Finding the right light recipe for cucumber cultivation

“In this trial, we made it possible to compare cucumber crops under LED lighting with a combination of LED and SON-T. This provided a lot of useful knowledge and greatly increased the value of the experiment,” explained Stappers in an earlier interview.

^{Erik Stappers, Plant Specialist Horticulture at Signify}

Beerens added: “It gave us important insights on how to use energy in the greenhouse even more efficiently in the future. We also learned, through sensors from Grodan in the substrates, how we can save water even better and optimize the growth of the plants. This allows us to refute the image that lit cultivation in the greenhouse is not energy-efficient and sustainable. ”

By comparing the growth of cucumber crops under different combinations of light, Signify was able to test different light recipes. The goal of these recipes is to capture all the elements that steer optimal plant growth, including the light level, color spectrum, uniformity of the light levels, and the time the light is switched on and off.

“The big difference with traditional SON-T lamps is that with LED you can separate light and heat. This makes the grower more flexible. If you use this well and know how to fine-tune this, you can grow much more efficiently and precisely,” explained Stappers about the different light recipes.

Beerens added: “With LED you can also use specific colors. For example, red and blue have a direct effect on photosynthesis, while other colors can be added to a certain extent to control other plant processes, such as height, assimilation balance (the right balance of sugars created and consumed by the plant), and flower formation. Signify now applies different light colors to see what specific compositions affect the plant.”

^{Jos Beerens, Business Support Manager at Grodan}