Ornamental plant cultivation switches to ahigher level

The main objective of this project is to provide knowledge and data so that Flemish ornamental growers can make a successful and well-reasoned transition to a profitable future-oriented cultivation system with a lower environmental impact. This should enable them to grow a high-quality, profitable and sustainable product all year round. The switch from greenhouse cultivation to closed multilayer cultivation requires the necessary (cultivation) technical optimizations, since everything can be controlled meticulously. The main needs are: (1) automatic follow-up of crop development, (2) remote online scouting tool for pests and diseases between the cultivation layers and (3) calculation models to work out technical aspects of the multi-layer cultivation system. At the system level, (4) conceptual thought is given to how a multi-layer cultivation system should be constructed at business level. Options are being examined to make the system energy-neutral.In the context of the Blue Deal, the aim is also to achieve savings in water consumption of 125 m³ to 2700 m³ per year compared to traditional greenhouse cultivation.