The Hungarian fruit and vegetable sector community TÉSZ R+D program has been launched

(Photo: FruitVeb)

On January 13, the Herman Ottó Conference Center hosted the official opening of the fruit and vegetable sector TÉSZ R+D program. The “fruit and vegetable sector community TÉSZ R+D program” is a complex research and development program that provides systemic responses to the professional, economic, and environmental challenges facing the domestic horticultural sector. Within the framework of the program, which has a total budget of approximately HUF 700 million, a total of 20 specifically practice-oriented research projects will be implemented, the common feature of which is that they do not focus on theoretical research questions, but directly aim to solve problems arising in everyday production and market practice. The results of the projects can be utilized in producer decision-making in the short and medium term, contributing to more efficient, safer and more sustainable production.

Organizational and institutional cooperation

The program is implemented in an unprecedented level of professional cooperation with the coordination of the FruitVeB Hungarian Vegetable-Fruit Inter-Professional Organization and Innofresh Nonprofit Kft., and with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, and is based on the active participation of producers, the research sector and the state administration. 31 producer sales organizations (TÉSZ) are involved in the implementation, which provide the research location, the operating environment, practical experience and, last but not least, financing. The research work is carried out by three higher education institutions – the University of Debrecen, the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and the University of Szeged – ensuring the scientific background and methodological soundness. The program, partly financed by community and national support, is also strengthened by the professional presence of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Hungarian State Treasury, as well as the cooperation of other background institutions, such as the Institute of Agricultural Economics and the Herman Ottó Institute. This multi-actor structure ensures that the research simultaneously meets scientific expectations, the domestic and EU regulatory environment, and the practical needs of producers. One of the most important added values ​​of the program lies in this integrated approach.

Research directions and thematic focuses

The topics of the Joint TÉSZ R&D program cover the most important sectors of Hungarian fruit and vegetable production, from apples and sour cherries to sprouted vegetables and root vegetables, to issues related to industrial processing and mechanization. The focus of projects related to apple production is on optimizing variety selection and rootstock use, determining the production value of resistant and low-chemical varieties, and “renewing” plant protection, increasing its efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Special emphasis is placed on residue-free technologies, biological plant care and plant protection solutions, and innovations aimed at reducing storage losses. Modern diagnostic methods – such as predictive models based on NIR spectroscopy – raise the validity of storage decisions to a new level. Projects related to sour cherry and walnut production aim to develop integrated control strategies against new pathogens and pests emerging as a result of climate change and the globalizing economy, while in the case of watermelon, the application of digitalization and artificial intelligence offers a solution to the problems caused by the labor shortage. In the field of driven vegetable production, research aims at the practical implementation of the circular economy, the exploration of energy and material utilization opportunities, and the precision and data-driven development of control against viral diseases. The introduction of intelligent insect traps and forecasting systems contributes to more accurate timing of plant protection interventions, increasing the efficiency of treatments and reducing the use of chemical input materials. In the case of root vegetables and onion species, the projects address production and storage issues for which there has been no uniform, modern, professional knowledge material in Hungarian. These results enable longer shelf life, lower losses and more stable market supply. In the case of canned cucumbers, the focus of the experiments is on variety trials, and in industrial tomato production, on the utilization of by-products.

Innovation, sustainability and practical utilization

The entire program is permeated by the principles of innovation, sustainability and practical applicability. The projects – based on the main challenges of the sector – aim to increase adaptation to market demands, reduce the need for live labor, mitigate the stress effects of climate change, reduce environmental pollution, automate and introduce precision technologies. The results of the research are delivered to producers in the form of cultivation recommendations, technological protocols, open-field demonstrations and professional forums, but are also published in scientific publications. This ensures that the program has a real impact on domestic horticultural practice.

FruitVeb