the profitability of using film in asparagus cultivation based on past experience, avoiding browning of asparagus stems, and cultivating and growing wild asparagus. Asparagus Day will be held on Wednesday, 23rd November from 2:00 to 5:15 PM in the large conference hall (2nd upper floor) at the Messe Karlsruhe, and is an event being put on by the Central Agricultural Office of the Karlsruhe District Administration and the Verband Süddeutscher Spargel- und Erdbeeranbauer e.V. (VSSE).

Read also:  International Asparagus Meeting on 23rd November 2022 at expoSE

For the first time, the VSSE is organising the International Asparagus Meeting (IAM) alongside the trade journal Asparagus World. During the IAM, speakers will present topics on asparagus production in individual European countries and beyond. The goal is to familiarise participants with asparagus cultivation in individual countries, discuss market conditions, and avoid the potential for excess production International Asparagus Meeting will take place in three times :

10 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. – Part 1: Presentation of asparagus production in Europe and Canada
11.30 a.m. to 11.45 a.m. – Part 2: Presentation of the European Asparagus Observatory
11.45 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. – Part 3: Opinions of the speakers about the idea of the European asparagus Observatory

The International Asparagus Meeting will be held in English. Further information on the programme is available at www.expo-se.de. Participants are required to register at www.expo-se.de/vortraege-foren/international-asparagus-meeting.