Located in St Pol de Léon, at the heart of Brittany’s vegetable and horticultural zone, the station conducts applied research programs in fresh vegetables, ornamental horticulture, and cultivated mushrooms. These programs aim to solve technical issues encountered in production or to respond to changes in consumption.
History
The Vézendoquet experimental station has been managed since 1982 by the Caté (Technical and Economic Action Committee), a professional union that has brought together vegetable and horticultural professional organizations in the Brittany region since 1965.
The governance is ensured by a Board of Directors composed of growers.
The President of Caté is Jean-Denis Crenn.
The Caté experimental station conducts applied research programs, notably for the Regional Chambers of Agriculture in Brittany, as well as for nationally recognized organizations such as Prince de Bretagne, SAVEOL, SOLARENN, Le potager de Jade, Kérisnel, Armor Végétal…
The applied research work has regional, national, and European scope.
The station within the vegetable organization
At the national level
Caté is a partner station of the CTIFL for applied research work on vegetable crops.
Regarding cultivated mushrooms, the Caté experimental station conducts a national experimentation program on diversification species in collaboration with ANICC, a specialized structure in button mushroom cultivation.
Caté is a member of IRFEL, a national association that brings together 15 regional experimental stations in fruits and vegetables.
At the regional level
The Caté experimental station is a member of Phytopôle Bretagne and works more directly with nearly 2,500 vegetable and horticultural producers.
It is a key player in the Breton vegetable sector and collaborates with other organizations (Vegenov, OBS, Terre d’Essais, Regional Chamber of Agriculture of Brittany) under the coordination of the AOP CERAFEL Brittany.
Dissemination of Results
The applied research work aims to be transferable to end users. The findings from the trials are disseminated to agricultural advisors.
Caté publishes a quarterly information magazine called ‘Aujourd’hui &Demain’, distributed in 1,700 copies across the vegetable zones in Brittany.
This bulletin is one of the dissemination channels for applied research results from Caté and its partner structures since 1966.
You can find the covers and summaries of recent issues of this magazine by clicking here.
Collaborative research programs
Caté is capable of providing services or participating in collaborative research projects. We have been partners in several European projects. If you would like to learn more, click here.
Your interlocutor
Jeanne SIMON
European project management, international contacts, and communication.