Key Takeaways:
- Artechno, Philips Horticulture, and Limgroup have partnered to develop a year-round, indoor propagation model for F1 hybrid strawberry plants.
- The AVF+ system enables controllable, clean, uniform, and accelerated strawberry propagation with flexible configurations.
- Limore One, Limgroup’s F1 hybrid strawberry variety, offers stable yield, uniformity, and is suited for protected cultivation.
- Signify’s Philips GrowWise lighting system provides phase-specific light recipes to improve crop performance and quality.
- The partnership supports breeders, propagators, growers, and retailers in addressing demand for consistent, high-quality strawberry varieties.
Building a New Propagation Model for F1 Hybrid Strawberries
With demand for predictable, high-quality strawberries on the rise, Artechno, Philips Horticulture, and Limgroup have launched a strategic collaboration to bring strawberry propagation fully indoors. The goal: to develop a scalable, year-round protocol for propagating F1 hybrid strawberry plants—beginning with Limgroup’s Limore One variety—under highly controlled conditions using the AVF+ platform.
“Each of the three companies brings a unique strength to the table,” said Thijs Goorts, Grower. “Limgroup supplies the genetics, Philips Horticulture the lighting and growth strategy, and Artechno delivers the climate, irrigation, and logistics infrastructure through our AVF+ system.”
A Complete Indoor Propagation Ecosystem
This “recipe” for strawberry propagation relies on a modular, vertically integrated AVF+ system that is fully customizable to the grower’s needs. It supports rapid cycle times, local production, and year-round plant availability.
“The AVF+ Compact system can go from seed to transplantable plant in just 8 to 10 weeks, and accelerates propagation by 30–50% compared to conventional methods,” explained Joris Groen, Agronomy at Artechno Growsystems. “With programmable flowering, clean starts, and uniform outputs, it offers a future-proof approach.”
Key features include:
- 800 plants/m² in early germination (Day 1–28)
- 122 plants/m² in the growing-out phase (Day 28–68)
- Controlled temperature, CO₂, humidity, airflow, and nutrient delivery
- Seamless integration with Philips Horticulture’s LED light spectrum and control modules
Lighting Innovation for Strawberry Trait Development
Signify’s Philips GrowWise Control System adds further precision to the equation. “We’ve developed color-controllable lighting recipes tailored to each stage of the hybrid strawberry’s development,” said Stefan van de Voort, Key Account Manager at Philips Horticulture. “This allows us to steer flowering, plant compactness, and even fruit taste—leading to predictable, high-quality outcomes.”
The dynamic spectrum supports both energy efficiency and trait expression, with recipes modifiable for red, blue, green, and far-red wavelengths.
Introducing Limore One: A Refined Everbearer
The flagship cultivar in this indoor initiative is Limore One, an F1 hybrid strawberry developed by Limgroup. According to Roland Sweijen, Product Lead Strawberry at Limgroup, Limore One offers consistent production and uniform plant architecture, ideal for strawberry propagation and protected cultivation systems.
“Fresh plants can be supplied year-round, giving growers full scheduling flexibility,” he said. “And they maintain quality throughout long harvest windows.”
A Model for Growers of All Sizes
While benchmark data on yield and Brix levels are still being validated, Artechno has confirmed business case evaluations with both large-scale and smaller growers showing promising results.
“The system is scalable and adaptable to different strawberry varieties and facility footprints,” added Thijs van den Bergh, Plant Scientist at Signify. “It’s not just a one-size-fits-all—it’s a configurable framework.”
Looking ahead, Artechno is already exploring expansion of the AVF+ system for propagation of other fruiting crops like cucumbers, eggplants, and melons.
Rethinking the Strawberry Propagation Chain
In the next few years, Artechno expects most strawberry propagation stages will shift to highly controlled environments to ensure uniformity, biosecurity, and yield predictability.
“This isn’t just about technology—it’s about transforming the way the entire chain functions, from breeders to retailers,” said Groen. “With clean starts, fast turnarounds, and better genetics, everyone benefits.”
