With the pressing of a button general director Mart van Buuren fromBVB Substrates reopened the research greenhouse at Bas van Buuren's  premises in De Lier, Holland. In BVB's new test greenhouse growers can do tests with Philips LED-lights to find the best combination of substrates treatments and lighting for their plants in-situ. This is what distinguishes this location from earlier LED tests.

Opening with Mart van Buuren

"With the opening of this test centre we are able to apply for the first time LED growing lamps under practical situations with substrates", says Udo van Slooten, who is responsible for LED applications in greenhouse cultivation within Philips Lighting. The lighting tests will be carried out in combination with variable properties of substrates, such as air content, structure, watering and fertillisation.

Commercial director  Jaco Dijkshoorn from BVB Substrates and director Udo van Slooten from Philips LED Horticulture

"LED-lighting has already been proved to offer advantages for greenhouse cultivation, but thanks to this unique cooperation between Philips and BVB Substrates we can learn lots more, with the direct involvment of the growers", adds Udo. "Growers can register to activly take part in the tests for free. It is a difficult time for cultivators, but with this cooperation initiative we hope to get more lighting".

The research greenhouse contains three movable tables. By using cameras the tests can be followed online. "At the moment it is just too expensive to replace the SON-T completely with LED-lighting, but this greenhouse offers the possiblity to research the optimal growing recipe. For the growers we remove the so called hordes so that in the future they can start with a basic recipe.

Mart and Mariëlle van Buuren

"We want to keep the cultivation affordable and innovative", decided Jaco Dijkshoorn from BVB Substrates. "With BVB and Philips - who have been around for more than a hundred years - we want to guarentee the future of cultivation. We have a lot of faith in it!"