The projected increase of the world&rsquo / s population, coupled with the shrinking area of arable land required to meet future food demands, is building pressure on Earth&rsquo / s finite agricultural resources. As an alternative to conventional farming methods, crops can be grown in protected environments, such as traditional greenhouses or the ...
Over a period of seven years (2009-2016) hydroponic chyrsanthemum cultivation has been developed and
tested in practice. Where the system delivered up to 25% higher yields at smaller scale, the larger systems of
250-300 m2 turned out very sensitive to root infection. Research then focussed to understanding the key factors
that caused the plants to bec...
(Semi-)closed greenhouses have been developed over the last decades to conserve energy. In a closed greenhouse, window ventilation is fully replaced by mechanical cooling while solar heat is temporarily stored in an aquifer. A semi-closed greenhouse has a smaller cooling capacity than a closed greenhouse and, in which mechanical cooling is combined...
Alstroemeria cultivation in The Netherlands requires energy for heating, supplementary light and root cooling. For the program “Greenhouse as Source of Energy” we calculated to which extent the energy demand for growing this crop can be reduced with existing energy saving innovations. Some innovations were tested in practice, others were calculated...
“Gerbera: Growing in Balance” was a research project to support the reduction of energy and CO2 consumption in the cultivation of Gerbera. The varieties Pre-Semmy, Rich, Whisper and Suri were grown in three glasshouses with different treatments: “Cool Cultivation” (15°C temperature; 90 μmol light, day length 13 hour in winter); “Practice” (temperat...
The aim of this online course is to explain the basic mechanisms of photosynthesis.
Within a project Sustainable control strategies Wageningen University & Research Greenhouse Horticulture literature screening to develop an integrated pest management strategy to control airborne fungi. This project was funded by the former Dutch Horticultural Production Board and accompanied by the Dutch growers association, LTO Glaskracht Nederla...
Lisianthus growers look for methods to minimise the emission of nutrients, crop protection chemicals and CO2. In 2014 and 2015, nine crops with Lisianthus have been tested at the Delphy Improvement Centre. This report describes the four trials that have been carried out in the extended research in 2016. With this extension, a distinction was made b...
In order to realise a horticultural sector that operates without the combustion of fossil fuel, the first step is to reduce the demand for heating by improving the insultation of greenhouses. This holds especially for crops that are grown at high temperatures, like sweet pepper. The Venlow Energy greenhouse with its double glass cladding and energy...
