New cut rose installations with LED toplighting solutions at IFTF show

Udo van Slooten, General Manager of Philips Horticulture LED Solutions says, “There is a growing amount of scientific evidence showing the benefits of LED toplighting for the floriculture business. This technology is particularly interesting for rose growers because their crops require some of the highest levels of light in the floriculture industry. It’s not unusual for roses to require 4,000 to 5,000 light hours in a year.  Growers can use LED toplighting to save energy, steer their climate better, create more lighting hours in spring, summer and autumn and get more growth and/or quality.” 

Scheers Rose Nursery is installing a new Philips lighting system at this moment: 70% of the light intensity comes from LED toplighting modules high output and 30% comes from SON-T high pressure sodium modules over about 15,000 square meters. This will allow Scheers to raise its light intensity from 100 µmol/m2/s to 150 µmol/m2/s. Owner Wim Scheers says, “With LED toplighting, I can switch on my LED separately so less heat is produced, meaning we don’t have to vent off excess heat and can leave the windows closed longer. Keeping air inside reduces my costs, and also helps me maintain a better balance because I’m not constantly having to add extra CO2 to compensate for what’s going out the window. I will be able to light my plants for more hours without raising the crop temperature and retain more CO2 which will increase my crop growth and thereby increase my quality or yields.”

Since different crops, flowers, and plants require different light/temperature situations (alongside other climatic conditions) for optimal growth, Philips has invented specific light recipes for specific crops to help growers further enhance their crop results. A recipe specifies the light spectrum, intensity, illumination moment, uniformity, and positioning. Using a recipe, a grower can steer specific plant characteristics, from compactness, color intensity, and branch development to flowering and more to improve results. More information about Philips light recipes can be found at www.philips.com/horti

Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting products and technology for more than 100 years, has been at the forefront of innovative LED technology for a wide range of consumer and commercial applications. As part of the company’s leadership in horticulture LED, Philips continues to significantly invest in LED research and collaborate externally with higher education facilities and research institutes. This emphasis on research as well as ongoing expansion of the Horti LED Partner network demonstrates Philips commitment to continue leading the horticulture industry as the innovative LED solutions Partner

For further information contact:

Daniela Damoiseaux, Global Marcom Manager