“Plant climate and atmosphere
research in controlled environments:
past, present and future”
Annual Meeting of the Controlled Environment
Users' Group (UK CEUG) 2015
8th - 10th September 2015
At
University College Dublin, Ireland
Delegate List
Welcome
The theme of this years conference is Managing Pests and Diseases in
Controlled Environments, surely one of the most universal problems facing
Controlled Environment users the world over. Besides their obvious effects
on plant health and quality, pests and disease infestation/contamination
have the potential to disrupt or at worst ruin experiments requiring costly
repeats and general ill-feeling between researchers and facilities teams.
On the flip side we also use CE to grow and propagate Pest and Diseases
which can bring a whole set of different challenges.
It is therefore in the interest of facilities managers to keep up-to-date with
current control strategies. The line-up of speakers represent some of the
most active players in pest and disease control and the organisers would
like thank the speakers and tour guides who have given their time freely to
present their work to us
The local organising committee, would like to thank the following for their
assistance in implementing this conference. Graham Pitkin, Becky Cordy,
Karen Edwards, Jim Morton.
We hope that you enjoy the conference, and hopefully return to your institutions with a few more tools in the armoury against the ever-present pests
and diseases!
Guy Henderson, Jason Daff & Peter Glanfield.
(Local organising committee)
Wheat
Oilseed Rape
Damian Algar, John Innes Centre
Grazyna Bochenek, Heliospectra AB
Rebecca Cordy, John Innes Centre
Julian Franklin, Rothamsted Research
Jimmy Gustafsson, Heliospectra AB
Mark Meacham, University of Nottingham
Lance Penketh, Unversity of Leeds
Danny Skelton, FERA
Neil Helyer, Fargro
Dale Bavastock, University of Sheffield
Lisa Connole, Limerick Inst. of Technology
David Foster, Koppert UK
Karen Girard, Koppert UK
Geoff Holroyd, University of Lancaster
Jill Maple, Rothamsted Research
Greg Nicholson, Sheffield University
Beccy Samworth, NBIP
Les Lane, XL Horticulture
Jan Van Butsele, Bayer CropScience NV
Tomato
Barley
Steven Miller, SRUC
Tracy Cleland, Vaisala Ltd
Rob Darby, Aberystwyth University
Fiona Gilzean, Rothamsted Research
Laurence Hansen, Reading University
Nigel Boulding, Cambridge University
Richard Natt, FERA
Barry Robertson, John Innes Centre
Garry Taylor, Weiss Technik UK Ltd
Bernard Ryhuel, Bayer CropScience NV
Rimas Barauskas, Syngenta
Rob Brett, University of Cambridge
Stefan Danyliw, Vaisala
Matthew Gilroy, Conviron Europe Ltd
Sophie Haupt, University of Edinburgh
Marcia Kirinus, Bayer CropScience
Alan Morgan, Ret.
Graham Pitkin, The James Hutton Institute
Pat Watson, University of Edinburgh
Bas van Eerdt, WPS Horti Systems
Martin Hughes, Weiss Technik UK Ltd
Corn
Stephen Andrews, University of Cambridge
Titta Kotilainen, Valoya
Erich Baumann, Argus Controls
Peter Gill, Ex-Scottish Crop Research Inst
Steve Guy, NBIP
Maggi Killon, University of Sheffield
Peter Verheul, Hortisystems
Lionel Perkins, John Innes Centre
Adam Taylor, Skye Instruments Ltd
Dick Marchand, Bayer CropScience, NV
Sunflower
Timo Blake, University of Sheffield
Alan Cookson, IBERS, Aberystwyth University
Chris Fox, Rotronic Instruments (UK) Ltd
Anthony Griffin, Rothamsted Research
Jasper Hubert, Koppert UK
Sarah McMahon, Limerick Inst, of Technology
Angus Padfield, Unigro Ltd
Katie Sarll, Unversity of Cambridge
Peter Scotting, FERA
Carsten Richter, Conviron
Jealott’s Hill Tour Itinerary
UKCEUG 2014 Annual Conference Programme
Pest & Disease Management in Controlled Environments
5) Growth Rooms (Guide: Martin Hughes)
Suite of 6 Weiss controlled environment chambers, built in 2007 at a total
project cost of £1.6mio. Each room has capacity for 8 trolleys. Rooms are
often used to investigate the effects climatic extremes on pesticide performance. Vernalisation of cool season plants or for propagation of
‘difficult’ species.
