Certhon starts research in its own Innovation Centre

The brand new Innovation Centre of Certhon has been put into use. Six weeks ago the tomato and pepper plants were placed and two weeks ago the raspberry and strawberry plants followed. Next month research starts with lettuce and herbs. Jeroen van Lent, Agronomist at Certhon, explains: “Various varieties of all these crops are placed. They react differently to the indoor situation for each breed. Based on the cultivation knowledge we acquire, we can advise our customers and partners.”

Two years of research preceded before the Innovation Centre, says Jeroen. “In addition to the successful indoor projects we have realized, research was done into the optimization of the technology of daylight-free cultivation. In the innovation centre, with eight growth chambers on an area of 240 m2, we can continue that research on a large scale. With the cultivation knowledge we gain, we can help our customers in the first few years on the right path with growing various crops. Furthermore, we can carry out trial projects to obtain reference figures and this unique facility offers the possibility to show our systems to our customers.”

At the beginning of May, Jeroen expects the first harvest of tomato plants. According to Jeroen, this way of growing has many advantages. “The crop can be controlled down to the finest detail. Every moment of the day you can ensure that the circumstances are ideal. For example, there are no fluctuations in temperature, humidity and other uncontrollable factors. In addition to the cultivation knowledge we gain, we also investigate how we can optimize our technical installations.”

During the GreenTech in June, Certhon can also be found in the vertical farming pavilion. The visitor can take a real-time look at the research chambers of the Innovation Centre in the booth.