Item Apologies for absence Liz Johnson, Stephen Francis, Chris Ashby, Chris Taylor, Ellis Luckhurst, Bolette Palle Neve Pipeline projects.

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1 MINUTES - HDC FIELD VEGETABLE PANEL MEETING OPEN MEETING - Thursday 20 th November 2014 The Avon Room, Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth, Warwick, CV8 2LD Distribution: John Sedgwick Neil Cairns Phillip Lilley Cheryl Brewster David McLellan Matthew Rawson Philip Effingham Andrew Rutherford Grace Choto Anne Stone Roger Bloom Martin Evans Sam Rix Cathryn Lambourne Dawn Teverson Robin Buck Rob Gibbs David Gray Steve Tones Item Apologies for absence Liz Johnson, Stephen Francis, Chris Ashby, Chris Taylor, Ellis Luckhurst, Bolette Palle Neve Pipeline projects. for Cucurbits we tendered/advertised the specification for the research priority on the website and ask researchers to come back with proposals. We looked through submissions with the Cucurbit Growers Association R&D committee who scored them following official AHDB criteria. forwarded the supported proposal to FV Panel, between meetings, and had 8 supporting the work with some comments on the timing of the study tour to the States. All now rectified and work going on. ME- how do you decide on a quorum for a between meeting decision? over 50% of members supporting. Chairman makes final decision. DG - plant tape question. Affects speed and planting but does the plant head up quicker, does it germinate quickly? MR potential issue with 3 crop rule and potential of HDC holding the list. May be desk top study. Request from Defra for us to do something. Could get more value out of Duchy trial to keep 3 crop rules happy? JS -put on agenda for next meeting. Possibly invite Ellis - Action spoken to Ellis Luckhurst agreed topic to be raised at BGA meeting on 27 th January 2015 also spoke with about raising at the BGA meeting. ME may be scope in innovation centres to pick this up. Needs to be continually flagged up and get pushed up to be taken up by higher level funding. PL scientist lead us to believe we could get, extra funding from other sources. LGA CL - nutritional benefits of leeks? Proposal from Richard Mithen. Looking at a postdoctoral studentship. Funds needed were beyond the scope of HDC funding. JS has discussed this at length with. JS - If we can help inform that nutritional benefits of this then we can fund it if we as an industry don t fund this then who will fund it for us? MR there is scope within the Innovation Centre to look at nutritional benefits of foods. These need to be flagged up so that we can get funding from e.g. HIP to look at it. PL Good work but needed a lot of money when it came in to LGA. JS will discuss funds with Board. Recommended CL progress it with a studentship? And we consider funding it and also look at ways to source alternative funding. reminded JS to raise at next Board meeting on 4 th March 2015 Action JS

2 AHDB Studentship we fund 4 a year. We had over 20 applications and took the vegetable ones to our sector Grower Associations for discussion. We had internal AHDB culling committee on the studentship. Two of the veg ones were supported directly by HDC and one on slugs and one on storage via the AHDB. A Brassica related application on clubroot didn t get through. MR interested in it. can take it to the next BGA meeting and it can come back to the FV Panel. JS Agreed. to discuss with BGA and to put submission next panel papers. Done Concepts and Proposals Paper 1.1a Concept Note Field vegetables: Impact of free-living nematodes on a synthesis (Finesse) JS In 2017 we have a review of nematicides. We have kept Vydate with old data. We may need new data, may be time we looked at it. SR - trouble getting meaningful result. Got to start somewhere, ME - have spent a lot of money and not getting anywhere. DG - very expensive, too much for a review. CL - what s going on in our own soils? DG - it s the technology that matters, have to have the tools to investigation properly, this is saying let s look at the data and see what it says, but next step is how we tackle this problem. CL - have project with Steve Ellis using Dutch detection techniques as running short of nematologists. New technology may give us more of the data ME - need precision technology to detect quantify and apply using technology NC we are past this stage of needing a review we need technology. Decision: Not supported. Paper 1.1b Proposal - Addition to FV405 - Carrots: Control of carrot cavity spot through the use of pre-crop green manures/biofumigation. Processing of soil samples for P. violae and free-living nematode detection. CT - I have been studying Paper 1.1b because it covers an area very close to home for us as organic growers. We are trying to understand if our rotation plans are effective or just lucky! Clearly with the withdrawal of some products and the increasing ineffectiveness of other pesticides further research in this area must be justified for all levy payers and having discussed the proposal with Dr Clarkson I recommend that this work be substantially extended because only then will really worthwhile answers emerge. Unfortunately it is only when extensive work is done that variables between seasons and soil types can be eliminated. ME Dez Barbara did plot trial work, important and taking us in right direction. Additional work. JS - Science is beginning to build to give us the tools to make us understand this. ME - challenge in changing cropping, and yes we want to address it in whatever way we can, there is scope for change, RBu - What is the value in cavity spot loss? ME - millions - explained how this additional work had developed.

