91制片厂

For the second year, the Macfarlane Research Greenhouses at the 91制片厂 have received the top grade for sustainability by an independent international sustainability certification group. The facility, which is part of the听听at the听, is the only research greenhouse operation in the world with this sustainability certification.

The听听of the Netherlands facilitates a greenhouse sustainability certification program that assesses energy, water, and fertilizer use; crop protection methods; and waste management in greenhouses around the globe. MPS Group operates in more than 55 countries and works with about 4,000 growers.听

The Macfarlane Research Greenhouses maintained a grade A certification for the second year since 91制片厂 began participating in the program in October 2012. With about 20,000 square feet of greenhouse space, the facility has about 20 research projects ongoing at any given time and is a key component of the experiment station鈥檚 extensive research program.

In its review of the Macfarlane Research Greenhouses, MPS commended the 91制片厂 facility for its new fertilizer inventory system, crop protection, and waste management. 鈥淚t is good to see that the MPS ABC certification is working as an instrument for 91制片厂 Greenhouses. In comparison with the initial audit, I have seen several improvements in record keeping and also in relation to thoughts on how to further improve the total score for MPS ABC. The involved staff led by David Goudreault are professionals and dedicated to the task,鈥� said MPS-ECAS auditor Arthij van der Veer, who toured the greenhouses recently with greenhouse manager David Goudreault.

During the first year of participating in the certification program, Goudreault said greenhouse staff developed efficient methods for logging and reporting inputs associated with fertilizer usage, crop protection, water usage, energy, and waste management. In the second year, management evaluated changes in reported inputs over time and began to set benchmarks for improvement.

鈥淧articipating in MPS has increased our awareness of the inputs associated with each research project. For example, Dr. Brent Loy鈥檚 cucurbit breeding program requires high water and fertility inputs. We recently installed moisture sensors and a water flow meter for a hybrid melon growing program. Sensor readings are integrated with our irrigation controller to intermittently pulse water at short intervals to maintain a specific moisture level and reduce leaching from the pot to a bare minimum,鈥� Goudreault said.

鈥淲e have already found that we can maintain excellent plant quality with a significantly reduced fertility rate. Although water use evaluations are not complete, it seems clear that it will decrease significantly. We鈥檙e planning to install a similar watering system in the larger cucurbit breeding crop in the spring,鈥� he said.

Jon Wraith, dean of 91制片厂鈥檚 College of Life Sciences and Agriculture and director of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station (NHAES), initiated 91制片厂鈥檚 involvement with the MPS certification program after learning about it from alumnus Doug Cole, who owns DS Cole Growers in Loudon, the first MPS-certified commercial greenhouse in North America.