Generic article
Potanthurium
The current year-round pot plant cultivation in the Netherlands differs per crop, but a common denominator is that it is a fairly warm cultivation, with relatively low levels of light, low light-exposure levels in winter and protection from sunlight in the summer even at fairly low light levels to prevent of light damage. This leads to a high energy consumption in the dark periods, which is fulfilled exclusively with energy from fossil sources. In the summer months there is a low light use efficiency.
After Phalaenopsis and Kalanchoe, the pot rose and pot anthurium are the most important pot plant crops in the Netherlands. Demonstrating a sustainable pot plant cultivation of the future with pot anthurium seems to be of great interest and also provides useful information for the cultivation of other potted plants, also because the implementation of new knowledge, and of energy and cultivation innovations, is lagging behind in this sector. Since pot anthurium is a relatively short cultivation, a lot of information can be obtained quickly.
Increasing crop resilience
For pot anthurium, crop health is a challenge, especially when it comes to the control of (exotic) trips and aphids. Major improvements can be achieved in this regard by integrating successful natural control agents and increasing crop resilience.
Making cultivation more sustainable must be done by increasing crop resilience. WUR Greenhouse Horticulture has already gained experience in this area, as the short cultivation period makes it an ideal model crop for testing control systems. By integrating complementing strategies major advances in sustainability can be expected.