• To direct R&D to improve the quality and profitability of the UK product.
• To inform research workers of the needs of the industry.
• To guide funding organisations such as DEFRA and HDC.
• To avoid approaching each new problem with uncoordinated “quick fixes”.
• For PR with retailers, politicians, consumer groups, government departments, etc.

The following topics are currently considered appropriate to the CGA’s goals:


The principal aim of this category is to ensure that there is always the flexibility to address new problems as they arise. While such studies may require a “quick fix”, they should also take into account the CGA’s longer-term goals. It is anticipated that projects in this category will be completed within 1-3 years. The following are the three main subject areas:

• Retention or replacement of essential crop protection chemicals until more sustainable options become available.
• Improved background knowledge of specific new problems.
• Fact sheets on best crop production / storage practices to help ensure optimum quality of all UK produced cucumbers presented to the consumer.

This category includes goals that should be attainable within the next five years:

• Processing / recycling crop waste to benefit the environment and to avoid the rapidly escalating costs of disposal in land fill sites.
• Alternative types of cucumbers and/or methods of presentation to the consumer.
• Novel crop training methods to improve cost-effectiveness of production.
• Increase UK production of organically grown cucumbers to satisfy the domestic market.
• Issues relating to water use (i.e. extraction, quality and diffuse pollution).

The target should be to attain these goals within 8-10 years. This will require both the commission of some specific projects and careful coordination of studies in categories 2 and 3 above.

• Pesticide free cucumber production
• Develop non-chemical methods of disease control based on biological and cultural methods, integrated with manipulation of the glasshouse environment.
• Reduce labour input relative to productivity
• Reduce energy use relative to productivity
  

The following specific examples were raised by the CGA membership during summer 2008 and have been prioritised on a 1-5 scale where 1 is the highest priority.

It is important that the approaches taken to address these subjects take into account the more general CGA goals listed above.

• PRIORITY 1
• Pythium in summer replants
  
• Mycosphaerella in summer and autumn crops
  
• Spider mite control
  
  
• PRIORITY 2
  
• Modified growing environments to save energy and / or control disease
  (priority 4 or higher if it impacts one of the specific examples above)
  
  
• PRIORITY 3
  
• Mildew control
  
  
• PRIORITY 4
  
• Quality issues likely to arise from returning to two cordon crops per season
  
• Recyclable growing media
  
  
• PRIORITY 5
  
• Recirculation
• Use of UV light to reduce labour for deleafing in high wire systems