Looking ahead into the future with innovative horticulture technology: this year’s goal of the High-Tech Greenhouse 2020 Project organised at the Floriade. An initiative of twenty or so companies with a background in horticulture technology, the project consists of four information conferences with individual themes. Yesterday, the second meeting took place, shining a light on the theme energy and light efficiency.
Tom Dueck, agricultural researcher at Wageningen University and Research Centre, gave a presentation of the studies about the use of LED light for plant-breeding. During his account, he emphasized the need to investigate the possibilities of LED light. According to him, there is yet so much to discover and so much more is possible in the future than we now know. “LED light has so much potential. It is paramount to continue the research of LEDs, all the more since we can apply this knowledge in other fields.”
Tom Dueck
Dueck explained that the production increase in view has so far not been realised with LED light, but meanwhile more information about the influence of light on the plant is known. “Until now, we have discovered that LEDs are good for cultivation and determined the ideal light recipes for a couple of plants. Now we have to tune these wave lengths to the plant so that we can verify its exact light dosage. In addition, the focus will mainly lie on achieving at least an equal production to that of a similar cultivation without LED with a top energy-saving rate. Soon we are beginning a new study; we are going to grow the crude vine tomato Komeett in combination with Son-T, LED light and a diffuse greenhouse cover. The main goal again is to save energy.”
“Ten years from now, I expect to have made progress. Hopefully by then the cost price of LED light will have decreased. For many LED lighting manufacturers, horticulture is as yet not interesting enough, because of the small-scale market. However, when the situation does change, it is important to get going with as much knowledge as possible.”