6) Weed Control Glasshouse (Guide: Peter Glanfield)
Glasshouse 167, built in 1997 at a cost of £8.5m, including the lab building, covers an area of 0.4ha and is the home to Syngenta’s Weed Control Biology group
where new herbicides are profiled for their weed control efficacy. The glasshouse
consists of 22 individual bays totalling 3,000m² monitored by 8 Priva CPU
and1,260 units of 400 watt SON/T Agro lights.
This year the entire roof was replaced by Cambridge HOK at a cost of £655,000
Tuesday 9th September
Session 1. Scientific meeting at Bracknell Hilton
11:00 - 12:00 Registration at Bracknell Hilton
12:00 - 13.00 Lunch
Lectures
13:15 - 13:30 Guy Henderson—Welcome & Housekeeping
13:30 - 14:00 Mike Bushell - The regulatory landscape
14:00 - 14:30 Peter Scotting– Successful facilities management
14:30 - 15:00 Neil Helyer - IPM in a Controlled Environment
7) Trade stands
Participating trade stands:
15:00 - 15:30
Tea/Coffee
Heliospectra AB
Vaisala Ltd
Rotronic Instruments (UK) Ltd
Conviron Europe Ltd
Koppert UK
Lectures
15:30 - 16:00 Les Lane - Plastics for Pest control
16:00 - 16:30 Mark Gill - CE and Scientists; a case study.
16:30 - 17:00 Wrap up discussion, Q&A.
Weiss Technik UK Ltd
Valoya
Unigro ltd
Session 2. CEUG Business meeting at Bracknell Hilton
18.00 Annual General Meeting
Hortisystems UK Ltd
Gavita
XL Horticulture
20.00 Conference Dinner
UKCEUG 2014 Annual Conference Programme
Pest & Disease Management in Controlled Environments
Wednesday 10th September
Session 3. Tours at Syngenta Jealott’s Hill IRC
08:15 - 08:30 Depart from Bracknell Hilton
08:45 - 09:15 Arrive Jealott’s Hill, Assemble in the
Elements Building
09:15 - 10:45 Syngenta Facilities Tour inc. Trade Stands
10.45 - 11.15 Tea/Coffee & Trade Stands (Elements Building)
11:15 - 12:45 Syngenta Facilities Tour inc. Trade Stands
12.45 - 13.30 Lunch & Trade stands/Posters
13.30 - 14.00 Depart Jealott's Hill
Jealott’s Hill Tour Itinerary
1)
Glasshouse 175 - Plasma Lighting (Guide: Paul Seymour)
This glasshouse, built by Cambridge HOK, now 9 years old is a self-contained
research facility designed specifically for conducting radiolabelled pesticide metabolism studies. The design is devoid of porous surfaces and features epoxyresin flooring throughout. In 2011 the facility was equipped with plasma lighting
by Gavita, which offer a light spectrum closer to natural daylight - ideal for conducting photostability testing. Paul will share some of his experiences with this
novel lighting and benefits it has in terms of plant quality and flexibility.
2) Herbicide Chemistry (Guide: Jim Morton)
Jim will tour visitors around our herbicide chemistry
synthesis laboratories, where new active ingredients
are devised and synthesised. Jealott's Hill laboratories are the home of several notable pesticides, including paraquat, diquat and the fungicide
azoxystrobin Syngenta’s first billion dollar selling
product. Also en route is the Artemis formulation robot an $8 million investment allowing us to create
more complex and innovative formulations and rapidly turn our ideas into products.
3) Doubled Haploid Wheat Breeding Facility (Guide: TBC)
Doubled haploid breeding techniques have accelerated the wheat breeding process significantly. Allowing Syngenta to develop new varieties quicker than ever
before. The team will introduce you to the process and its dependency on controlled environments for success.
4) Seed Store (Guide: Jason Daff)
The supply of weed seeds is critical to the ability to biologically profile new herbicides. Jason will talk us through the challenges of sourcing and producing weed
seeds and the challenges in germinating and growing these species consistently.
