WUR researches whether growth and shape of potted plants can be controlled with light

The Greenhouse Horticulture business unit of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is researching how dynamic light spectra, in combination with temperature and nutrition, can be used to sustainably grow compact and resilient plants. Oreon is supplying its multi-layer fixture Embrace for this multi-year project. This makes the WUR the first user of Oreon's newest LED fixture. The Embrace has all the capabilities that WUR needs to conduct this experiment.

 

Alternatives to chemical growth regulators

When you grow pot and bedding plants, the aim is to have a compact and resilient crop. Due to the increasing restrictions on the use of chemical growth regulators, alternative non-chemical methods for the production of compact plants are being sought. Research shows that certain light colors can promote compactness. It turns out that not only the color (spectrum) is important, but also the time of day at which that spectrum is achieved.

For the project “Light and Growth: Sustainable control using light,” Wageningen University & Research started a pilot study at the end of April, in which different types of bedding plants are grown under different light spectra from germination to flowering. The treatments were selected based on knowledge of physiology. In the first cultivation round, treatments were used with different proportions of blue light and an adapted temperature strategy. During the study, they will look at whether extra blue light should be given at certain times of the day - such as around sunrise and sunset. The use of dynamic light spectra is still in the experimental phase.