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Diffuse light is increasingly used in the cultivation of vegetable and ornamental crops in greenhouse farming. Research shows that direct light is not optimal for photosynthesis. By applying diffuse light, the light is better distributed over the crops. You can emulate this by applying a diffuse coating to the glasshouse roof. The coating does not damage the crops and creates a higher light intensity without wasting light.

Diffuse light has several advantages for your crop:

• Diffuse light does not cause shading in your greenhouse.
• The light penetrates deeper into the crop, allowing the plant to absorb more CO2 and then process it into more stable growth, production and quality.
• A higher CO2 content is possible by closing the windows. 
• Reduces crop stress due to no direct sunlight onto the plant.
• There is a lower plant temperature, which ensures more even growth.
• Diffuse light ensures higher production and better quality of a crop.

In addition, the diffuse light has an advantage for employees in the greenhouse: the inside temperature is lower when using a diffuse coating, creating a more pleasant working climate, especially on hot summer days.

There are various applications for obtaining diffuse light in a greenhouse, including the application of a diffuse coating. This is the easiest, most flexible and cheapest way and is therefore the most widely used. You can also choose to have a greenhouse fitted with diffuse glass (this is glass with a permanent coating). Unlike permanent coatings, diffuse coatings can be easily removed at the end of the season with a removal agent. Once the greenhouse deck is completely clean, you can once again take advantage of all the useful light.

Particularly in high-rising crops such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumber crops, light distribution is not optimal. In these crops, the upper leaves capture a lot of light, more than is used for photosynthesis. The lower layers of the crop, on the other hand, receive too little light so the lower leaves hardly contribute to photosynthesis and growth. Diffuse light penetrates deeper into the crop and therefore gives a better horizontal and vertical light distribution. This increases photosynthesis, lowers the head temperature at high irradiance and thus reduces the risk of photo-inhibition. Photosynthesis lowers the head temperature at high irradiance and thus reduces the chance of photoinhibition. For tomatoes, a production increase of up to 10% can be achieved with diffuse glass, provided the light transmission of the greenhouse roof is not exceeded. Want to know how you can increase your yield through diffused light? Then download our Whitepaper for more information. 

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