Daily Archives: November 20, 2023

Greenhouse growers have a golden rule: 1% more light entails 1% more production. This mainly involves the PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) part of sunlight. In the Netherlands, the Delft-based startup Fotoniq has developed a coating that converts UV into PAR and ensures a diffuse distribution of light. In other words, more growing light in more places inside the greenhouse. Backed by the Innovation Program AgriTech, the coating was tested at two vegetable growers. "Taking part in an innovation process costs time and money, but this is something I dared try," said founder Sadiq van Overbeek in a report from InnovationQuarter.

Sometimes, innovative ideas arise by chance. Such was Fotoniq's case. Co-founder Sadiq van Overbeek was in the middle of a bicycle trip through the Westland a few years ago. He saw the greenhouses and realized how important light is for growers. This brought to mind a coating that he had developed with his company but for which he had not yet been able to think of an application. That coating converts UV light to PAR light.

Things started moving quickly after that. Van Overbeek sought contacts in horticulture and was welcomed with open arms. That resulted in a small 50m2 trial at Koppert Cress nursery in Monster. The trial showed that the coating on the greenhouse cover did indeed increase growth. "However, Koppert Cress grows cresses, which is a very different crop compared to fruiting vegetables. Bell pepper, tomato, or cucumber growers, for example, are not as interested in growth as they are in production," said Van Overbeek.

Later, a trial at a bell pepper grower also went well. And last year, Fotoniq was also able to test the coating in tomato and cucumber farms. Fred Schpe, of Verkade Tomaten, from 's-Gravenzande, said that "the coating works. The production improves, and the plants do better and are under less stress."

Higher production Corn van Boxel is a cucumber grower in Delfgauw. He read an article in a trade magazine about Fotoniq's coating, "which would increase the amount of growing light by 8 to 10%. That seemed interesting to me. I then sent a message. And last year, I got a call from Fotoniq, asking whether I wanted to take part in a trial."

Not much later, the coating was applied to a 600 m2 area. Van Boxel noticed that there was better light diffusion inside the greenhouse. As a result, light was reaching more places, and thus, more of the crop's leaves. The coating also provided extra light inside the greenhouse on light days. That resulted in a slight 1.7% increase in the production.

In the greenhouses of Verkade Tomatoes, the coating was even more effective. 900 m2 of the greenhouse roof were treated there, and this resulted in about 3.1% more production of truss tomatoes. Schpe was very satisfied. "This was just a trial. By coating an entire greenhouse, the improvement will only be greater."

Growers are constantly adjusting the climate inside the greenhouse. They do that for an entire section at once, therefore, for a large part of the greenhouse. The coating at Van Boxel and Verkade Tomatoes covered only part of the greenhouse roof. The growers did not control the climate based on the part with the coating but on the part without. Van Overbeek says that "because of the coating, there was better light diffusion in the greenhouse, so the screen at the top of the greenhouse could be closed later. That, in turn, affects the temperature, humidity, and CO2 in the greenhouse, and thus growth."

No one wants to be the first customer The cooperation between Fotoniq and the two growers was possible in the framework of the AgriTech Innovation Program. As a result, the two growers ran no financial risk in testing the coating. And that was the deciding factor, according to Schpe. "Taking part in an innovation process costs time and money. But this is something I dared do."

"Investing in innovation is exciting for an entrepreneur. The same certainly applies to our coating. On average, a grower operates independently for about thirty years. Our coating lasts eight years. In other words, by trying our coating, a grower is taking a risk for a quarter of those thirty years. So it's a big risk," said Van Overbeek.

44,000 square meters Consequently, many entrepreneurs in horticulture are not at the forefront when it comes to embracing innovations, according to Van Overbeek. "Nobody wants to be the first customer but the second. Because why take a risk when your neighbor can take it, and all you have to do is wait? We do everything we can to reduce the risk. That's why we fill the coated greenhouse with sensors for humidity, temperature, and light. The grower can see that data, and they can always call us if they have any questions."

