Today Loek Hermans (Chairman of Topsector Horticulture & Starting Materials) and Marcus Arbenz (executive director IFOAM-Organics International) opened GreenTech Amsterdam at RAI Amsterdam. Following the opening JanWillem Breukink (chairman of the jury) announced the best innovations. The winners are: Autostix – Visser Horti Systems (GreenTech Innovation Award), Poseidon Sodium Extractor – Van der Ende Groep (GreenTech Sustainability Award), Priva Academy – Priva Horticulture BV (GreenTech Impact Award) and IRIS! Scoutrobot – Metazet-FormFlex, Micothon & Ecoation (GreenTech Concept Award).
Event attendees can view the (winning) innovations until Thursday 14 June.
An expert jury selected the following winners in the four categories from 22 nominees:
GreenTech Innovation Award: AutoStix – Visser Horti Systems
AutoStix is a new system that automates the planting of cuttings and creates efficiency in nurseries using a patented transplanter with biodegradable strips. Cuttings harvested from mother stock can immediately be stuck to the AutoStix strip that is designed to stimulate the root system. This enables the high-density shipping of cuttings whilst still providing an air space for each stem, improving quality.
Jury: A new, unique way of planting cuttings using excellently designed high tech combined with sustainable materials. Visser Horti System’s Autostix has it all: it is a commercially successful innovation, featuring strong technology developed in close partnership and a real game changer using smart product design. The jury unanimously chose Autostix as the winner of the GreenTech Innovation Award 2018.
GreenTech Concept Award: IRIS! Scoutrobot – Metazet-FormFlex, Micothon & Ecoation
Robot for registering plant health and diseases in greenhouses. The technology is based on the patented Saber sensor that detects pests, diseases and deficiencies early on. The robot can also be equipped with cameras, a gyro sensor and sensors for: RH%, Temperature, CO2, Crop head temperature and a PAR sensor resulting in almost total plant control.
Jury: Managing crops using highly sensitive, precise technology is modern horticulture’s future. Although Metazet-FormFlex’s Scoutrobot has only just been launched, the jury believes that this very sophisticated technology has enormous potential and suits modern crop management perfectly.
GreenTech Impact Award: Priva Academy – Priva Horticulture BV
Priva Academy: access to knowledge, whenever, wherever. Priva Academy is a free online education service for growers worldwide, the Priva partner network and the Priva organisation. Users can learn more about irrigation, climate, energy, labour and production processes in a horticultural and indoor environment. Priva Academy helps to reduce CO2 emissions (32 tons) and saves 1.2 Mio on overheads.
Jury: Successfully exporting new technology to growers around the world not only entails providing the latter with new tools, but also that you take responsibility for training and educating them on how to use these tools in the best way possible. The jury believes that with Priva Academy, Priva has taken on that responsibility becoming an example to many others.
GreenTech Sustainability Award: Poseidon Sodium Extractor – Van der Ende Groep
The Poseidon was specially developed for growers who sluice off water to discharge sodium: a system that extracts sodium from drainage water with maximum retention of valuable nutrients. Preventing plant protection products ending up in nature. The water treatment system is equipped with a reverse osmosis system to concentrate the water to be discharged thereby reducing its volume by some 80%.
Jury: Water quality is an issue of increasing importance to the horticulture sector. The Van der Ende Groep’s unique Poseidon technology is a clear example of how to manage water very sustainably. The jury is of the opinion that rising demand for clean water will give Poseidon technology a bright future.
All the entries for the awards feature in the GreenTech Innovation Route. The nominated entries for the innovation awards will be on show at the InnovationLAB.
