Quality improvement of Belgian endive throughout the complete production system: ChiQon (ChiQon)

The ChiQon-project aims for a sustainable quality improvement of Belgian endive throughout the complete production system. The cultivation of Belgian endive is complex and consists of 3 major phases: cultivation of the roots on the field, conservation period of the roots and the forcing stage. Quality improvement will be obtained through the simultaneous implementation of innovative measurements, technologies and models that will allow the development of a substantiated decision support system. Such technologies will be implemented and optimized in each of the crucial cultivation phases since all of them may affect the final quality of the product. In this way the top-quality of the Belgian endive produced in Belgium can be guaranteed in the future and its international competitivity will be strengthened. Finally, these innovations should increase the profitability of the Belgian endive farms.