Netherlands: Optimizing the New Cultivation: irrigation and screen options

Arie de Gelder of WUR Greenhouse Horticulture blogs at Energiek2020: Saving energy by using screens and good humidity control are the basic principles of the New Cultivation. In the project ‘Optimizations for The New Cultivation’ the idea is to adjust all cultivation measures, including irrigation and the type of screen, as accurate as possible. A large experiment to achieve just that is currently underway at GreenQ Improvement Centre. Cultivation started January 9, 2013 and soon, the first fruits of Cappricia will be harvested.

The test involves propagation in two sections: in the first department the growth tube is used, in the second the pipe rail heating. This has consequences for the temperature profile in the greenhouse. In the department with heating pipe rail, the crop is more open in the top than in the other greenhouse, but this can’t be caused by the heating alone. It is, however, still too early to give definitive results. Differences between departments are due to the differences in the systems, equipment, its use and cultivation and climate strategy.

Other tests involving water absorption, evaporation and photosynthesis are also being conducted. All of the collected data will help to interpret the differences between crop performance per department.

Source: Energiek2020