Gerwin de Vries - Witloof nursery LOF - Witloof - Espel - Netherlands

As a chicory grower with an eye on sustainability and the future, I got in touch with Ultramins. I was curious whether they could also help me with their transmitters to control/prevent phytoftora, a common problem in chicory growing. At the moment, I still use Pergado as an additive to the water which in itself is adequate, but in time I want to minimise or stop using it. Also, legislation may be tightened further, so I thought it would be wise to look at an alternative now.

On the advice of Ultramins, we placed a USAF ST60 transmitter in the basin near the tow cell, which is about 2m3 in size. For the first 3 weeks, we still used 50% per cent Pergado. At harvest, there were no traces of phytoftora on the roots, the water was also clean. In the next crop, we used the channel again for three weeks, but without adding Pergado. This was very exciting, as we would never normally do this, especially with a pull-cell filled to the brim. Because the first 'round' had gone well, we dared to do it anyway.

But again, the result was excellent!

So the USAF™ transmitter certainly did its job without us having to worry about it. So it can be a very good and especially sustainable alternative to other means. That makes me feel good as a grower!

Finally, I would like to note that I really like the cooperation and thinking of Ultramins.