In The Spotlight
Leading Chinese agricultural technology company, Origin Agritech Ltd., has announced a milestone achievement with the issuance of a GMO safety certificate for its transgenic maize BBL2-2, heralding a new era for crop innovation
The newly-certified BBL2-2 maize contains two insect-resistant genes, Cry1AB and Cry3Bb, and one herbicide-tolerance gene, Cp4-epsps, making this maize type resistant to various lepidopteran pests such as corn borer, cotton bollworm and armyworm.
Paving the way
The certification of BBL2-2 confirms its adherence to stringent safety standards and paves the way for its commercial launch. The introduction of the maize crop is expected to significantly enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability, providing a powerful tool for farmers to manage pests effectively and significantly reduce the environmental impact of agriculture.
Dr. Gengchen Han, chairman and CEO of Origin Agritech, said, “Receiving this GMO safety certificate is a transformative moment for Origin Agritech and agricultural biotechnology in China. BBL2-2 exemplifies our capabilities in genetic innovation and sets a new standard in sustainable agriculture.
“We are eager to lead the commercialisation of this technology, which promises significant improvements in crop resilience and yield.”
After one full season with TOMRA LUCAi, three cherry growers who installed the technology confirmed that they benefitted from higher productivity; enhanced quality selection with consequent higher margins for their customers; along with reduced food waste
In 2023, TOMRA Food was in the final stages of development of its AI-powered LUCAi platform, ready to trial its innovation with customers in different conditions and regions – from California to New Zealand. After the 2023 cherry season, Prima Frutta decided to install LUCAi on all of their machines, for a total of 132 lanes for their upcoming 2024 cherry season.
Moreover, two long-standing customers–Dunstan Hills and Panmure Orchards–who have been running TOMRA equipment for almost 10 years, were also keen to implement the TOMRA LUCAi technology. The three cherry growers shared the challenge of meeting the growing demand, with consistent high-quality produce, in the short cherry season, which typically begins in mid-May and finishes at the end of June in California, while in New Zealand it runs from early to mid-December to late January.
“With LUCAi we achieved better grading and increased throughput of around 10% – and it is easy to use,” said Ian Nicholls, operations manager at Dunstan Hills, after one full season with TOMRA LUCAi.
LUCAi's user-friendly interface software makes it very easy for the customer’s operators to get the best sorting and grading performance from their processing line. Founder of Prima Frutta Packing, Tim Sambado explained that the technology not only allowed them to make changes, but also provided them with accurate data on how it was going to impact their grading before the change was applied. Nicholls also agreed that the technology made it significantly easier for the operator to refine decision-making and improve grading. This not only helps cherry packers deliver consistent quality and meet the specific requirements of their customers, but it also enables them to increase their productivity and address the short cherry season.
The technology for the InVision2 cherry grading platform is unique unique in that it comes with vast amounts of data collected by TOMRA in different regions across the world, building pre-trained models using real images of cherries. This means that it is ready to deliver its superior sorting and grading performance as soon as it is installed. It uses TOMRA’s Deep Learning technology to identify with unparalleled accuracy an extensive range of defects – from edge cracks, Pacman cherries, open sutures, cosmetic blemishes and stem pulls, to spurs, cracks and all defects around the stem; from dehydration to apical splits; and it will recognise colours in the ripe phase with precision.
Moreover, the platform also continues to evolve as it keeps learning from the data it collects while running in the customer’s operation, future-proofing their business. TOMRA’s service team remains at their side after installation, ready to proactively help them optimise their sorting and grading performance.
“Thanks to LUCAi, the era of compromise is a thing of the past for our customers,” summarised global category director – Cherries at TOMRA Food, Benedetta Ricci Iamino. "The commitment is crystal clear – our customers can now confidently expect their best fruit, in prime condition, reaching optimal markets, all at highly competitive prices."
For more information, visit: www.tomra.com
Swiss technology group, Bühler recently announced its partnership with Canadian packaging equipment manufacturer, Premier Tech to launch the CHRONOS OMP-2090 B, a fully automatic bagging station
Developed for a wide range of powdery and other non-free-flowing products, the new bagging station delivers maximum productivity through reliable, fully automatic operation, outstanding bagging accuracy and high product and operational safety.
The CHRONOS OMP-2090 B features an innovative bag opening system that delivers maximum efficiency with highly reliable operation. Its innovation in bagging accuracy of approximately 25 kg is made possible through the incorporation of dosing and weighing technology and intelligent controls. Its uniquely robust bag handling concept delivers optimal uptime and has a capacity of up to 900 bags per hour and its hygienic design coupled with comprehensive safety features demonstrates Bühler's and Premier Tech’s dedication to high food and human safety standards. These features significantly optimise the profitability of millers without compromising the efficiency of their operations.
