Experimental Research Facilities Field Crops
Experimental Research Facilities Field Crops
Modern and well equipped research facilities are available on different soil types throughout the Netherlands completed with climate and storage facilities for research purposes and a laboratory with quarantine status. Research facilities for the biobased economy and smart grid concepts are available both on labscale and larger scale level.
Infrastructure and User Services
The infrastructure concerns experimental facilities in Lelystad, Vredepeel, Westmaas, Valthermond, Marwijksoord, Nagele and Randwijk. These facilities are used to support innovations in arable farming, field vegetable production, the biobased economy, smart grid developments and fruit research. The emphasis lies in Lelystad where 700 ha of clay soil area available of which a part is SKAL certified for organic farming and available for organic farming research. High-tech machinery with GPS control area available to support data collection. For weed control, the location is equipped with advanced weed control equipment. Next to this, the location is equipped with 32 climate cells that allow research under controlled conditions (temperature, light, controlled atmosphere). A greenhouse and laboratory are available, well equipped for nematological, microbiological, fytopathological research. The Lelystad location also houses installations used in biobased economy research. This includes a digester with advanced pretreatment machinery, a green gas separator, refinery equipment including fermentors, sieves and centrifuges, algae production facilities and aquatic biomass research facilities equipped with cooling and warming facilities based on a heat pump. In Vredepeel, 130 ha of drought sensitive sandy soil is available for scientific research on arable and field vegetable crops. In Westmaas, a 78 ha experimental facility for young clay soils has been set up. In the two sandy soil and peat location, Valthermond and Marwijksoord, in total 164 ha of experimental fields are available. The Randwijk test site is the focal point for independent and practice-oriented innovation and knowledge development related to Dutch fruit production.
Examples/description of the type of research
Practical field trials in agriculture, horticulture and fruit trees in the area of crop protection, weed control, fertilizers, agro-PV, biological pest control, yield and (post-harvest) quality. This for both organic and conventional crop production
Yield and quality testing of new varieties of a series of crops to collect data for companies and for the national crop variety list. Multi-year crop rotation trials to study effects on yield, but also on soil and water quality, and on biodiversity on the farm.
A smart grid network with research facilities to study and develop concepts for smart grid solutions. Directed towards renewable energy sources like wind, solar and hydrogen production, and storage.
Small scale biorefinery research facilities to convert biomasss into renewable resources (i.e biogas, fibres or insect biomass)
How to access the infrastructure ?
The demand for trial from both WUR side and external parties is rather stable. If a request comes in, and it fits our criteria we make a financial proposal and plan.