Lower plant temperatures during hot sunny days with PAR+ coating

 Lower plant temperatures during hot sunny days with PAR+ coating

Outcome:

• Increased production
• Healthier, better-balanced crop
• Increased light use efficiency

Climate control on sunny days with PAR+ 💡
The humidity inside the greenhouse can become too low due to intense solar radiation, causing plants to evaporate too much and potentially experience water stress. Our latest results once again demonstrate that, thanks to our PAR+ coating, the peak air temperature at the top of the canopy remains up to 2.3 degrees lower. This results in a 5 to 7 degrees lower plant temperature. Simultaneously, the relative humidity remains higher, making the crop less vulnerable to heat stress. In short, this means:

• Less ventilation/opening of the windows needed
• Reduced loss of CO2 and relative humidity
• Less (or no) screening required

This in return results in:

• Increased production
• Healthier, better-balanced crop
• Increased light use efficiency

Our measurements in the greenhouse clearly show this difference on a sunny day in August. The green lines in the graphs represent our PAR+ coating, while the yellow lines represent the reference. The first graph shows the air temperature difference compared to the reference plot, and the second graph shows the humidity measured throughout the day. The plant heats up more evenly with lower canopy temperatures, allowing for a higher ventilation setpoint, keeping windows closed for longer, and retaining CO2 in the greenhouse for longer. This in turn leads to higher yield and efficiency.