Grow cucumbers year-round with LED lighting installations

14th January 2019

Signify

Alex Lynn

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Specialist in lighting, Signify, has announced that Jardins Réunis and Cheminant have both installed Philips GreenPower LED toplighting and Philips GreenPower LED interlighting in their new cucumber greenhouses in the Nantes region of France. The growers are the first to grow high-wire cucumbers with LED lighting in the country, showing their leadership as members of the Océane grower cooperative.

"We have experience growing high-wire cucumbers under LED lighting in other parts of the world, and can predict quite well how much production will increase after installing our LEDs," said Udo van Slooten, Business Leader Horticulture at Signify. "In general, cucumber production goes up with increased light levels. But with LEDs we can truly optimise production by steering light and heat separately. The Philips LEDs have the right spectrum for cucumber growth - the plants use this colour spectrum for optimal photosynthesis, resulting in greater production of a high-quality crop."

Both growers expect an increase in production, but that's not the only reason they've opted for full LED lighting. Unlike HPS lighting, LED enables growers to increase light levels without increasing heat. The ability to control light and temperature more precisely guarantees high-quality production as efficiently as possible throughout the year.

Antoine Cheminant, co-owner of Cheminant, explained: "LEDs give a better heat-light balance, generating a significant increase in production without the heat that you would get with HPS lighting. As per Signify's calculations, we're aiming for 30% more production in our 20,000 m² semi-closed lit greenhouse compared to a traditional non-lit greenhouse."

Vincent Olivon, co-owner of Jardins Réunis, added: "Signify has worldwide experience in growing high-wire cucumbers under LED lighting, so they can provide us with good advice and support from their plant specialists. LED lighting will help us to improve energy efficiency and to reduce gaps in production, especially in the more profitable winter period. This is critical in sustaining our position in the market year-round."

Like Cheminant, Jardins Réunis installed their lighting in a newly built semi-closed greenhouse. The 25,000 m² greenhouse will use LED toplighting (145 µmol/s/m2) and LED interlighting (67 µmol/s/m2). Installations for both greenhouses were carried out by the French certified Philips Horti LED Partner Eiffage Énergie Systèmes in November 2018. This is the first growing season for both companies to make use of the system.

Signify will be at SIVAL 2019, at booth E226 from January 15th to 17th in Angers Exhibition Center.