Sustainability is becoming a key concept in greenhouse gardening as growers seek to cut down energy usance while attain better issue . Wageningen University in the Netherlands fall in forces with Hungary - based lighting supplier Food Autonomy to deliver the best lighting conditions for pot anthurium grown in greenhouse conditions .
The Greenhouse Horticulture Business Unit Wageningen University & Research ( WUR ) concentrates on applied research for greenhouse gardening , breed all aspects of culture ( except for reproduction ) . scientist at the business building block test and develop crop models , ignition recipes , sensing element , irrigation , and harvest protective cover strategies with a focus on sustainability . The primary finish is inputs and emissions reduction while meliorate crop yield and quality .
Sustainable crop cultivation technologiesWith the fiscal support of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture , WUR found the ' glasshouse 2030 : Sustainable cultivation with a future ' . This is a undertaking to demonstrate sustainable harvest polish technologies without emissions and without the purpose of fogey energy . There are four different harvest involved in the initiative : strawberry , gerbera , freesia , and pot tailflower . The greenhouse , which uses no flatulency for heating , is an all - galvanising facility with full LED lighting . A heat pump is used to dehumidify the greenhouse , ensuring that latent heat is recovered .
The Greenhouse2030 is the first operation with full LED in high intensity for potanthurium . The experience of the first two wintertime demonstrate that the pick out LED spectrum might not be the best for this crop as it affects the plant form by bring on flush base extension . Also , questions arose about the idealistic day length in wintertime . Therefore , researcher Nieves Garcia Victoria has recently conducted a test on the idealistic light-headed spectrum for raise pot anthurium , one of the most important pot plant crops in the Netherlands .
Photo : Nieves Garcia
Using top lamps provided by Food Autonomy , the intention of the experimentation was to quiz a range of different spectrum to reduce stem elongation in the plants . The lamp were used to test 6 unlike swooning spectrum and come up with the idealistic faint conditions . The trial , which started in March ( 2021 ) , include 2 refinement rounds , each 8 weeks long . Using shading sieve , scientists simulate winter consideration in the nursery allowing only a small proportion of lifelike Inner Light . The ratio was 20 % raw light and 80 % from lamp to produce typical winter conditions , which is the most critical period for educate with contrived light source . In the first round of cultivation , lamps were used for 12 time of day , and in the 2nd round , for 16 hours as researchers were experiment with the optimum length of day distance .
change the lightheaded spectrum"Measurements show that changing the lighter spectrum resulted in an improvement in the shape of the plants , and we were able-bodied to thin the grade to which the fore of the flowers stretch , " say Nieves Garcia Victoria . Results of the experiment proved that the hypothesis that a unlike spectrum can contribute to reducing stem extension was right , she added .
The rating of the data gathered during the experiment is in progress , and larger - scale testing may follow , Nieves Garcia Victoria say , sum that she would be proud of to use the same Food Autonomy lamps in any follow - up experiment . Food Autonomy ’s power to make customized spectra on very little notice was a primal factor in choosing their product , she said .
" find the right illumination spectrum is critically important for growers . The switch from HPS lamps to light-emitting diode needs to be made , and growers need to be precise when they adjudicate on the spectrum and short intensity they use . LED is unquestionably a more sustainable solution as it boil down vigour consumption but choosing the good brightness level spectrum ( the colors to be used ) are all very significant aspects that have an impact on the crop . There is decidedly a need for more research in this surface area , " according to Nieves Garcia Victoria .
For more information : Food Autonomywww.foodautonomy.org[email protect ]
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