Scientists at Wageningen University & Research - the Dutch state university in Wageningen - received the first crop of bananas grown in a greenhouse.

The experiment on the hothouse cultivation of bananas began in January last year in the greenhouses of the Unifarm experimental farm with the assistance of scientists from the University.

The cultivation took place on 2 types of substrates: coke peat and stone wool. The agrotechnology used allowed the cultivation of tropical plants without invading the soil with aggressive fungi, and thereby prevented such a disease as fusarium wilting of plants.

Professor Gert Kem, who is an expert on tropical plants, said that the experiment turned out to be extremely successful, the plants show good growth on selected substrates using exclusively nutrient solution. The benefit of cultivating on these types of soils is that nutrients can be adjusted according to the needs of the crop. In addition, the “Dutch banana” does not require disease control, and this makes its cultivation more stable than in traditional production areas.

60 plants were planted in the greenhouse, which are being monitored continuously. However, experts noted that the density of plants at the moment was too high and the scientists plan to adjust the planting density so that the bananas could receive more light and ripen faster.