It reported that there was no loss of plants, and the average stem weight in the best crops was 82 grams for variety ‘Bacardi’ and 96 grams for variety ‘Alero’.

Proeftuin Zwaagdijk said that the quality of both leaves and roots were excellent. The chrysanthemums were grown on a nutrient solution that had been also used for all earlier trials and which was never refreshed and/or disinfected. Again, thrips pressure was very low. The next challenge is to improve the uniformity of the crop.

The cuttings were rooted in glue plugs made from coco peat and transplanted in floats from Botman Hydroponics. They were floating on a 30 cm deep nutrient solution that was aerated and circulated permanently.

In the trial, the effect of water temperature and adding micro copper to the nutrient solution was tested. ‘Bacardi’ and ‘Alero’ reacted differently to these treatments.

The main objective for these trials is the development of a sustainable growing system. The system is separated from the subsoil, which significantly reduces the emission of nutrients and pesticides to soil and groundwater. The system is expected to lead to a substantial reduction of the use of chemical pesticides.

The companies involved in the trials are: Fred van Paassen, Green Simplicity, Bovebo, Dekker Chrysanten, Fides by Dümmen Orange, Botman Hydroponics BV, KaRo BV, Van Iperen and the Chamber of Commerce/Innovatiemotor Greenport Aalsmeer.

Meanwhile, more companies have expressed interest and finance for follow-up trials is being sought.

Source: Hortibiz