Uman Greenhouse Complex

Ukraine

Find out how Uman Greenhouse Complex is growing heavier fruit with LED interlighting.

Heavier tomatoes are produced through LED interlighting modules, brought by Philips horticultural lighting

Compared with the traditional

method of lighting, the Philips LED solutions are very energy-efficient. In the long run this will also have a positive effect on our production costs.”

- Nikolay Gordiy, General Director, UGC

Customer challenge

Uman Greenhouse Complex is at the forefront of modern horticulture. It has been growing tomatoes and cucumbers since 1974, and today its hyper-modern greenhouse spans over 30 hectares. Could light help to increase the weight of fruit, and drive up production levels?

Find this grower in the world.

The right lighting

Uman Greenhouse Company (UGC) has been carrying out trials with hybrid lighting for some time now. During 2010-2011, the company tried adding interlighting to its current system, to provide the lower parts of the plants with additional sustenance. These trials proved that heavier tomatoes could be produced through interlighting. In 2011 the test was extended to include new LED interlighting modules, used in a 0.625 hectare plot.

The trial produced positive results. Working in close collaboration with Philips specialists and a plant physiologist, UGC was able to find the ideal spacing and settings for the horticultural lighting. It found that the light shined on the lowest leaves has a positive effect on coarsenes and production.

“We are proud to be the first grower to work with Philips LED interlighting”, said Nikolay Gordiy, General Director of UGC. “We have been using Philips GreenVision 1000 W systems since 2008. This modern HID installation immediately gave us a 25% increase in production. With the new LED interlighting solution we expect to increase production by a further 15%.”

The new greenhouse lighting is saving energy. Early indications show that using a partially LED-based system will create an energy saving of 80%. Thanks to these savings, the investment on the new lights will be paid back within two and a half years.

The team