Fieldlab vertical farming continues with a focus on hybrid cultivation
Source: VFD.com
This new phase, Fieldlab Vertical Farming 3.0, will focus on hybrid growing systems that combine vertical farming with high-tech greenhouse horticulture. Since its launch in 2019, the Fieldlab has brought together knowledge, research facilities, and entrepreneurship in the field of vertical farming.
Together, this has created a network in which researchers, technology companies, growers, and other small and medium-sized enterprises collaborate on practical, applicable solutions. "With this third phase, we are more closely connecting the knowledge gained in vertical farming with the strength of South Holland's greenhouse horticulture cluster," says project leader Judith van Heck of Greenport West-Holland, which organizes the Fieldlab.
© Thijmen Tiersma | VerticalFarmDaily.com Judith van Heck has been project leader of Fieldlab Vertical Farming since November 2022. Hybrid cultivation, in other words a combination of vertical farming and greenhouse growing, could well be 'the holy grail' the sector has been looking for in order to really make significant progress, she said this spring at the Vertical Farming Cultivation and Business Opportunities Event (link in Dutch).
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
