The energy input in a winter cultivation high-wire cucumber can be significantly reduced. That is the main conclusion of the project "Cucumber cultivation year-round in balance with minimal energy consumption. The results were presented at a well-attended symposium on May 10. Here it became clear that - although the project objectives have been achieved - there are still steps to be taken. For example, the gas-electricity-input ratio must be adjusted in order to reduce the energy costs per unit of product and to make this method of cultivation financially interesting for entrepreneurs.
That energy reduction is still a top priority for cucumber growers was demonstrated by the great enthusiasm for the 'Final Symposium: Greenhouse as Energy Source - High Wire Cucumber'. Some 120 interested parties gathered for this at research institute Botany in Meterik, Limburg. "The interest was enormous, also from growers," indicates Mark Meijers. He is network coordinator at Glastuinbouw Nederland. "And there were not only cucumber growers from the southeastern Netherlands present, but also from other parts of the country. It was definitely a valuable meeting, with a lot of interaction."
Botany director Maarten Vliex agrees. "And besides growers, the other links in the chain were also well represented: plant breeders, government, energy suppliers, seed houses, et cetera. It's great that on such a broad scale people are looking at what is happening here."
Challenging objectives
Although the afternoon had several introductions, the emphasis was on sharing the results of the project "Cucumber cultivation year-round in balance with minimal energy consumption," which was conducted at Botany and co-funded by the Greenhouse as a Source of Energy program. The goal of the project, which ran from October 2022 to the end of March 2023, was to grow high-wire cucumbers during the winter months using substantially less energy than usual. Gas consumption was limited to 10 m3/m2 and electricity use for the dimmable LED lighting to 100 kW/m2. "Those were challenging targets, the bar was high," Vliex acknowledges. "But we managed to achieve them. Gas consumption was cut roughly in half mainly by using considerably more screening, combined with dehumidification through the Air & Energy system. The electricity requirement was reduced by choosing a lower exposure intensity, namely 180 µmol/m2/s. Exposure was also closely matched to plant requirements. In this way, it was possible to drastically reduce the energy input in a winter cultivation high-wire cucumber. Last but not least, the quality of the harvested cucumbers was good. On the other hand, production was somewhat lower than in a regular winter crop. How much exactly is difficult to say; it depends on the conditions."
Interplay between growers and researchers
According to Vliex, the fact that the objectives were achieved was partly due to the intensive guidance from and interaction
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