Qlipr system has clear advantages in LED trials with cucumbers

The use of LED lighting in cucumber growing can significantly increase yields. This is the finding from the LED trial which Philips Horticulture LED Solutions is conducting at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.  The trial is carried out using the Qlipr system from Pellikaan Gewasklemsystemen. “Qlipr brings profit, in light and labour.”

Warsaw University of Life Sciences experiments with LED lighting

The cucumbers in the trial green-house are grown on high wires and trained upwards and secured using the Qlipr crop clamping system from Pellikaan. Andris Stuks chose Qlipr because of the light gain recorded with the system as there are no reels of string hanging above the crop. “This means that you quickly gain ten percent more light.” Andris Stuks also wanted to minimise crop damage; this Philips plant specialist believes that too many terminal shoots are damaged during winding. The sustainability aspect was also important: the clips and Pellikaan hooks last for many years. “Qlipr is an easy system to work with,” says Janina Gajc-Wolska, head of the Horticulture, Biotech- nology and Landscape Architecture facility at the university. “Most of the students find winding difficult. Working with Qlipr is much easier. It’s also much faster, so we save on labour. On average we clip three times in a two-week period, always after the third or fourth leaf. With plastic clips you have to go through the crop twice a week, so there’s another gain here. All in all, Qlipr has clear advantages.”