Fluence teams with growth media specialist on strawberries

Added on 23 October 2023

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Fluence teams with growth media specialist on strawberries

A trial horticultural study in the Netherlands aims to establish the best combination of light and salt levels to optimize flavor and other qualities.

Horticultural lighting vendor Fluence is going electric in its latest research endeavor. Electric, that is, as in studying the relationship between LED lighting and the process by which electricity flows through a growth medium to help or hinder the development of greenhouse strawberries.

Fluence has teamed with Dutch growth media specialist Grodan in a Wageningen University & Research (WUR) trial in which WUR is studying how to optimize “EC” levels to facilitate year-round cultivation of Favori strawberries.

EC stands for "electrical conductivity," and is an indicator of salt levels. A high EC corresponds to high salt levels, which — depending on the time of year and other factors — can be good or bad for the fruit. Further complicating the EC effect, sometimes a high level might undesirably limit the size of the fruit while potentially enhancing the flavor.