Delphy and media outlet Vd Grond announce Peony Field Day on 22 April

WAGENINGEN, Netherlands: The Dutch knowledge sharing organisation and service provider for growers around the world Delphy and horticultural media outlet Vd Grond announce a Peony Field Day at peony grower Van Aert Flowers in Breda, Netherlands on 22 April 2022.

The events aims at boosting the Netherlands’production of high quality cut peonies and thereby reducing its impact on the environment.

The field day will showcase Van Aert’s  research site of several experimental plots dedicated to taking peony growing to the next level.

The field day will feature research trial demonstrations on the EU-funded Best4Soil programme that looks into optimised crop rotation as a basis to prevent build up of soil-borne diseases and best practices with a preventive effect such as the use of ground cover, compost, and green manures.

This unique event will showcase the latest in sustainable fungi and weed control, new tools for data-driven peony farming such as in-field moisture sensors and QMS devices. QMS Water is a model to control the irrigation for arable crops, using data from sensors, crop parameters, soil characteristics, weather forecast, etc. The model indicates daily what the moisture shortage or surplus per plot is.

The Peony Field is also an opportunity to learn more about practices to advance the peony crop by using in field tunnels or ground covering cloths.

Finally, the first results will be shared on a research project on peonies which have received a convection heat treatment instead of a warm water treatment tot o reduce plant diseases.