Wageningen Teams Up With RED Horticulture

Jennifer Polanz

To move the industry forward, researchers are constantly pushing the boundaries, looking for ways to make indoor growing more efficient and sustainable. Now, the renowned research organization Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands is partnering with start-up RED Horticulture (headquartered in Lyon, France) to study and harness dynamic lighting spectrums to enhance plant growth and development. Specific crops for this initiative include tomato, cucumber and pepper.

Two experts on plant photobiology and greenhouse horticulture from WUR, Professor Leo Marcelis and Associate Professor Ep Heuvelink, will work with Theoharis Ouzounis, chief scientific officer at RED Horticulture to develop the strategies.

“LED lights can exert profound effects on the growth and quality of plants,” said Leo in the announcement. “Initially, the light intensity and spectrum of LEDs was kept constant during cultivation. However, it is now opportune to delve into the possibilities of dynamically adjusting lighting strategies. We have joined forces with RED Horticulture, a dynamic LED lighting company, to investigate the impact of these lighting strategies on the production of young plants.”