As plants grow, farmers make use of sprayers and dusters, such as those created by Goizper, to apply nutrients and protection. Goizper, which sells manual sprayers in more than a hundred countries, created a research center that focuses on developing technologies for different types of spraying needs and on improving the physical components of its systems. “For instance, 95 percent of the products we fabricate are made from plastic, so for us a very important technology—and one we’re working on a lot—is the technology for the manipula­tion and transformation of plastic,” says Mikel Irizar, director of research and innovation.

Once seeds grow and the resulting fruits are ripe for picking, the work of Tecnidex begins. One of the company’s specialties is the application of the appropriate combination of gases and temperature, either to ripen fruits and vegetables or to improve their appearance (changing, for instance, the peels of ripe but green-hued citrus to the more recognizable yellows and oranges). Tecnidex developed one of the first systems to eliminate unpleasant tannins in persimmons, which are picked before they’re fully mature, allowing the fruit to be more easily exported.

The company has also developed water-cleaning technology especially designed to remove the fungicides used in treatment of produce after it’s picked and before it’s shipped. And it is using its expertise in modifying the atmosphere of a treatment room to attempt to eliminate the Mediterranean fruit fly. Current systems for killing the fruit flies, says business manager Valentin Turégano, require very low temperatures that can “injure the internal and external quality of the fruit. So we’re trying to develop a solution that will benefit the customers and the importers of the fruit in the market.”

Water is the primary concern of Murcia-based Azud, a company which has spent three decades manufacturing technology for its area, one of the most arid regions in Europe—and applying its solutions around the world. Azud’s success has been in the creation of technologies for the most exact application, testing, filtration, and treatment of water. Today, the company is one of the top suppliers in the world of irrigation technology, including drip irrigation.

“We’re in a situation where there’s...growth in ecological concerns, and increase in the cost of electricity, and a reduction in both the amount and the quality of water,” says Ramón Alcaraz, Azud’s business director. “And so for us, in this sector, the challenges are to always find solutions that lead to the most efficient use of water, energy, and fertilizers.”

Some of the company’s successful innovations have included systems for drip technologies, and a combination technology that applies fertilizer and water at the same time (a process they call fertigation); and monitoring solutions that carefully control the application of water and fertilizer. Azud’s engineers and researchers have implemented improvements to filtration and irrigation systems that conserve energy by operating at lower pressure.

Automatic disc filters. Photo: Azud

Extract from an article published in the magazine Technology Review.www.technologyreview.com/microsites/spain/food/index.aspx

As plants grow, farmers make use of sprayers and dusters, such as those created by Goizper, to apply nutrients and protection. Goizper, which sells manual sprayers in more than a hundred countries, created a research center that focuses on developing technologies for different types of spraying needs and on improving the physical components of its systems. “For instance, 95 percent of the products we fabricate are made from plastic, so for us a very important technology—and one we’re working on a lot—is the technology for the manipula­tion and transformation of plastic,” says Mikel Irizar, director of research and innovation.

Once seeds grow and the resulting fruits are ripe for picking, the work of Tecnidex begins. One of the company’s specialties is the application of the appropriate combination of gases and temperature, either to ripen fruits and vegetables or to improve their appearance (changing, for instance, the peels of ripe but green-hued citrus to the more recognizable yellows and oranges). Tecnidex developed one of the first systems to eliminate unpleasant tannins in persimmons, which are picked before they’re fully mature, allowing the fruit to be more easily exported.

The company has also developed water-cleaning technology especially designed to remove the fungicides used in treatment of produce after it’s picked and before it’s shipped. And it is using its expertise in modifying the atmosphere of a treatment room to attempt to eliminate the Mediterranean fruit fly. Current systems for killing the fruit flies, says business manager Valentin Turégano, require very low temperatures that can “injure the internal and external quality of the fruit. So we’re trying to develop a solution that will benefit the customers and the importers of the fruit in the market.”

Water is the primary concern of Murcia-based Azud, a company which has spent three decades manufacturing technology for its area, one of the most arid regions in Europe—and applying its solutions around the world. Azud’s success has been in the creation of technologies for the most exact application, testing, filtration, and treatment of water. Today, the company is one of the top suppliers in the world of irrigation technology, including drip irrigation.

“We’re in a situation where there’s...growth in ecological concerns, and increase in the cost of electricity, and a reduction in both the amount and the quality of water,” says Ramón Alcaraz, Azud’s business director. “And so for us, in this sector, the challenges are to always find solutions that lead to the most efficient use of water, energy, and fertilizers.”

Some of the company’s successful innovations have included systems for drip technologies, and a combination technology that applies fertilizer and water at the same time (a process they call fertigation); and monitoring solutions that carefully control the application of water and fertilizer. Azud’s engineers and researchers have implemented improvements to filtration and irrigation systems that conserve energy by operating at lower pressure.

Automatic disc filters. Photo: Azud

Extract from an article published in the magazine Technology Review.www.technologyreview.com/microsites/spain/food/index.aspx