Healthy Harvest from the Greenhouse

Healthy food contributes to an improved quality of life, and its consumption is also seen as an important factor in our perception thereof. Although many greenhouse-grown fruits in itself are considered healthy, there are indications that by fine tuning of plant growth in greenhouses the accumulation of healthy substances in fruits can be increased. Greenhouse experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of light intensity and light quality on accumulation of health related phytochemicals in tomatoes during the growing period. Changes in levels of vitamin C are triggered by these treatments, leading to the production of harvestable fruits with an increased vitamin C content with up to double the amount found in untreated fruits. These results could enable growers to influence their crop and add additional value to their healthy products.