On 3 July, at the company of Robert Sandee in Kamperland, the production system of leek on open water was officially opened. The cultivation of leeks on water has been studied as part of the project ‘Teelt de grond uit: prei’ on the experimental farm of Applied Plant Research (PPO), part of Wageningen UR, in Vredepeel. The practice test will show whether the results of the pilot are repeatable and whether the cultivation system is profitable in practice.
Research in 2009-2012 showed that leeks growing on water, regardless of the substrate, is possible. These experiments also proved that a reduction of emissions by nutrients and pesticides was feasible.
For the trial a closed system was created with two ponds. Excess water can be stored and re-used elsewhere. The practical test looks at labour (number of hours required for plants / crops / cleaning), sustainability (nutrient balance, water consumption, energy consumption and crop protection), economic efficiency, growth conditions (growing period, yield quality), occurrence of diseases and quality.
This project is of general interest to the leek industry and other outdoor vegetable sectors. In addition to the prospects of growing vegetables on water, it will also provide information on how scaling should occur. It also provides a glimpse of the possibilities of mechanization / automation.
The implementation of the project is in the hands of Wageningen UR, Dry hydroponics, Mts Sandee, Mts. Volleberg and Fresh Partners.
Further reading: 'Ondersteuning voor ondernemers bij ontwikkeling van 'Teelt de grond uit'-systemen'
Source: WUR
