Technology news from Produce Plus
Technology news stories with a direct relevance to the fresh produce business in Australia and New Zealand, including updates on production and harvesting systems, sorting and grading machinery, packaging, coldstorage and controlled atmosphere, digital management, robots and automation, vertical farming, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
Protected Cropping Centre for Mild Winter Climates launched at Gatton AgTech Showcase
Research centre features Cravo retractable roof technology and will facilitate insights for growers
Protected Cropping Australia welcomes Michael Simonetta and Ben Hoodless to board
Appointments signal new era for organisation as it guides industry through period of rapid change
Next generation weed management takes centre stage at Gatton AgTech Showcase
Australia’s horticulture industry is set to benefit from a major innovation in weed management, announced at the Gatton AgTech Showcase.
Ultraviolet light helps growers put fungicides to bed in new R&D project
Hort Innovation project to validate the effectiveness of UV-C light treatment for powdery mildew
Coming soon: Produce Plus Summer
As the weather warms up, Produce Plus takes a look at summer favourites, including spotlights on the mango, stonefruit, cherry and table grape categories as they vie for attention over the holiday period.
Boratto Farms leverages AI for leafy green quality assessment with GoMicro
AI-powered technology can assess quality of spinach, lettuce, rocket, chard, and red butter leaves on conveyor belts with expert-level accuracy
New Zealand’s 26 Seasons signs Saudi strawberry partnership
26 Seasons and Qassim Strawberry & Fruit Cooperative Society sign commercial partnership
Seeka upgrades full-year earnings guidance again
Solid trading through the third quarter sees Seeka lift profit before tax forecast
GP Graders launches industry-first sanitary blueberry sorting machine
Post-harvest technology specialist GP Graders has released a new fully sanitary-designed sorting and grading machine specifically engineered for blueberries, featuring dry-handling technology and advanced defect detection
Produce Plus Spring out now
Produce Plus Spring is headlined by a keynote interview with MOYA 2025 winner Sonia Gabauer. She reveals the keys to the successful Driscoll’s Australia Sweetest Batch Strawberries campaign. Plus, a wrap up of Hort Connections and features on berries, avocados, citrus and IFPSS 2025.
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Sumitomo Chemical Australia announces new regional managers
Sam Boyce appointed regional manager for eastern Victoria and Stephan Logoida appointed south-east Queensland and Northern Rivers regional manager
AC Foods and Legacy Packing partner with Tomra for packhouse upgrade
Upgrade is AC Foods’ largest investment in the Southern Hemisphere, expanding capacity fivefold
Fresh Del Monte CEO warns of global banana shortage
Fresh Del Monte Produce’s chairman and CEO Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh has issued a stark warning about a global banana shortage, citing the spread of diseases and climate change as key factors affecting production
Australian growers trial advanced tech to cut labour costs
Researchers in Victoria believe new technologies can reduce labour costs in Australian apple and pear industry
Survey: AI and automation in fresh produce supply chains
Fruitnet reaches out to fruit and veg business professionals to investigate current and future impact of groundbreaking new technologies
BeeHero enters third season in Australia
Precision pollination specialist BeeHero has launched its services for Australian growers for the third consecutive season, now supporting over 70,000 acres of crops with new pre-pollination reports and enhanced connectivity infrastructure
Hort Connections 2025 round-up: photo report
See some of the key exhibitors from this year’s event in Brisbane and the award winners
Costa Group harnesses WayBeyond’s FarmRoad to power blueberry innovation
WayBeyond’s enterprise platform helps Costa Group identify the best new blueberries for commercial success
Inaugural Australian-Grown Innovation Incubate cohort named
A group of 14 growers will join six-week programme to help develop their ideas and innovations
Hort Innovation prioritises productivity with A$220mn R&D investment
Investment in new technology aims to boost productivity and yield while reducing input costs