How FR Lights Can Influence Strawberry
Especially since the effect of far-red light on strawberries is not very well-documented yet, there are some data on its effect on tomatoes, but strawberries are a completely different crop. For example, in strawberries, you have short-day varieties; they need short days and long nights to initiate flowers and grow best, whereas tomatoes are day-neutral; they need about 6 hours of darkness, but theoretically they can be lit the rest of the time. Furthermore, strawberries, especially the Junebearers, have one flush, and then it’s over, but you can harvest tomatoes year-round as they have a constant plant load. Because the crops are so different, they also have different needs when it comes to light.
A research report proved that FR red has a good effect on strawberries. For example, plants were more open because of the far-red light. This is beneficial not only because the plant can intercept more light in that way, but also because air ventilation in the crop becomes more effective. On top of that, labor becomes easier as well, as fruits are easier to reach and pick because of the truss elongation caused by far-red. We also saw positive effects in yields, and Brix values were higher, too.
With the current energy crisis, sustainability and energy efficiency are critical to consider for lit cultivation. However, many growers are convinced LED is the best way to go. They think that higher efficiency and efficacy of LED lighting can bring better yields than HPS. They also expect that a switch from HPS to LED might go fast, especially with the energy crisis.
LED is the most viable option for lit strawberry cultivation, especially as strawberries prefer lower temperatures. Growers expect to move toward higher light intensities in the coming years. If growers using HPS increase light intensity, temperatures in the greenhouse will also rise. As strawberries are sensitive to high temperatures, you will not win much by increasing light intensity under HPS. With LED, however, increasing light intensity does not equal increasing temperature, and easier to manage, making it much better for lit strawberry cultivation.
