Taiwan’s passionfruit industry has been able to expand its production window with the help of lighting technology.
According to a report from The CentralNewsAgency (CNA), the Council of Agriculture Kaohsiung District Agricultural Improvement Station has instructed growers in southern Taiwan how to use artificial lighting as a substitute for sunlight.
Previously, passionfruit was primarily grown in Nantou county in central Taiwan, with the season running from July to September. However, from this year the fruit will be available all year round.
Over the past three years, the station has taught growers from the cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan and the province of Pingtung how to utilise artificial lighting in mesh houses and helped with orchard perpetration and pollination techniques.
The result is a new production window for southern growers which runs from February to June.
According to the station, around 100ha of 'spring passionfruit' has been planted in Kaohsiung and Pingtung, with an expected annual output of 2,000 tonnes
