Bringing the ideal LED light recipe within reach

The questions asked by growers

‘How can I encourage my plants to grow more compactly? ‘At which light intensity do my plants root quickest?’ ‘How can I give my crops a more intense flavour?’ These are just a few examples of questions asked by growers mentioned by Wessel van Paassen, founder of Green Simplicity. Questions that growers active in horticulture are keen to hear the answers to. During his graduation project at HAS University of Applied Sciences, Wessel designed a climate chamber with LED lighting that he could operate using his mobile phone. ‘We grew radishes in that climate chamber under identical conditions — except for the lighting. The taste of the radishes, cultivated using three different light recipes, was totally different.’ That got Wessel thinking. ‘There is still so much we can learn about how light can be used to get the best performance from crops. That is valuable information for growers.’ As the son of a chrysanthemum grower, van Paassen knows the world of horticulture intimately. He knows from experience that reports full of figures and graphs have little meaning. ‘Growers want to see and experience the impact of light on their crops with their own eyes.’

Accessible research

Wessel therefore developed two research growing systems for growers. A climate chamber divided into various sections where growers can set the temperature, humidity, CO2, irrigation levels and of course, the lighting. Wessel chose HORTILED® lighting. ‘They are the best possible LED lamps, fully dimmable and I can get feedback from the lamp so I know for certain that the lamp is working according to the settings.’ The lighting is the power behind the research growing systems from Green Simplicity. ‘If you maintain identical growth factors but vary the light intensity, day length and light spectrum per section, growers can see precisely how the crop reacts. You can monitor and adjust everything via a tablet.’ Even more accessible is Green Simplicity’s LED research trolley. This mobile plug & play research system also features HORTILED® Multi fixtures and lamps. In three layers, the grower can experiment with LED lighting and come up with the right light recipe for his particular crop.

Greater insight

Van Paassen believes the Dutch horticultural sector is performing well. ‘However, optimising this performance is always possible. There are absolute advances to be made in lighting. Particular gains can be made by increasing our knowledge of the effect of certain colours of light on specific crops. Thanks to the easily accessible research systems with Hortilux LED lighting, the ideal light recipes are within reach for all crops.’ Wessel has built up experience with field-grown vegetables, herbs, pot plants, cut flowers and soft fruit. ‘Growers aren’t usually interested in the technical aspects of light. The all-important matter for them is how the crop performs. If a grower can experiment on a manageable scale with the impact of light on his crops, that’s when things start to get interesting. He will see and experience that he can stimulate his plants to flower sooner. Or that his plants grow more compactly with a certain level and colour of light. That’s when he can discover the unparalleled range of possibilities that LED lighting can offer his business.’

LED’S RESEARCH!

The knowledge of Green Simplicity and Hortilux are now united in one brand: LED’S RESEARCH! by Hortilux & Green Simplicit Visit the website to read more on their vertical farming solutions