3 Paper 1.1c Proposal Lettuce and Baby Leaf Salads: Investigation into control measures for Silver Y moth and caterpillars CL - tendered with one submission from Rosemary Collier, consortium, detailed approach. Quite expensive proposal, background done from Sceptre. JS - Silver Y is ubiquitous so can t we extend this onto other crops? JS - like the fact that broad reaching, and picking up from Sceptre. ME - can be extrapolated across to other crops. RBl - include other crops now. Legumes, Brussels sprouts. Fresh peas. industry rep - Andrew Rutherford, Brussels sprouts/kale industry rep - Phil Effingham. ME - good test for residues. As on baby leaf can be extrapolated for residue risk, and needs to fit into. Decision amend with additional crops as above. Can circulate between meetings. CL to instruct Rosemary Collier to consult with: Fresh peas. industry rep - Andrew Rutherford, Brussels sprouts/kale industry rep - Phil Effingham, as additional industry Representatives. To be circulated to panel members between meetings, before the next meeting if necessary, otherwise can be returned in next meeting papers. Returning to Panel. Paper 1.1d Proposal Celery: controlling capsid bugs on outdoor crops CL CL Big problem from a grower producing ¾ of the celery in the UK. JS again: make it bigger to cover other crops, ornamentals. JS - can we make this better had problems in Morayshire? DMcL - significant economic impact. Would tick boxes feeding into Impress. JS - make sure jointed up. If you can get the data on what the species are then you can look at lifecycles so happy with celery first approach to cover first phase research then could add other crops in second year. Decision supported on basis that - do one year celery only to do essential laboratory and first phase work then include other crops in second year. Crops to be identified by CL in collaboration with HDC colleagues and Rosemary Collier. - Could break into two contracts and commission first year straight away. letter sent December 2014 CL Paper 1.1e Proposal Onions: Improving Disease Management of neck rot for UK growers. SR - should be quick win. Follows on from previous work. Botrytis species testing and efficacy testing and finding out if there is resistance to products. 8 months project. Need to advice growers on what seed treatments to request from seed houses so need more data on efficacy on seed treatment? DG - where does seed come from? SR - France or NZ. CL

4 Paper 1.1f Proposal Combating resistance to aphicides in UK aphid pests CL ongoing, 2 year extension. Had approval from CRD and split with HGCA and PCL. should this be covered by Board? David Norman representative for us on the project. ME and JS could raise it at Board? Decision: supported but flag up to Board for their funding. If not covered then FV will fund it. Agreed Board to fund as cross panel project JS/ ME CL Paper 1.2a Concept Note Field vegetables: Enhanced mycorrhizal associations to improve nutrient, water use efficiency and resistance to pathogenic attack ME came to BCGA to see if we can help with cavity spot. Wondering if applicable to wider range of crops. Proving establishment difficult because of structure less soil. Didn t completely support but maybe worth throwing out to other crops. LJ CL said that LJ had sent in comments that she was interested in this. PL may help SR Tesco are currently funding with NIAB on this topic on a range of crops but he only has access to the onions results. JS Feel it could go round and round and doesn t fit comfortably, not a joined up piece of work and concerned being done elsewhere. DMcL Plantworks offering support on this and see it from Crop Protection point of view not just vigour. Therefore if crop protection activity of any kind would need approvals. CT - Support the proposal and am hopeful that some useful work will be done. DMcL a lot of work has been done e.g. at EMR on strawberries but the results haven t been disseminated widely. They also found (from a PhD) that plants treated with mycorrhiza were more drought tolerant. Interested in these grey area products and thinks these should be looked at from a crop protection point of view. If mycorrhiza is already present in a good soil then you wouldn t expect to see much benefit - it s only in the poor soils that you could have the potential benefit. JS indications are to not progress. Decision Not supported on basis that work is being done in other places and funded by other organisations. If the results are good then they will get out to industry and can be incorporated into commercial practice.

