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Tomatoes Unifarm on the menu of restaurant Novum in Omnia
Restaurant Novum is the culinary meeting place at Wageningen Campus. The restaurant is located in conference centre Omnia, in the heart of Food Valley. Some of the ingredients that are used in the dishes have been developed by startups and experimental farms on Wageningen Campus and elsewhere in the Netherlands. One of those ingredients is the tomato, grown by experimental farm Unifarm of Wageningen University & Research (WUR).
"At Unifarm, on average a hundred trials are conducted every year," says Joep Laan, farm manager of Full Ground Trials at Unifarm. "This involves seed breeding, fertilisation, genetic modification and applied research into nitrogen in our greenhouses. Outside on the field, trials are running on the degradation of microplastics in the soil, on strip cultivation with different crops growing side by side and on biodiversity. Some of these studies are conducted by students and some are carried out by Wageningen Research, in cooperation with external parties."
Research on tomatoes
"Two major studies on tomatoes are currently underway," Joep Laan explains. "In one study, we are testing how lighting affects growth. We are testing various types of new light sources. The other study is about breeding. We grow new varieties and species and harvest their seeds. As we try to waste as little as possible, these tomatoes and also other products such as peppers, potatoes, cabbage, quinoa and basil find their way to various buyers."
New discoveries
These products are available for consumption at Restaurant Novum in Omnia. "In the restaurant, there is something new to discover every time”, says Chris van Kreij, Manager Omnia. "I am most satisfied when people at the table talk about the innovative research taking place at Wageningen Campus and how to shape sustainable futures together”.
Restaurant Novum is open Monday to Friday from 10 am. Everyone is welcome for drinks, lunch and dinner. For more information and reservations, visit www.restaurantnovum.nl.