“At Premier Tech, we leverage our decades of expertise to deliver high-performing, food-safe, and cost-effective automated packaging solutions," said Partner Relations director at Premier Tech Systems and Automation, Alexis Michaud. "This dedication to quality and innovation ensures that businesses in emerging markets have access to the automation level they need to compete. Our solutions empower them to enhance their operational efficiency and product quality, ultimately contributing to their long-term success.”
The product will be available in all markets, apart from the US, Canada and the European member states.
For more information, visit: https://www.buhlergroup.com/ and https://www.premiertech.com/
Leading Chinese agricultural technology company, Origin Agritech Ltd., has announced a milestone achievement with the issuance of a GMO safety certificate for its transgenic maize BBL2-2, heralding a new era for crop innovation
The newly-certified BBL2-2 maize contains two insect-resistant genes, Cry1AB and Cry3Bb, and one herbicide-tolerance gene, Cp4-epsps, making this maize type resistant to various lepidopteran pests such as corn borer, cotton bollworm and armyworm.
Paving the way
The certification of BBL2-2 confirms its adherence to stringent safety standards and paves the way for its commercial launch. The introduction of the maize crop is expected to significantly enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability, providing a powerful tool for farmers to manage pests effectively and significantly reduce the environmental impact of agriculture.
Dr. Gengchen Han, chairman and CEO of Origin Agritech, said, “Receiving this GMO safety certificate is a transformative moment for Origin Agritech and agricultural biotechnology in China. BBL2-2 exemplifies our capabilities in genetic innovation and sets a new standard in sustainable agriculture.
“We are eager to lead the commercialisation of this technology, which promises significant improvements in crop resilience and yield.”
A poultry farm in the Philippines has embraced Hi-MO X6, which was installed across the rooftops of the farm, pioneering a low-carbon, and sustainable agricultural paradigm
Under the mission of 'To make the best of solar energy to build a green world', the world's leading solar technology company, LONGi is at the forefront of bringing photovoltaic technology to cultivate an agriculture sector that thrives in harmony with nature.
Equipped with HPBC cell technology and having an estimated annual generation of 300,000 kWh, Hi-MO X6 supplies the farm's energy needs and anticipates a net CO₂ emission reduction of 4439 tonnes over its lifetime – a figure equivalent to the CO₂ absorption of 14,796 trees over 30 years.
Boasting a 2.27% increase in light absorption, Hi-MO X6 significantly enhances power output, with empirical tests revealing that Hi-MO X6 operates for 5.8 hours per day, surpassing the average four-hour generation time of mainstream products. Annually, this amounts to an additional 1182.6 generation hours and yields for users.
Being the first to offer full rear-side soldering, Hi-MO X6 considerably improves anti-crack capabilities and exhibits exceptional performance in severe weather resilience tests. Moreover, these panels also passed the TUV SUD ammonia corrosion test, ensuring stable and efficient power and securing daily operations at the poultry farm.
For more information, visit: www.longi.com
Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor, and Borg Warner have achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities utilising a Monarch MK-V tractor, a Borg Warner 60 kW DC fast charger, and Gridtractor’s cloud-based charge management system employing the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)
Symaga's strong commitment to the preservation of its natural environment, has urged the company to increase the overall capacity of their solar plant from 200 kW up to 800 kW this year
Currently, 70% of all Symaga's manufacturing operations are being driven by their own generated green energy resources. The company is on the path to becoming more efficient, sustainable and competitive, with their medium-term goal being focused on shifting the entire production to their green supplies.
The most recent investment in Symaga's manufacturing site has strengthened the company's production process of the silo roof sectors, resulting in a 30% increase in productivity within the cutting and bending section. Symaga has acquired two new flattening-cutting and bending lines equipped with stiffening rollers to improve both the flattening and structural quality of their roof sectors. In order to absorb the increase in their cuttiing operations, a new robot cell for bending and packing roof sectors has been implemented.
This action is part of Symaga's Annual Investment Plan, which underlines their commitment to maintaining production and operational excellence, while also promoting environmental and occupational safety standards. These plans seek to improve the company's production capacity, a cornerstone of Symaga’s success, ensuring state of the art production supported by a team of 150 professionals, capable of handling projects from layout to after-sales.
For more information, visit: https://www.symaga.com/en/