New insights on light utilization of tomato under LED
Interim results from a greenhouse trial show that tomatoes produced significantly more under 320 µmol/m2/s hybrid and full-LED lighting (our WEGA Max) than under 190 µmol/m2/s SON-T. Yields up to early March amounted to about 35 kg/m² under the hybrid and LED treatments, compared to 26 kg/m² under SON-T. However, when production is related to the amount of light used, light-use efficiency (LUE) under LED and hybrid is almost 10% lower.
The results show that more light does not automatically lead to a proportional increase in yield per mole of light. This underscores the importance of not only steering on light levels, but above all on the sink-source balance. Looking ahead, we expect that a higher light-use efficiency can be achieved by further directing the flow of assimilates to the fruits, which should increase production even more.
"Exactly at that intersection of lighting strategy and cultivation control, together we make the difference toward even more efficient cultivation under full LED!" - Gert-Jan Dekker, Agronomist
This project is carried out by Plant Lighting, Delphy Improvement Centre and Wageningen University & Research. This project was funded and coordinated by Kas als Energiebron, Agrolux, Axia, Ludvig Svensson and Saint-Gobain Cultilene. Made possible in part by Kennis in je Kas (KijK). The trial is intensively supervised by growers from the national tomato committee.
