One year after the introduction of the Philips GreenPower LED toplighting with the new rose spectrum, it appears that the roses react well to the new light spectrum. The combination of LEDs and climate control according to the principles of Next Generation Growing brings top quality and sustainability closer. The new light spectrum, developed by Signify and Wageningen University & Research (WUR) significantly improves the quality of large-flowered rose crops Red Naomi! and Avalanche+. This is evident from the interim results of the research carried out at the Delphy Improvement Centre in Bleiswijk, the Netherlands. The new spectrum has a particularly positive effect on leaf quality, spination and bud size.
Growing demand for lighting flexibility
“We are very happy with the results we are achieving with the new rose spectrum. Where we saw earlier that crops did not perform well, the quality remained good this winter. We see the same result at practice companies where we test the new rose spectrum”, said Leontiene van Genuchten, Plant Specialist at Signify.
New spectrum has a good effect on leaf quality, spination and bud size
The Red Naomi! rose crop had a warm and difficult summer. Moreover, part of the crop was cleared in April and replaced by Avalanche+, which meant that testers had to rebalance the crops in an area where young and older crops stand side by side. "The number of branches per square meter was very high last summer, but the branch quality was insufficient," says researcher Arie de Gelder of Wageningen University & Research. "The new spectrum has a good effect on the leaf quality, the spination and bud size," he added. Growers who regularly visit this trial are also satisfied with the condition of the crop.
Beautiful Avalanche+ crop
The young Avalanche+ crop looks good. The researchers see a healthy and vigorous crop, with thick branches. The leaf looks a bit dark. "We must maintain a moderate climate for both varieties. We could actually grow Avalanche+ in somewhat warmer conditions, but this would be at the expense of Red Naomi!," says De Gelder. "We see that Avalanche+ is responding well to the new light spectrum and that is a good thing."
GreenPower LED top lighting with new rose spectrum
The latest generation Philips GreenPower LED toplighting is equipped with the latest lighting recipe specially developed for the rose crop. A small amount of white light has been added to this spectrum, so that the greenhouse employees can better assess the crop when harvesting or scouting. The new module has an output of 500 to 600 µmol/m²/s each at very high efficiency of up to 3.0 µmol/J.