Tomato nursery "De Witte Ruiter" in Steenbergen has started replacing its old 8600 Gavita 750W fixtures with the new Gavita GAN Electronic 750W DE fixture. This particular fixture is equipped with Gavita electronics and the new Gavita 750W double ended lamp. Jan Mulder of Gavita: "For many tomato growers the 750W lamp is more easily deployed than the 1000W lamp, which puts to an end arguments in favour of using 1000W fixtures. The new 750W DE fixture performs around 2 micromoles per watt."
This was one of the reasons why Verkade again opted for Gavita.
There are several ways to light tomatoes, but Leo Verkade swears by one fixture per row for a nice even effect. Leo: "It is quite logical: with one fixture per row you have little to no shade, and the crop is uniformly lit. So instead of 4 1000W fixtures, I choose 5 pcs of 750W.”
Gavita endorses this method of lighting. Mulder: "With a 1000W system, you need fewer fixtures to get the same amount of light. However, the irregular light created this way causes 30-48% more shade. This is at the expense of production and quality. We think it’s important is to look at the plant and circumstances first, and then at the lamp. Surprisingly, it’s also less expensive to use a 750W installation.”
For more information:
Gavita Nederland BV
Oosteinderweg 127
1432 AH Aalsmeer
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 (0)297 380450
Fax. +31 (0)297 380451
[email protected]
