James Hutton Institute

Taking six months to deliver, Haith’s full stainless steel line features two optical sorters, washing, de-stoning and polishing machinery.

Integrating optical grading from Newtec, which supplied a Celox optical sorter, the line is capable of handling 12 tonnes of carrot per hour.

The carrots enter the process form tipping trailers into a Haith supa-flow receiving hopper then pass through a Haith pre-soak immersion tank with integral destoner, which removes the heavy clay soil. A Haith SupaWash and MkIII Root Veg Polisher, with automatic rotation change for optimum brush life, follow before the field heat in the carrots’ core is lowered by a Hydrocooler. Finally, the carrots are sorted by size and quality and enter one of seven channels.

“Meade Farm has been a valued customer for several years, and as they’ve grown, they’ve asked us to design and install increasingly sophisticated packing lines for them. Meade prides itself on delivering quality produce to its customers, and our vegetable handling machinery plays a key part in this,” says Duane Hill, managing director of the double Queen’s Award for Enterprise-winning company. “Meade uses five of our root veg polishers, seven of our selfcleaning barrel washers and four Haith Rota-Tip box tipplers, and we are incredibly appreciative of their loyalty to us.”

Search for a Star – Entries to FSOOTY 2023 now open

The Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year Award (FSOOTY) is now open for entry. The competition recognises the very best practice in sprayer operation, as well as providing a great opportunity for operators to share experiences and advance their learning.FSOOTY is hugely rewarding for everyone to enter and great fun to be involved in the camaraderie between sprayer operators, according to Syngenta Application Specialist, Scott Cockburn. “Everyone who enters has the same application challenges and frustrations, so there’s a huge amount to gain from sharing the solutions. One thing that’s repeated every year is that entrants find they learn something new from other operators and can improve the way they work,” he highlighted.

“Previous FSOOTY finalists remain firm friends and continue to share experiences, long after the competition is over.”

FSOOTY gives sprayer operators clear recognition for their highly important role, as well as enhancing their continuous professional development and industry position.

All the finalists win a trip for two to Cereals 2023 and are presented with their awards in the Sprays & Sprayers Arena. The overall winner claims a study tour to the awe inspiring Operators can enter FSOOTY 2023 direct on the Syngenta website - https:// www.syngenta.co.uk/fsooty - or through the dedicated application advice website, Ei Operator. Entering FSOOTY automatically gains NRoSO points. Farmers and agronomists can also nominate sprayer operators for entry on the Syngenta website.

Operators will also be able to enter the competition on the Syngenta stand at LAMMA in January. Entries close on 11 January 2023.

Scottish crops could hold key to healing with honey

The healing effects of Manuka honey are well established and widely recognised. The NHS even recommends Manuka Medihoney as an effective treatment for wounds and burns.

Manuka honey comes from New Zealand and Australia, and is made by bees that feed on Manuka flowers, a plant in the tea tree and myrtle family. However, in a collaboration that crosses the globe, researchers from The James Hutton Institute have been examining the medical potential of honeys made from other crops to act as anti-microbial agents to fight against super-bugs.

Recent studies by Dr Gordon McDougall, Head of Plant Biochemistry at the Institute and collaborators at Queen Margaret University and Nazarbayev University School of Medicine (NUSOM) in Kazakhstan have found that various honeys, including some originating from Scottish heathers, have the same anti-microbial activity as Manuka Medihoney.

By using the Hutton’s analytical know-how and studying the composition of honey made from a variety of crops, the researchers have been able to pinpoint specific components in honey responsible for these superbug killing effects.

Dr McDougall said “The ability to identify these honey components opens the door to utilising Scottish crops such as heather for medical purposes. Further research would allow us to investigate the potential of other Scottish crops and isolate the most active components either from the honey or the original plant sources to use in wound-healing lotions or bandages.”

Over the course of the research, NUSOM and the Hutton also identified that the non-sugar components of the honeys protected the immune response of human skin cells. Dr Pauline McLoone, principal investigator, said “Paired with the anti-microbial properties of honeys, this effect on skin cells could promote wound healing and further the use of natural, honey-based products in medical care”.

The James Hutton Institute is a world-leading scientific research organisation working to resolve global challenges in food, climate, energy and water security. The Institute works in partnership with people, organisations and governments to enhance sustainable environmental, social and economic development to deliver practical solutions for our shared future. www.hutton.ac.uk