Smarter lighting strategies in roses: insights from Viaverda trials

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Smarter lighting strategies in roses: insights from Viaverda trials

At the Viaverda research site in Destelbergen, Belgium, innovative lighting strategies are being tested to reduce energy consumption in greenhouse horticulture — without compromising plant quality.

As part of the VLAIO project "ie-LICHT", researchers are exploring how dynamic LED lighting can better mimic natural conditions.

From static light to dynamic strategies
Traditional greenhouse lighting is typically static: lights switch on and off at fixed intensities. But nature works differently — with gradual transitions and constantly shifting light conditions.

The first of two promising strategies is now being tested: twilight. Next up is slow pulsed light.

© Mechatronix

© Mechatronix

© Mechatronix

Twilight
Gradual ramp-up and dimming of light intensity simulating sunrise and sunset. In two greenhouse compartments equipped with the MechaTronix 4-channel LED grow lights, trials on rose cultivars Avalanche and Jumilia started earlier this year.

Early results are promising and show energy savings up to 5%.

Slow pulsed light
The second strategy still faces some technical challenges, but should be up and running by this winter. Here, the plan is to switch the LED growlights on for 9 seconds and turn them off for 1 second. This could save up to 10% of energy.

These short interruptions mimic natural shading from clouds or leaf movement. This testing method will require adaptations to the current available drivers and will put pressure on the energy infrastructure as well.

The ultimate testing phase in the ie-LICHT project will be a combination of the twilight strategy and the slow pulsed light.

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With rising energy costs, growers need solutions that go beyond efficiency of hardware alone. These trials investigate if smart control strategies can unlock additional savings — without sacrificing yield or quality.