A new system of LED night-break lights was recently installed for the ‘Malling Centenary’ strawberry trial in the glasshouse at Ashtown.
Night-break lights are needed to break crop dormancy. Without the treatment, crop yields and strawberry quality are much lower. Night-break lighting is even more crucial in a mild winter where the strawberry crop receives inadequate chilling.
The new LED bulbs use only 11 W of power compared to the standard 100 W incandescent bulbs currently used by the industry. This makes them almost 90% more energy efficient.
The lights installed here are made by Philips-Signify and are called ‘GreenPower 2.0’. These lights are specifically designed for night-break lighting.
The light gives the optimum amounts of deep red, white and far-red radiation for the strawberry crop. The lights are used for about 40 days once the strawberry crops begin to actively grow. ✽
