Diffuse glass: the new standard?
In recent years diffuse glass has become a popular item in greenhouse horticulture. Recent studies at the University of Wageningen (WUR) show that higher production in horticulture can be achieved by the use of diffuse glass. Especially the fruit crops, such as cucumbers and tomatoes show the advantages here.
Hemispherical light transmission
In the Netherlands diffuse light is available approximately 80% of the time throughout the year. The values of the hemispherical light (the entrance of light at different angles) are of great importance. By making the glass diffuse, the light source is ‘scattered’ (the Haze factor). At the same time direct radiation on the crop is prevented, which greatly reduces the plant stress and combustion.
Better results
Due to scattering of the natural light in leaf crops, such as cucumber and tomato, the light source penetrates deeper into the crop and photosynthesis is increased. This results in an increased production of up to 10%. Until recently, the choice of a specific type of glass was mainly based on the measurement (value) of the direct light transmission, while diffuse light is technically and year-round very important.