Higher Yields and Better Plant Quality Under Broad-Spectrum Lighting Strategies

Fluence by OSRAM (Fluence) has announced results from its year-long strawberry research in collaboration with Delphy Improvement Centre (Delphy), an independent institute and expert in food and flowers located in Bleiswijk, the Netherlands. Together, Fluence and Delphy studied how Fluence’s LED lighting solutions impact strawberry production in greenhouses.
 
As grocers push produce suppliers to deliver fresh, high-quality crops year-round, growers are increasingly exploring how to allocate high-tech greenhouse space to strawberries, which are typically grown outdoors or in hoop houses (small, semi-portable structures). Fluence and Delphy examined how to sustainably grow strawberry crops in high-tech greenhouse environments while maximizing yield and fruit quality.
 
Results are showing that strawberries thrive under predominantly white spectra, creating opportunities for greenhouse growers to introduce new, efficient lighting strategies into their facilities.

Strawberry cultivars grown under a broad-spectrum with a fraction of far-red saw taller crops, wider canopies, higher overall yields and increased Brix values. As with all crops and individual cultivars, there is no ubiquitous lighting strategy for optimizing plant yield and quality. However, global research endeavors continue to showcase the power of optimized lighting solutions for the world’s most popular crops.