Dr Mike Bushell (Syngenta)
Jealott’s Hill - Site Map
Dr Mike Bushell is the Principal Scientific Advisor for Syngenta, a world leader in plant science.
Mike has a chemistry background, with a Ph.D.
from Liverpool and the University of California at
Davis and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of
Chemistry. Following postdoctoral studies at
Cambridge, he joined ICI in 1980, based at
Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre in
Berkshire.
Barley car park
Main Entrance
Follow directions to Barley Car Park- There are spaces reserved for CEUG
Opposite the car park is the Elements building, where the meeting is based,
go in the entrance facing the car park and go up the stairs.
He has held a variety of technical leadership and
management roles over more than 30 years, including Head of R&T Projects, Head of Discovery, Head of External Partnerships and Head of
Jealott’s Hill, one of the world’s leading R&D centres for innovation in
agriculture. He is also the secretary to the Syngenta Technology Advisory Board.
Mike has served on many external industry bodies, government and
university advisory boards, including the Food Research Partnership,
the BBSRC Strategy Panels for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security, the Biosciences KTN and the Green Economy Council. Mike was
recently appointed as a Visiting Professor at Nottingham University and
to the Board of Trustees for the SCI.
Peter Scotting (FERA)
Getting There - Bracknell Hilton to Jealott’s Hill
Peter Scotting BSc, is a FERA Plant
Health and Seeds Inspector. He has been
based in Kent for the past 12 years and
has worked on scientific licensing for the
past ten years In many research institutes
in the South East.
Peter will deliver a presentation entitled:
‘Successful Facilities Management’
which will cover a broad scope from current enforcement and regulation through to the practicalities of running a controlled environment.

Exit the Hilton car park to the left, turn left at the mini roundabout and left
again onto the A322 towards Bracknell. Key is to follow the signs for
Maidenhead – effectively this means going straight over 5 roundabouts.

Proceed straight over the first roundabout, then get into the right hand lane
and when, near the second roundabout, the right hand lane splits into two,
again go on the right hand lane, follow the road markings around and stay
in the right hand lane up to the third roundabout.

Take the third exit, you should see large white modern Bracknell College
building on your right coming up to the fourth roundabout. Get into the middle lane at this roundabout and take the third exit.

At the fifth roundabout go straight over and at the next set of traffic lights
turn left. After about 1 mile the Syngenta site will be on your right just after
the Leathern Bottle pub.

Turn right into the main entrance of the Research Centre just past the sign
for Jealott’s Hill. Those of you with cars will have been given a car pass
which you should wave at the Security guard .

Allow 25 minutes door to door to get there in rush hour.
About Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre
Syngenta's International
Research Centre at
Jealott's Hill - our largest
site for new agrochemical
R&D and product support.
The site was founded in
1927 and today employs
nearly 800 scientists and
support staff who are continuing an 80 year tradition
of innovation in agriculture.
Many of the world’s most
important crop protection
products were developed
here.
Key activities on the site include research into discovery of new active ingredients
(AIs), new formulation technologies to develop products from existing AIs and
technical support of our product range. The site houses a number of centres of
excellence such as analytical science, protein science and bioscience that support
our worldwide R&D activities.
Jealott’s Hill is also the site of the biggest glasshouse research complex in Europe
when opened, a £8.5 million development covering 4,000 square metres. The
complex allows scientists to carry out research on a wide selection of crops in a
range of climatic conditions. Our Product Safety team are also based on the site,
ensuring our products are safe to both people and the environment.
The centre is surrounded by the 650 acre Jealott's Hill Farm. The area has supported agriculture since before Tudor times, and the 16th century farm buildings
still exist today. Today the farm grows both winter wheat and oilseed rape, and
produces beef. Its sustainable approach to agriculture was recognised in 2000
when it became a LEAF (Linking Environmental and Farming) demonstration farm.
Our people at Jealott's Hill are also active in the community. We support THRIVE,
a charity that provides gardening facilities as a means of therapy. We have an active education programme encouraging local schools to visit the site, and run visits
to schools for pupils to learn about crops and plant science. So far by 2009, this
programme has reached more than 6,000 children.
