RED x RAT greenhouses
Innovation by nature
Patricia Rat is a true enthusiast and one of the first growers to have used BIP (Biological Integrated Protection) in her greenhouses. Conscientious, she constantly ensures the synergy between her crop and the innovative solutions she integrates.
Ludovic Rat is an assertive and independent self-taught man. First with tomatoes, then with strawberries, he favors local production of several varieties grown in greenhouses. He has always sought to control the development of his crop and improve the quality of his harvests.
Together they cultivate more than five hectares of strawberries in greenhouses with the quality of their fruit as their primary concern. With their team they practice a clean agriculture combining modernity and joy of living.
From incandescent to LED…
Some time ago, Patricia and Ludovic understood the limits of the incandescent bulbs used in their greenhouses. They did not meet their new ambitions: to gain in timeliness, in yield and in fruit quality. Since the beginning of their project and the sizing of their installation, RED has been following them and advising them on how to optimize their growing methods.
They chose to replace their bulbs with a turnkey solution: TAURUS lights, controlled with SOLSTICE™. To meet their challenge, Ludovic and Patricia also chose to be accompanied by our team of photobiologists in the optimization of light management.
This solution proved to be the ideal tool to achieve their goals. It provides the perfect intensity and wavelengths for their different strawberry varieties; from the seedling stage to the fruit harvest.
Intelligent management
Throughout the growing cycle, the SOLSTICE™ control system adapts the intensity and spectrum of each light in real time according to the environment and the lighting strategies applied.
As part of their support, the RED team developed a first custom-made and automated lighting combination according to their initial objectives. The lighting strategy was then perfected following Ludovic and Patricia’s field observations.
For example, after the right vegetative development of the aerial and root parts, Ludovic and Patricia indicated the need to adapt the spectrum to favor the emergence of inflorescences.
Beyond the targets :
It was with surprise and satisfaction that Ludovic and Patricia began harvesting their fruit 3 weeks before the start of their traditional harvesting schedule. The strawberry plants under RED lighting, which are more robust and have a more developed leaf surface, allowed them to increase their yield by more than 25%.
All in all, the complete management of their system allowed them to maximize the quality of their fruit and offer the market a new standard for their products.