Whether Van Boxel and Schpe will decide to have their greenhouses completely covered by the coating, they dare not say yet. After all, the investments involved are large. In any case, many growers have already made the decision. Due to the positive results of the studies with tomatoes and cucumbers, the demand for the coating has increased enormously, says Van Overbeek. "The news has spread like wildfire. Because of the positive results, we have received many requests for different crops. We have already sold 44,000 square meters!"

Source: Innovation Quarter

For more information: Fotoniq info@fotoniq.com http://www.fotoniq.com

Read the rest here:

Successful trial of coating that converts UV into PAR boosts sales - hortidaily.com

The new EU rules for national debts and deficits will limit member states ability to act on climate change in a socially fair manner, the secretary general of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Esther Lynch, told Euractiv in an interview, warning against a return of austerity across the bloc.

The ongoing economic governance review, which looks to keep EU member states deficit and debt levels in check, has been the source of intense negotiations in recent months, in the hope that ministers agree on a new set of rules by year-end.

The previous rules in place, whose application was suspended in 2020 to account for the COVID crisis, were found to reinforce and encourage austerity politics: The constraints for member states to reduce debt and deficit were such that it would ultimately backfire, with high social and economic costs.

In April, the Commission officially proposed a new framework, with tailored four-year-long debt reduction plans for each country, and looked to give member states more leeway when looking to invest in the twin green and digital transition.

In practice, however, the review is no panacea, Lynch told Euractiv. Weve asked member states to do the sums, she said.

Were worried member states are sleepwalking into this decision [to review debt rules].

According to Lynch, whose main role is to speak on behalf of 93 trade union organisations from across the bloc, member states have not quite worked out what in practice [these new rules] will mean in one year, two years, three years [] and what austerity measures some of them will have to put in place.

Her concerns centre around a set of common benchmarks, added into the Commissions proposal after a last-minute push by Germany, which would apply uniform rules to all debt reduction plans, irrespective of country-specific needs.

This, many experts have argued, gravely limits the true impact of the reform, and curtails long-term investments in the green transition.

In a communiqu released last April, ETUC called for a golden rule on public investments, as EU countries look for new ways to finance green investments and achieve the EUs 55% greenhouse gas emissions reduction plans by 2030.

It should be like in a company, Lynch said, where you would be able to depreciate the investment over a long period of time.

Instead, as things stand in European Council negotiations, green and digital investments would not be explicitly mentioned in the rules unlike defence investments, as Euractiv recently revealed but could be taken into account when the European Commission considers expanding debt reduction trajectories from four to seven years.

Not good enough in Lynchs eyes: What we are absolutely asking for is for fiscal scope, managing the green transition, and social expenditures. The current state of things is such that there are no safeguards that it will not affect the most vulnerable, she claimed.

We go to meetings where we are told nobody will be left behind. Were told there is a European pillar of social rights, theres a Social Europe. But as were having these conversations, at the very same time, [debt rules negotiations] will be introducing a set of rules which will make everything else impossible.

In her view, it is high time the conversation opened to a general public debate, so citizens across the EU understand what these new rules mean for them.

The discussion has been hijacked by technical specialists, by technocrats, Lynch said. We would have expected governments to [] work out exactly what costs would need to be made.

Will taxes go up? Will austerity measures be implemented? Citizens are not in the know because the conversation has been moved out of the public domain.

Yet the consequence of the outcome of that discussion has very real implications for political decisions, and it will narrow the margin for political decisions to be made at the national level, Lynch warned.

In ETUCs view, there is still time for member states to go back to the drawing boards, and make the whole thinking over new debt rules more democratic.

In this vein, she refuted the argument that an agreement must absolutely be found before the end of the year, or else old rules would start applying again.

The current suspension [of the debt rules] would remain in place for another couple of months so as to give time rather than just create an unnecessary deadline.

Ultimately, she had one clear message for all member states: Dont make the mistake of sleepwalking into a set of rules before youve done the sums and figured out what the consequences are.

[Edited by Jonathan Packroff / Zoran Radosavljevic]

Read more from the original source:

Debt rules will affect the most vulnerable, EU trade union chief warns - EURACTIV