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"The most productive pepper cultivation research conducted under LEDs at Delphy"

Delphy, a globally recognized leader in agricultural research and consultancy, partnered with Sollum Technologies to trial dynamic LED lighting for pepper production. This collaboration resulted in the most productive pepper cultivation research conducted under LEDs at Delphy.

Overcoming challenges in pepper production
Growing peppers under traditional LED systems often presents growers with significant challenges such as low transpiration rates and nutrient uptake, and varied growth rates that complicate production.

Sollum's LED lighting solution addresses these issues by tailoring light intensity and spectrum to the specific needs of each variety, ensuring optimal growth conditions throughout the production cycle.

Trial overview
Objective: enhance pepper production and Light Use Efficiency (LUE) under dynamic LED lighting.
Planting date: early October
PPFD levels: 250-270 µmol/m²/s
Lighting strategy: 16-hour day length using adaptive dynamic lighting.
Trial period: Week 40 to Week 22 (end of May). However, the trial lasted until the end of August.
Dynamic adjustments: focused on fine-tuning farred strategies and spectrum adjustments to optimize internode length, fruit set, and plant development.

Key results
Over the course of the trial, total yield increased from 45.67 kg/m² (2020- 2021 trial) to 46.71 kg/m² in the 2023-2024 trial. Class I pepper production improved from 40.74 kg/m² to 41.75 kg/m², reflecting higher quality, whilst class II peppers reduced from 2.36 kg/m² to 1.06 kg/m², minimizing lower-grade produce.

Efficiency gains
Light Use Efficiency (LUE) achieved a remarkable 6.2 grams/mol, optimizing light-to-biomass conversion whilst the fruits were stable, maintaining consistent fruit weights of 190-220 grams, with a rapid outgrowth period of 44 days from fruit set to harvest.

Strategic lighting insights
Far-red light reduction: Enhanced leaf quality and overall crop performance.

Tailored spectral recipes: Enabled precise adjustments for variety-specific needs, ensuring consistent quality across all cultivars.

Conclusion
This trial demonstrates how Sollum's LED lighting is aiding pepper production by increasing pepper production, optimizing energy usage, and tailoring solutions to the specific needs of growers.

For more information:
Sollum Technologies
sollumtechnologies.com

Delphy
[email protected]
https://delphy.nl

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