Scientists, students, representatives of the academic community, industrial and institutional partner organizations, and raspberry and strawberry producers from different regions of Bulgaria visited the Center for Plant System Biology and Biotechnology (CPSBB) in Plovdiv. The Bulgarian Association of Raspberry and Strawberry Producers and AgroHub.BG organised the event.
The chairman of the Association, Mr. Bozhidar Petkov, and Dr. Maria Benina, a researcher at CPSBB, presented the Centre’s experimental greenhouse facilities and the “Science” demo point of AgroHub.BG in the CPSBB. Currently, a scientific experiment is being conducted with different varieties of strawberries and raspberries, which are treated with biostimulants, plant protection products, and completely organic fertilizers.
The natural biostimulants are produced by the Irish company BioAtlantis Ltd. and are based on seaweed extracts from the Atlantic Ocean. The producer company, together with the scientific team of CPSBB, explores the mechanisms of action of these biostimulants and the molecular pathways that lead to increased resistance of the plants to abiotic stress, increased yield (by up to 20%), improved quality, commercial appearance, and shelf life of fruits after harvest while stored at room temperature.
“Bulgaria’s raspberry and strawberry production is already at the forefront globally, thanks to the integration of innovative solutions for organic cultivation and high-quality production. All producers’ challenges are mainly related to climate change and abiotic stress. In this context, greenhouse production has its undoubted advantages,” outlines Mr. Bozhidar Petkov.
In addition to organic plant protection, innovative methods for greenhouse cultivation of raspberries and strawberries were also presented. In the greenhouses of the CPSBB, the method of container cultivation of raspberries is applied using soil in combination with organic fertilizers, coconut and peat shavings, which means that the root system is provided with permanent and sustainable contact with water and nutrients. The raspberry planting material is of the latest generation Long Cane – one-year fruiting canes in a container that begin to flower and set 7-10 days after removal from the refrigerator and begin to bear fruit up to 45 days, which is an exceptional breakthrough in greenhouse production to achieve continuous mode of fruiting! Precise irrigation, fertilization and climate control allow constant monitoring of the entire process with minimal human intervention. Yields significantly increase compared to those of field production. The records set in this type of greenhouse worldwide are 280-300 kg and more collected in 8 hours by one person.
Raised beds with an organic soil fertilizer mixture of soil, coconut, and peat were used for the strawberries, and the planting material was from highly productive varieties of strawberries produced with Trey and Super Trey technology. With the help of this technology, the plants have set fruit buds and begin to bloom a few days after planting and acclimatization, giving first fruits up to 45 days after planting. The yields of such planting technologies are mainly formed by reducing losses almost to 0%, and the physiological yield can reach up to 1500 g per plant in 2 years of cultivation. In this way, everyone can calculate the yield they can get with a 1, 2 or 5 line build. With this method of cultivation, the areas are extremely compacted, leading to excellent yields of high-quality strawberries grown without synthetic pesticides and mineral fertilizers.
Dr. Maria Benina presented the free services of AgroHub.BG, which are available to all agricultural producers and small and medium-sized enterprises located in Bulgaria, as well as the training courses that will be organized by CPSBB within the AgroDigiRise project of AgroHub.BG.
“We hope that the following events at CPSBB will be visited by more students from the Faculties of Fruit Growing and Plant Protection so that they can put into practice the theoretical knowledge they have acquired, as CPSBB is an ideal base for education and career development of PhD students and young scientists,” said Dr. Maria Benina.