Turnips can also be grown without soil and used in salads.

Four years have passed since then BiopraediumIn cooperation with Capsa Food and Igape, began research to produce the first recycled shipping containers to produce livestock feed using what is known as controlled environment agriculture. Now this company has decided to go a step further and start research so that it can cultivate, through this same system, shoots from which salads are made. The news is that among them is turnip, the new star of this company’s product, which wants to become another ingredient in these typical summer dishes.

“We believe that turnips should not only be eaten on the plate, but should be join the summer diet“, account Javier Casal who is together with Jacob Álvarez They are responsible for this company. His idea is that this Galician vegetable can be grown by road agriculture in a controlled environmentAlso known as vertical cultivation. To do this, they adapted a series of containers in which the plants are isolated from the external environment and have everything they need at different stages of growth. Water, temperature, ventilation levels, lighting and carbon are supplied artificially and always taking into account the needs of the crop.

This method has great advantages, assures Casal. “It’s there save up to 90% of water compared to the traditional crop. Also, younor are chemical or phytosanitary fertilizers used, we create the perfect climate for cultivation,” he adds. The system has many other advantages, say Biopredium. The less space is needed to achieve the same yields. On 0.40 hectares indoors you can produce the equivalent of what is produced between 1.5 and 2.5 hectares outdoors, depending on the crop. In addition, the effect is also greater, because seasonality is reduced. This will allow, for example, to have beet tops all year round.

feed containers

Until now, this company has specialized in design containers for the production of animal feed, a system that allows farmers to have fresh food for their livestock at any time of the year and in any place. “It is difficult for us to enter the market of Galicia, because it is a country where they graze all year round, but our system is causing great interest in other areas, such as the Community of Valencia, where they have problems due to the water deficit in recent years,” says Casal.

Now at Biopraedium, they have started experimenting with other types of crops, in order to give more alternatives to farmers and herders Galicians. One of the tests they do is cultivation microshoots for making salad bags. – We work with autochthonous seeds because we want to produce top quality crops – says the head of this company. And among them all, his stands out Grelho. His idea is to grow beet sprouts that can be used in those fourth-rate mixes that can be found in supermarkets today. This would allow them not only to produce this plant in a much more ecological way, since it would require less water and land, but also to make it available to them throughout the year. «we would get deseasonalize the crop“, Add. They have also started tests with soybean sprouts, both for human and animal food. “We are looking for crops with difficulties in adapting to the Galician climate and, in the case of soybeans, with high nutritional values ​​for animal feed,” he says. Alfalfa, watercress, peas and lentils They are another of the legumes and vegetables they are researching to grow in their containers.

The company currently has a a wide selection of containers, within which sprouts, fodder or even fruits like strawberries could be grown. In the offer they presented in Salimat, they had several intended for the production of green leafy vegetables, in vertical and horizontal format, another for the hydroponic production of green fodder and another for the production of strawberries and other non-woody plants with small fruits.. In addition, they have somewhat reduced format for those who want to try this experience.