Solar Farm Shade in the Fall Reduces Radish and Radicchio Yields

Sep 01, 2025

By Krishna Ramanujan

A series of studies by Cornell researchers is testing how crops might grow when planted between rows of solar panels on a solar farm in New York state.

By acquiring real data, researchers may provide farmers and policymakers with important information, as growing crops between rows of solar panels to maximize dual land use will be increasingly critical, especially since New York’s utility-scale solar farms cover roughly 9,300 acres of land.

In the first of a series of studies, published July 29 in the journal Environmental Research Food Systems, Cornell researchers tested a 2024 fall crop of radishes and radicchio grown between rows of solar panels, which yielded useful findings on the limitations of a fall planting.

Source : cornell.edu

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?