After months of uncertainty, Western European growers are finally moving forward with their decision to install LED lighting, according to Koen Vangrop of Mechatronix. "Due to the uncertainty in the energy market and subsidies, the commercial season started late," he said. "However, we are now seeing many growers opting for the installation of LED lamps, both in vegetables and flowers. In contrast, the North American market is booming like never before. They are choosing optimal flexibility in terms of spectrum and intensity, allowing them to easily convert their greenhouses for different crops."

"The opening of PARC marks a new chapter in RED's history," said Louis Golaz, CEO and co-founder of RED Horticulture, earlier this month while opening their Photobiology and Agronomy Research Center (PARC) earlier this month in Nantes, France. The company's LED light solutions, designed in France, enable the real-time control of light recipes depending on the crop variety, developmental stage, and energy price fluctuations. The aim of RED with these solutions is to consume better in order to produce better.

Does lighting with LED mean the end of HPS? Manuel Oomen of Agrolux says not: "No, certainly not, at least not in a global context, but for the European Union, Brussels has set the HPS end date at 2027. What we are seeing is that some customers are gradually switching to LED and initially opting for a hybrid solution: a combination of HPS and LED."

One of the most limiting factors in greenhouse crop production is light and seasonal variation, and limitations of light can inhibit crop productivity. The team with Fluence shares how, in greenhouse crops, planting densities are high and can cause unwanted plant shading from plant to plant and deep into the plant canopy. Thus, there can be variations in light intensities that can reduce the physiological and biochemical processes of the plant, leading to reduced yields and quality. However, for leafy greens and herbs, the effect of shading can be minimal. For vine crops like tomato and cucumber and crops like cannabis that are bushy, light intensities are significantly reduced deep within the plant canopy. Even though light is absorbed by leaves at the top of the canopy, shading from neighboring leaves reduces the light available to leaves lower in the canopy, and the plant is living up to less than its full photosynthetic potential.

Prism Farms owns and operates 7.1 acres of glass greenhouses and 10.3 acres of plastic greenhouses, totaling more than 17 acres dedicated to cultivation. They partnered with Sollum Technologies in 2022 to install a dynamic LED grow light solution in its newly built greenhouse for fall planting.

Two hours in an afternoon were enough to discuss a lot of new interesting insights from sensor data. Some 50 budding horticultural specialists were present as MBO Westland and Sendot jointly organized a Masterclass Plant Insights last week. The venue was the World Horti Center in Naaldwijk, Netherlands.

Bert van Tol, former director of the Delft Research Group, of which Sendot was also part, kicked off the masterclass on 12 January with a piece of history. A sound of recognition rose from the room at the sound of making an ISDN connection (yes, the internet was not as easy 20 years ago as it is today).

Signify has supplied its Philips GreenPower LED toplighting to Intelligent Green Crops S.A (IGC S.A.), known as the Magikos Kipos (Magic Garden), an innovative company that has recently built a hydroponic lettuce and herb greenhouse in Kastro Viotias, Greece. This is the first installation of LED lighting in a greenhouse for indoor vegetable cultivation in Greece.

IGC S.A. is constantly searching for new sustainable production methods, which is why innovative cultivation strategies were already implemented in the "Magic Garden" greenhouse. The company is also working towards introducing direct delivery of the seedlings still in pots to the consumer's home in order for them to last longer.

"Designing the perfect growing environment: the benefits of customizable LED horticultural lighting"