De Ruiter to Evaluate Greenhouse Cucumbers for Commercial Production
November 17, 2021 
The De Ruiter Experience Center (DEC) will broaden its horizon to greenhouse cucumbers in 2022 after previously growing only tomatoes. Hundreds of new cucumber varieties will be tested every year in a new greenhouse.
The addition of cucumber to the DEC underlines Bayer’s commitment to protected growers and will strengthen its pipeline. The project is also a next step for the successful partnership between grower BraZander, who will make the investment and own the greenhouse, and Bayer, who will lease and operate it for at least 10 years.
Since 2013, Bayer has been testing new varieties of tomatoes and trialing growing techniques at the DEC, which is located in an area just outside of Rotterdam in the Netherlands characterized by the presence of an incredible number of greenhouses. Since 2017, commercial varieties have been grown there as well.
“The project is the next step in Bayer’s collaboration with BraZander, a tomato and paprika producer with whom we have an excellent partnership at the DEC,” says DEC manager John van der Knaap. “It will also change the whole outlook of the Experience Center by expanding the crops grown and make it even more relevant for the greenhouses sector.”
“For us, it’s a great opportunity to strengthen our cooperation with Bayer and also to expand our knowledge in regards to the production of cucumber,” says Paul Zantman, owner of BraZander.
The new greenhouse will consist of 34,000 square feet of lit highwire production and 43,000 square feet of traditional production.
“This testing footprint expansion in greenhouses will allow us to evaluate our new varieties under commercial conditions,” says Renske Vellekoop, Head of Testing EMEA Protected Glasshouse at Bayer.
The focus will be on pre-commercial varieties, testing the pipeline for the future. The newly built greenhouse will be digitally enabled. All data collection on yields will be done using a system called Gearbox, which supports growers in their decision making, using smart cameras and software with machine learning.
“Gearbox gives valuable insights we never thought would be possible, which gives us a head start,” says Van der Knaap.
The construction of the new greenhouse started in November, with the intent of starting the first crop cycle in May 2022.
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