A vertical growing system that optimises space in glasshouses has shown it could more than double yields in salads and berries The Saturn Grower system has potential for a 4.72 yield increase in leafy crops
Leafy salad and strawberry growers could increase yields by up to two and a half times with the aid of a new hydroponic and vertical growing system.
The Saturn Grower system, trialled commercially by agri-tech company Saturn Bioponics, is formed by stacks of modules, each with a growing station attached to irrigation and a hydroponic substrate.
They can be installed in new or existing polytunnels as well as glasshouses and other covered areas, and to a range of different crop requirements and heights.
Managing director of Saturn Bioponics, Alex Fisher, said the company already has a number of commercial growers and processors among clients.
“Our modules allow you to optimise the use of daylight so you can increase your yield per square metre. Moreover, operating costs are kept down too. There are no mechanical moving parts that need energy to run, and labour costs are minimal as we have ensured that planting and picking is clean, quick and easy,” he said.
The system is said to work particularly well on leafy greens such as salad and pak choi, as well as strawberries.
“One of the benefits is that the towers are completely adaptable to the requirements of the particular crop and the operational environment; you can choose the height you want to go to and also the number of modules per square metre,” Fisher added.
The project, which has a principal trial and demonstrator site in Birmingham, is supported by the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK), Lancaster University and the University of Manchester.
