Highlights from Delphy’s International Soft Fruit Conference 2026

Highlights from Delphy’s International Soft Fruit Conference 2026

A Grower Focused Recap for Those Who Couldn't Attend

“Once a bustling cattle trading hub nearly a century ago, this historic site now stands as a symbol of how agriculture continually evolves. The International Soft Fruit Conference 2026, organized by Delphy, carried that same spirit forward as today’s innovators and growers came together to shape the future of softfruit cultivation.”

As a frontrunner in chemical-free disease control with Plasma Activated Water technology, VitalFluid is proud to help drive the next wave of innovation in sustainable horticulture.

For growers and industry partners who were unable to attend, we’ve put together the most important insights — from breakthrough genetics and sustainable crop protection to climate smart cultivation and precision irrigation. Below you’ll find a clear and engaging roundup of the presentations that are moving the berry industry forward!

Managing Labour Peaks & Smarter Strawberry Propagation (Inagro): Simon Craeye explored strategies to reduce labour pressure in strawberry production by shifting toward Controlled Environment Propagation (CEP). Fresh, precisely steered plants grown under CEP enable smoother production curves, better predictability, and reduced dependence on seasonal labour forces. This approach creates stability in both planning and crop performance.

Accelerating Berry Breeding through Genomics (Planasa): Alfonso Lopez from Planasa showcased how genomics, digital phenotyping, and multilocation testing are reshaping berry breeding. By combining large germplasm collections with early genetic selection tools, they’re able to develop more resilient, higher yielding varieties faster than ever. Their structured pipeline ensures new cultivars meet grower needs across diverse climates and markets.

Creating Active, Healthy Greenhouse Climates (Svensson): Svensson emphasized the critical role of climate screens and vertical air movement in building an active greenhouse climate. Eliminating screen gaps and optimizing overall airflow significantly improves CO₂ uptake, evaporation, and plant vitality. Their ClimaFlow approach provides growers with a blueprint for healthier crops using less energy.

Vertical Airflow & Crop Activity Research (Delphy ISFC & Svensson): Tom Habraken and Dominque Blok share new studies confirming that controlled vertical air movement is essential for keeping berry crops active and resilient. Improved microclimate uniformity reduces moisture related challenges and helps stabilize plant behavior. When combined with modern screens, this creates a more energy efficient and robust production system.

Sustainable Mildew Control in Strawberries (Delphy ISFC): Vera Theelen presented promising results from IPM based mildew management strategies, including green products, UVC tools, biological solutions, and improved cultivation practices. Even under severe mildew pressure, these trials demonstrated effective control without relying on chemical protection. It marks a major step toward fossil free, residue free strawberry cultivation.

Blueberry Innovation & Global Outlook (Fall Creek): Teun Leenders from Fall Creek highlighted rapid growth in global blueberry demand and the need for varieties that can meet increasingly complex market expectations. Their innovation efforts span varietal development, mechanization, and data driven quality assessment — all aimed at delivering consistent, sustainable blueberries to consumers worldwide.

Preventative Plant Health with Plantsauna (Moleda): Moleda’s Jakob Aubell showcased their thermal treatment technology — Plantsauna — which uses controlled steam to eliminate pests and diseases in propagation material without chemicals. UK trials showed strong yield protection, improved plant cleanliness, and reduced spray requirements. With rising disease pressure, this clean start approach offers growers a powerful risk management tool.

Breeding Raspberries for 2030 and Beyond (BrightBerries / FruitMasters): BrightBerries, Hans Puijk laid out what the raspberry market will demand by 2030: better disease tolerance, longer shelf life, greater transportability, and stable year round production. Their breeding program focuses on varieties that reduce grower risk while aligning with retailer expectations. CrossEuropean collaboration helps ensure consistent quality across the entire supply chain.

Cutting Energy Use in EarlySeason Strawberries (Research Centre Hoogstraten): Stef Laurijssen presented trials combining heating radiation strategies, thermal screens, and vertical ventilation. These methods achieved up to 54% energy savings while maintaining strong fruit quality — even in challenging weather conditions. For growers facing high energy costs, these findings offer practical steps toward more profitable winter and spring production.

Future-Proof Blackberry Cultivation (Delphy ISFC): After two years of research, Pim Kleeven reported that blackberries can thrive in a low energy, climate smart cultivation concept. By understanding assimilate balance and combining improved climate control with double screens and dehumidification, growers can maintain high yields while drastically reducing fossil inputs.

Introducing Baya Solara - Bayer’s New Strawberry Variety (Bayer): Will Roberts and Alin Borleanu unveiled Bayer’s first strawberry variety, Baya Solara, an early midseason Junebearer delivering 20–30% more productivity than standard varieties. With excellent firmness, large berry size, strong crown rot resistance, and improved picking efficiency, it’s designed to reduce waste, labour costs, and overall production risk for growers.

Precision Irrigation with RootZone Sensors (Delphy UK): Dennis Wilson compared irrigation scheduling methods and showed how modern rootzone sensors drastically improve water management. By correlating moisture content with substrate tension, growers can avoid both under and overirrigation — improving fruit size, maintaining plant activity throughout the day, and stabilizing overall yield. Sensor guided irrigation is becoming indispensable for substrate berry production.

In summary: This year’s International Soft Fruit Conference highlighted a clear direction for the sector: smarter genetics, cleaner production, active climates, reduced energy use, and datadriven decisionmaking.  

Across strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, innovation is accelerating — and growers now have more tools than ever to build resilient, profitable, and sustainable production systems. VitalFluid continues to push this momentum forward by advancing Plasma Activated Water technology and bringing practical, scalable innovation directly into the hands of growers.

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