ReduSol produces better-tasting tomatoes in Beijing
Without protection, greenhouse tomatoes in Beijing are quickly affected by sunburn. Tecai Daguanyuang Farm benefits a great deal from the ReduSol coating. The crop stays healthier and production is as much as 5% higher.
Beijing has a continental climate with harsh winters and long, hot summers. That makes for difficult conditions in which to grow tomatoes. In the past, Tecai Daguanyuang Farm used shade nets to temper light and heat in summer. However, this solution was far from ideal.
‘The use of ReduSol saves time and labour. The nets were expensive due to the structure and maintenance. Furthermore, it was a big hassle. Now we only need to apply ReduSol once and after that it lasts all season. This coating provides for sufficient cooling, while at same time it leaves sufficient light for growth and production,’ says farm manager Mr. Li Xinxu.
Mr. Li Xinxu, farm manager.
Better production and quality
ReduSol provides for better production, as well as better quality. ‘Heat causes poor fruit setting, and the flowers and fruit to fall off. Furthermore, the fruits that do mature suffer from sunburn. When the sunburn is excessive, we cannot sell the tomatoes. We are no longer experiencing that problem now that we are using the ReduSol coating. Furthermore, the fruits colour more evenly and no longer have “green shoulders”. Moreover, they taste better. The improved quality means that we can command a higher price. In addition, production is 5% higher. All this taken together makes ReduSol a good investment that generates higher income,’ he says.
More pleasant working climate
The greenhouse temperature is 3 to 5°C lower, while the plant’s temperature is 7 to 8°C lower. Furthermore, the substrate does not heat up as much. Due to the absence of heat stress, the crop is healthier and better resistant to diseases and pests. ‘There are fewer disease-related problems, which means we can use less crop protection agents,’ says Mr. Xinxu.
The workers are also happy with the coating. The temperature inside the greenhouse is lower and the light is softer. That makes the work far more pleasant. As a result, work efficiency has increased, he observes.
Happy with ReduSol
ReduSol is applied to the greenhouse cover in April, manually and mechanically. The coating is highly resistant to rain; however, by mid-August the severe summer rains nevertheless cause it to thin. This is not a problem, because by then the coating has done its work.
The company uses 16 buckets per hectare. This quantity is based on experience, local light intensity, light measurements and insights into the light quantity a tomato crop is able to handle.
Tecai Daguanyuang Farm is happy with ReduSol and will use the coating again for the coming season.
