News
Impact of CO2 on chrysanthemum cultivation mapped out
A crop model simulates photosynthesis, growth and development of a crop. It can be used by growers to predict their cultivation. Our mechanistic crop model, INTKAM, includes many crops and has recently been adopted for chrysanthemum cultivation.
Last year, the Physiology & Product quality team of Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs Business Unit of Wageningen University & Research developed a method to study the effect of CO2 on continuous, year-round chrysanthemum cultivations.
New model for each crop
Every crop responds differently to light, temperature and CO2. Therefore, a new crop model must be developed for each crop. Such a model can then be used alongside the grower’s climate computer. This allows the grower to make the right cultivation decisions for the desired growth of the crop.
Crop model for chrysanthemum
Developing a crop model for chrysanthemum is complex. Chrysanthemums of different 'ages' grow in greenhouses. This has to do with the fact that the chrysanthemum crop has a short cultivation cycle (approximately 70 days) and can only be harvested once. After the harvest, the grower starts a new cycle on the same place. This happens continuously, so that chrysanthemums can also be harvested continuously.
The amount of CO2 that a chrysanthemum needs varies from week to week. For example, a young chrysanthemum has different needs and has a different effect on the greenhouse climate than an older flower. However, they are in the same greenhouse. This mixed cultivation system has been taken into account in the implementation of our model. For this calculation, WUR used data from cultivation studies and scientific literature. This resulted in simulations of chrysanthemum growth which has been validated with a real cultivation.