5 Paper 1.3a Proposal Carrots: practical evaluation of field storage alternatives (extension of FV 398a) ME straw becomes bigger and bigger issue. Done screen project and got excited about the alternatives and now want to scale this up. Was concerned about plot sizes which have now been scaled up too. Big cost area for the industry. JS about finding sustainable methods. CT - Strongly support. We have been involved over the years in non-field storage trials of carrots from sandy soils and have not found a satisfactory quality beyond short term maintained (i.e. 1 month) other than soil based. All - Discussion regarding none field storage. JS Europeans going back to field storage because of the quality. Paper 1.3b Proposal Onions: Independent assessment of field and storage potential of varieties (extension to FV 348c) SR outlined the project contents. Looking at yield, quality and storage that we cant get through the seed companies. Good numbers at events from growers. CT - Paper 1.3b looks useful particularly if levies are not funding more than 60% of it. DT Paper 1.3c Proposal Vining peas: Variety evaluation trials (extension of FV 340b) DT supported by Legume Panel as independent assessment of varieties. Flags up problems that we can flag up that we are working on including powdery mildew. All good value for money. DT

6 Others Paper 1.5 Proposal - Leafy Salads: A program educating Key Stage 2 children about salad leaves and their role in a healthy diet. GC Similar work on Brassica Love your Greens campaign. This focusing on key stage 2 kids to work with schools and promote healthy eating of salads. They will use the funds from us to levy matched funding from EU. JS - if they don t get EU money then project is not progressed. This needs to read better and be more like the Brassica submission, wording not tight enough. Need to be clearer about what the matched EU money would provide. Therefore the subject approved conditional to the EU approval being gained - as per the BGA previous submission. Needs to be rewritten so that it s very similar to the Brassica project. BGA got 50K from the industry to pump prime so that s need rewording depends on EU funding to be in line with the BGA one. Decision: Supported on basis of checking writing is tighter with clearer indication of what the matched funding will provide. Use the Brassica submission to assist in improving the content of this salad one. GC 3. Current Projects any issues Pigeons on next agenda including submitting the PhD application from Lincoln. Include Grower Summary from FV 426. Done Decision discuss at next meeting Put in papers for Feb 2015 meeting 4. HDC Team structure & Soils Tender update Cheryl Brewster Group were supportive of approach, include some panel members in assessment of proposals. David Gray, Research and KT Robin Buck, Research and KT Martin Evans KT only submissions sent January 8 th Crop Protection update - Paper from Bolette Palle Neve Presented by D.McLellan. DMcL - Updated Panel on Endocrine Disrupters. European discussions 1. Define ED 2. Whether they should approach it form a hazard or a risk scenario. If risk scenario need to assess what the economic impact is. Economic impact difficult to assess for some crops - for carrots it s easier for growers to give a figure on this but HNS economic assessment on loss is difficult. Report on ED is in and others looking at - it will be disseminated once cleared. BPN - was going to update Panel on CRD discussions that as products come in for reregistration their impact on human health will be looked at e.g. wearing protective clothing impact on re-entry intervals. Request from BPN for growers to put forward a wish list of products for some Brassica crops. - Wish lists generally being developed by each Grower Association.

7 Extra paper for discussion. Knowledge Transfer - Thoughts from Robin Buck November Technology in our industry is developing fast, it always has done and it may be that it is just people of a certain age that need help navigating through the maze. But I think we could possibly be doing more to introduce growers to new technology, facilitate access and possibly promote the speed of uptake of emerging technology by growers. Traditional methods of dissemination are invaluable and there is no substitute for gatherings or for demonstration. However growers have pressure on their time and attendance at meetings are often less than hoped for. We all receive a plethora of magazines but few of these, other than in advertisements focus on detailed areas of scientific interest. The web is, of course, the ultimate solution to the problem but it can be a clumsy tool and search engines are increasingly manipulated by large commercial interests. I am struck that there is no knowledge hub or directory for growers as a first stop if they are seeking help. At the very least this could be a list of service providers on the HDC or other website. I note there is no such list on the BPC or HGCA websites and probably anywhere else either although some magazine publishers have advertiser s lists on their websites. This could be merely links to websites or go into more detail and include press releases. I think a list of technical service providers could: Increase awareness of emerging technical services and hence enabling the same Promote competition in areas of price and quality Possibly increase overall uptake and lead to lower unit costs What would the list include? It would be difficult to know where to stop or draw a distinction between technical and commercial but as long as the topics were classified it could be large. It could include, say, providers of:- Laboratory services Pest and disease identification services. This is an area that is developing so rapidly with various DNA techniques allowing multiple disease identifications. Soil and tissue analysis services. Panel agreed interesting and big project and supportive. HIP maybe producing something but more likely to be KE of researchers. ME link between science and practical education this could be brought up through HIP or similar. Could have some kind of forum in which people feed in information - a forum on the web to engender interaction on practice. Decision: to discuss internally and raise at the next meeting important to have new information. DT/ GC 6. HDC Crop protection Programme update David McLellan, Crop Protection Team Leader Presentation given.

