Light Science Technologies (LST) has been awarded £503,000, by Innovate UK funding to develop an intelligent LED grow-light cloche for use within polytunnels and glasshouses.
The grow-light cloche will extend the growing season, enabling farmers to grow a wider variety of produce all year round. It will incorporate LST nurturGROW sensor and its nurturGROW luminaire, a semi-automated system for soil-based growing within polytunnels and glasshouses.
The consortium includes Zenith Nurseries, and the prototype will be tested at its growing site.
The solution aims to improve productivity by more than doubling the number of yields possible each year.
The initial potential UK market includes over 4,000 industrial growers, producing over 300 types of field-scale and protected vegetable and salad crops, and tree and berry fruits covering over 10 million m2.
The total market size for polytunnel in Europe is worth a potential £2.96 billion in 2022 with a predicted CAGR of 9.6% from 2021-28.
More about Light Science Technologies.