Innovative cucumber growers

Innovative cucumber growers provide cucumbers from their own land all year round, thus making the market less dependent on imports from Southern Europe. They are participating in a research programme to develop the optimum light recipe for high-wire cucumber cultivation. 

The cucumber growers, together with companies from North Limburg and East Brabant, are the driving forces behind the extensive practical research. The research programme is supported by the Foundation for Strengthening the Greenport Venlo Horticultural Sector (SVTGV) and the Crop Cooperative Cucumber Greenhouse Horticulture Netherlands.

Optimised light recipe

The research focuses on the optimisation issue of LED lighting. The aim is to come up with an optimised lighting recipe for high wire cucumber cultivation in which the energy efficiency of the crop is analysed in relation to the varieties used. The aim is to uncover the correlation between technology and genetics. The trial runs from October 2021 to March 2022, with the results being processed from April to May 2022.

Innovative backbone

The need for more knowledge comes from regional cucumber growers in SVTGV's catchment area who have joined forces for this initiative. Thom van Mullekom, representative of the grower cluster: "Joining forces, knowledge, its valorisation and a broad dissemination of the results achieved will lead to better energy efficiency in cultivation. With an optimised lighting recipe, it should be possible to achieve higher productions with the same energy input, compared to current lighting techniques. The higher production will lead to a decrease in CO2 emissions and energy costs per unit of product. In addition, this light recipe will create more opportunities to maintain current production levels, with lower energy costs through the efficient use of LED lighting and the associated varieties and genetics."

Research

The research programme will be carried out by the agrofood R&D organisation Botany. Maarten Vliex, project leader: "The practical trial takes place during the low light period of the year, from October to March. It not only looks at the light spectrum and the intensity of the lighting, but also at genetics, water management and the cultivation and climate control." Innovation agency Bluehub will share the results obtained with the sector via an open knowledge platform. The platform is primarily aimed at maximising the chances of valorisation, adoption and acceptance of new technologies by progressive cucumber growers. For Botany, Bluehub and the grower cluster, this research programme is a continuation of the Belgian-Dutch research programme GLITCH, which was successfully completed earlier this year.

Photo: A delegation of cucumber growers in the grower cluster, SVTGV, Crop Cooperative Cucumber Horticulture Netherlands and Botany, where the trial is taking place on location in Meterik.