8 7. AHDB engagement with other Funders Steve Tones, AHDB Business Development Innovation Centres: HIP Produce Centre HDC and potatoes. Steering group with industry partners with HDIP; BGA Ltd., Campden BRI and AHDB. Strongly industry led and focussed. With research partners to inform discussions WCC, EMR and James Hutton Institutions they are there to inform the rest of the research provider community. All communities brought together in these centres. In late Jan invited industry to talk about challenges and opportunities. Major businesses represented; 3 supermarkets, a bank and a few members of the steering committee. They highlighted poor translation of research into practice. So the emphasis should be on knowledge exchange. Need a centre to translate research into practice. 2 outputs recommended: 1. To include not just AHDB research but global work need to capitalise on that. Give us access to emerging technologies from other industries that would be applicable to horticulture. Put all this in one place. 2. Communication good connections with research so that they produce what s relevant to industry. Researchers need to work more practical to deliver useful outputs for industry. Negotiate a treaty between pre-competitive and competitive research so that we can broker agreement to fund work that s pre-competitive that would have useful outputs for all. A lot of non-technical issues would need to be taken into account Send Steve s presentation to David Gray. Sent to Dr Gray, January 8 th Communications & KT report Paper presented by Grace Choto and Dawn Teverson. 10. Matters arising from minutes of the meeting of 13 th March 2014 and not covered by the Agenda Approval of the minutes [Please note that these Panel minutes will subsequently be made available on the HDC website] - Water gap analysis was mentioned and updating at a future meeting suggest water to be on agenda for November Signed off supported by PL and RB,

9 11. Any other business: 1. RBu - Cover crops and recent consultation on GAEC guidance and response from Panel. RBu contributed thoroughly to recent consultation on GAEC 4/5 (soil guidance). assured RBu that all of his points were included in our letter of response from AHDB. Action: Ask at upcoming AHDB soil and water meeting on results of consultation. Asked Mike Storey on how we may follow up results of consultation. 2. CL - real shortage of people coming through into industry. Should AHDB be tackling this issue? Changing the perception of horticulture (long hours, dirty job, poor pay) how do we get this changed for youngsters? JS big issue. CL leek meeting recently have had concern regarding new people coming through into the industry. ARTIS was discussed and if effective. PL Work locally with College and Nottingham university/college? students come on farm to work. They were looking into skills training and certification e.g tractor driving get a certificate, do next thing etc? have bursary scheme to support undergraduates to work in horticultural businesses. NC lacking on the ground are growers. So are tractor drivers and others. Decision Steve to consider this in the KT Hub development. / ST 3. Retail prices RBu issues around expense of veg in retail. Discussion whether this is an NFU role to address. Retail prices in the UK are 20% higher than in the rest of EU (excess profits higher up the chain supermarkets). A number of projects discussed/funded are to promote eating more veg etc but prices still high. JS it s an issue but not for this forum. It s NFU who should sort. ST has been discussed by the leadership that steers Agritech. 4. Seed quality germination standards: PL leek crop & problems with a variety and germination, discussion regarding previous s and germination levels. Had correspondence with NFU. PL 80% germination expected from old standards? Not the case anymore. RG surely when you order seeds you should specify what germination %age you want. Do you do your own pre-germination on the seed that comes in? PL Yes & usually fine but sometimes you get odd lots with poor germination. consider NFU speaking to us about this? Items for next meeting (Review of sector key priorities?) - Election of vice chair on next agenda, - pigeons as above, - 3 point rule as above. - Check regarding NFU and germination levels and what we can do. Check correspondence. Next Meetings - 26 th February 2015, 19 th November 2015 Meeting Closed 3pm Cheryl Brewster & Grace Choto