The trial for multi-layer strawberry cultivation at the Hoogstraten Test Centre is expanding.
Since 2019, the distinctive cultivation setup has been present in the greenhouse complex. From the road next to the complex, the brightly pink LED-lit ‘stack’ of strawberry gutters is clearly visible at the end of January. This winter, researchers are harvesting the Sonata variety from a crop planted in October.
“Out of all the different cultivations, we’ve learned that a true winter crop works best under LED, due to the maximum controllability we have with LED lighting in such a cultivaton,” explains Stef Laurijssen. “Certain periods are more suited for multi-layer cultivation as we are doing here. When there is a lot of natural light, we see that the lower layers perform less well, with issues like fruit deformation occurring.”
Lighting
During the initial phase of the multi-layer cultivation system trial, it was quite challenging to find the appropriate LED lighting. The trial is now divided into two sections. One of the section has MechaTronix fixtures, providing up to 340 micromol/(m2.s).
“The spectra for both sections are almost identical,” notes Stef. Another difference is the beam angle. “The beam angle is larger with MechaTronix at 120 degrees. The advantage of the larger beam angle is that it illuminates the fruits of the adjacent row as well, which helps with color development.”
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https://www.horti-growlight.com/en-gb/expansion-improvement-multi-layer-strawberry-cultivation
