The research partnership between Fluence and Innexo BV is exploring the possibility of eliminating the vegetative phase in order to achieve potential energy savings for growers.

Initial results from the partnership between Fluence and the Dutch research organization Innexo reveal a potential for electricity savings of up to 55 %.

AUSTIN, Texas & ROTTERDAM, Netherlands–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fluence, a leading global provider of energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis and food production, announced today the successful continuation of its partnership with the Dutch organization Innexo BV (Innexo), a contract agricultural research organization specializing in molecular biology and medicinal plants.

The research partnership between Fluence and Innexo focuses on evaluating the viability of growing cannabis without a standard vegetative phase—a practice generally associated with lower energy consumption, resulting in direct cost savings for growers in Europe and around the world. Preliminary data from Fluence and Innexo demonstrate the potential of the cultivation method without a vegetative phase—known as «no-veg»—to help growers save money while improving the quality and consistency of their harvests. The teams at Fluence and Innexo plan to collaborate on a large-scale research project to validate these initial results.

«At Innexo, we use our in-depth knowledge of cannabis strains and best practices in propagation to help growers develop the most effective cultivation strategies possible,» said Dominique van Gruisen, CEO of Innexo. «We naturally turn to partners like Fluence who can match our expertise and our commitment to investing in innovative and impactful cannabis research.»

Most commercial cannabis growers use a vegetative phase to ensure proper plant growth, so that the plants can support the weight of the flowers and develop a full, dense canopy. This phase can last from seven days to four weeks, requiring a significant investment of time, electricity, and resources. Preliminary results from Fluence and Innexo demonstrate the potential of this method to maintain crop quality and yield while enabling savings of up to 55 % on annual electricity costs directly related to lighting.

Instead of entering the vegetative phase, the plants were transplanted directly into the flowering room, where they immediately received maximum light intensity. In this system, cannabis plants reach their final height—between 70 and 120 cm—approximately 28 days after transplanting. Eliminating two weeks of the vegetative phase results in up to 252 hours of direct electricity savings per lamp per grow cycle. Additional savings are achieved through lower heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) costs and generally more efficient grow cycles. Initial research indicates that «no-veg» cultivation is most effective at plant densities of between eight and ten plants per m². To date, the research has tested the viability of «no-veg» cultivation on six cannabis varieties, ten different nutrient formulations, and a wide range of light intensities.

«Proper lighting—which must include a robust combination of advanced lighting fixtures and lighting strategies—plays a critical role in establishing a more efficient and profitable cannabis cultivation methodology,» said Dr. David Hawley, chief scientist at Fluence. «This research demonstrates the value of evaluating and investing in a research-backed lighting strategy from day one. Our goal is to study, validate, and demonstrate the effectiveness of various cultivation strategies to ensure that every grower can apply data-driven methodologies in their facilities in collaboration with Fluence.»

Research by Fluence and Innexo has highlighted potential savings for growers who use cultivation without a vegetative phase, including an average reduction of 40 % in electricity costs and up to 40 % in labor costs per growing cycle. Due to the plants’ rapid growth, researchers found that pests and diseases had less time to develop, resulting in a healthier final product. Furthermore, this method could reduce waste by eliminating Grade C flowers, thereby increasing the number of annual grow cycles and improving overall predictability for growers.

«At Fluence, we create value for growers around the world by investing in research that will expand the horizons of traditional cultivation,» said Sebastian Olschowski, EMEA Research Project Manager at Fluence. «As specialists in plant lighting, we are proud to be part of this project aimed at shaping the future of cannabis research and sharing valuable insights with our customers and partners.»

The research collaboration between Fluence and Innexo, which began in 2022, has expanded to include collaborations in three of the programs within Innexo’s Innovation Acceleration Platform (API). The API enables small, innovative companies operating in sectors adjacent to the cannabis industry to conduct research on the cultivation of medical cannabis.

For more information about Fluence and its ongoing global research initiatives, visit www.fluence-led.com.

About Fluence

Fluence Bioengineering, Inc. (Fluence) develops powerful, energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial crop production and research applications. As a leading provider of LED lighting in the global cannabis market, Fluence is committed to enabling more efficient crop production for the world’s top growers, whether in vertical farming facilities or in greenhouse. In addition to its global headquarters in Austin, Texas, Fluence has an EMEA headquarters in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Fluence operates as a business unit within Signify Professional Business. For more information about Fluence, visit www.fluence-led.com.

About Innexo BV

Innexo BV is a contract research organization (CRO) specializing in agriculture and based in the Netherlands. The company focuses on medicinal plants, such as cannabis, and molecular agriculture in general. Innexo BV is part of the Botany Group. To learn more about Innexo BV, visit www.innexo.nl.

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Callie Neatherlin

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