Neil Helyer (Fargro)
Neil Helyer joined Fargro Ltd as their Integrated Pest Management Specialist in
1995 after almost 20 years of entomology
research at the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute based in Littlehampton,
West Sussex. Fargro Ltd. is a longestablished and highly respected distributor of bio control and crop protection
products to the horticultural industry.
Fargro have a range of exclusive core
products for which it provides a complete
package of technical and marketing support in the UK. Currently Neil makes
many advisory visits to horticultural growers to develop and monitor IPM programmes, the majority being specifically designed for each site and crop. These include large acre
salad crops (cucumber, herbs, sweet pepper and tomato), soft fruit
production, ornamental plant production (cut flower and pot plants),
hardy nursery stock, botanic gardens (RBG Kew, RHS Wisley etc.)
and interior plant landscapes (atriums).
In line with the audit requirements of some producers/suppliers for
their advisors, Neil holds a BASIS certificate and to ensure that his
technical information base is kept up-to-date he is a Member of the
BASIS Professional Register.
Les Lane (XL Horticulture)
XL Horticulture sponsors and mentors students
in relation to spectral filters every year. They
have therefore been involved with a number of
research projects in relation to the suppression
of flying insects and suppression of grey mould
(botrytis) fungal diseases .
Les Lane, founder and managing director of XL
horticulture will give a brief outline of a number
of these projects highlighting how spectral filter
tunnel covers can be a cost effective tool in the
IPM armoury.
Les Lane is the son of a nurseryman and so
grew up doing all the practical jobs around horticulture. At the age of 27 he worked for a division of ICI fertilisers before moving on to Caledonian Peat Products as regional sales manager selling to retail and commercial growers south of Birmingham. He was then asked to spearhead the
introduction of Osmocote into the UK market which he did increasing sales
by 1000% in 3 years and becoming a member of the Chartered Institute of
Marketing and the IOH at the same time . He left to start his own company
importing the Japanese alternative to Osmocote – Nutricote – and after 2
years he sold the import franchise to Fisons. He then undertook a number
of marketing and market research commissions before starting his own
nursery , Devonshire Lavenders and Herbs in 1988. In 1993 he teamed up
again with the original marketing company of Osmocote to market polythene tunnel covers. Being a nurseryman himself he has been able to develop a unique range of spectral filter polytunnel covers. When his business partner retired 7 years ago Les bought him out and formed the family
business with his 2 sons which is today XL Horticulture Ltd. In addition to
the XL poly products they still own the nursery, as well as a commercial
irrigation company and biological products company for horticulture and
amenity.
If it looks as though I have done a lot it’s because I have a lot of years.
Mark Gill (Syngenta)
As the Insecticide Technical Lead for Discovery I
am responsible for insecticide lead generation
activities within Syngenta. As an entomologist I
have held several positions within crop protection
and trait research focusing on insect control.
I have also spent the past 8 months on part-time
secondment working as Entomology Team Leader at the Ghent Innovation Centre in Belgium,
which involves commuting to Belgium every other
week.
I am project owner of a $1m refurbishment project in Ghent, where we hope to start construction work early 2015. During my career, I have
been involved in several refurbishment projects.
In 2003, we increased our insectary and had a
number of existing rooms refurbished. In 2007, we had a substantial refurbishment project, where a number of CE rooms were reconfigured for
change of use and I had the opportunity to design two new laboratories
from scratch. These projects have given me perspective of how the right
(or wrong) specifications can impact our ability to carry out our science to
the highest standards, which I’m happy to share with you in my presentation.
Syngenta screens 60,000 different chemical compounds per year to look
for insecticidal, fungicidal or herbicidal activity. To carry this out successfully requires testing against a wide range of global pests, which in turn require a wide range of environments depending on their geographical origin.
What are these requirements and how can they be achieved? Each different environment needs to be controlled to a high level of accuracy as living
organisms are sensitive and adapt to their surroundings. In the screening
process, all external variables need to be minimised as much as possible
so that the only variable in the test is the chemical. This is particularly important when testing continually throughout the year. In addition, there are
numerous other factors to take into account. Are the pests suitably contained, is the environment safe and practical for the scientist, etc? These
questions and several others will be discussed in the presentation.