L Shape Agricultural Led Lights for Horticulture

The horticultural LED lighting industry is rapidly expanding. Recent research has focused on optimizing light recipes for specific species of crops using highly efficient spectrally accurate LEDs.

The ability to match and adjust a light system’s spectrum output can positively impact plant performance by impacting enzyme activity, gene expression and cell wall formation. It can also reduce electricity consumption through electrical efficiency maximization.

Energy Efficiency

While significant advancement has been made in improving electrical efficiency and photon efficacy of light-emitting diodes (LED) as crop lighting, a portion of highly efficient photon emissions is wasted by natural beam spread beyond the foliar canopy. This leaves a need for additional attention to enhance crop-canopy photon capture efficiency, the fraction of obliquely emitted LED photons that are incident upon foliar canopies.

Close-canopy LED lighting is a possible solution, with the aim of enhancing plant growth by directing more photons to cropping surfaces. By adjusting the wavelengths of the LED spectrum, the effect on crop growth, quality and yield can be optimized. This approach has been shown to increase photosynthesis, antioxidant production, nutrient metabolism and flower initiation, as well as regulate genes involved in the synthesis of anti-oxidative compounds, plant defenses and plant hormones.

Energy consumption is a major challenge for indoor agriculture, and it L shape Agricultural Led Light is especially important for vertical farms, which require much higher energy use than traditional greenhouses. For example, a fully LED-lit 0.25 ha vertical farm requires 3500 kWh per year for lettuce. The smart hybrid system aims to minimize energy use by targeting the most efficient energy-using stages of plant development.

A combination of red and blue LEDs has been found to enhance the photosynthetic rate in various crops, including wheat [97], spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv Rouxai). Additionally, buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and cucumber (Cucumis sativa) seedlings have been shown to increase hypocotyl elongation under far-red LED treatment.

Long Lifespan

With a long lifespan, L shape Agricultural Led Lights are able to withstand heavy use and can be used for a very extended period of time. These lights are also low maintenance and can easily be repaired by professionals if needed. This means that they are a cost-effective alternative to traditional bulbs. This makes them the perfect solution for horticulture.

The optimal use of LEDs for greenhouse cultivation is determined by a number of factors, including crop performance, nutrient efficiency, disease prevention, postharvest quality, and the production of bioactive compounds. However, there is still much room for research in optimizing lighting recipes to maximize plant growth and other desirable traits.

For example, chrysanthemum is an obligate short-day plant that requires strict control to initiate flowering, and different wavelengths of LED illumination can influence day length response thresholds. In a recent study, blue LED light supplementation promoted the appearance of flowers in 20.5 days, while other LEDs delayed flowering by up to 35 days (Figure 1).

Additionally, studies have shown that supplemental red or white LED illumination promotes the accumulation of phytochemicals in leafy vegetables. For instance, a phenolic content increase of more than 14% was observed in spinach under a red LED illumination (1280 nm, 90 umol m-2 s-1). Furthermore, kaempferol, isoquercetin and quercetin accumulation in lettuce increases with the addition of a red LED.

High Luminous Efficiency

Significant advancements have been made in electrical efficiency and photon efficacy of LEDs as the sole source of crop lighting for controlled environment agriculture (CEA). However, a portion of highly efficient photon emissions are lost due to natural beam spread beyond the plant canopy. Therefore, additional efforts are required to enhance the fraction of light that is incident upon the foliar canopies. This can be achieved by leveraging the unique physical properties of LEDs. They generate relatively low radiant heat at photon-emitting surfaces and have a variable brightness. The combination of these characteristics allows the vertical separation distance between the LEDs and foliar canopies to be reduced without risking energy-use or heat-scorch damage to the crop.

The blue, red, and green wavelengths of LEDs have been shown to promote multiple desirable plant growth factors in greenhouse crops, including morphological changes, photosynthetic efficiency, nutrient metabolism, flower initiation, and the production of secondary metabolites for antioxidant protection against oxidative stress. These findings L shape Agricultural Led Light supplier suggest that the development of versatile LED spectral recipes would greatly improve the economic efficacy of crop production, quality, and nutrition potential in controlled environments.

Vegetables and herbs have a short shelf life, making it important to use optimum lighting intensity and spectra to maximize their nutritional value and postharvest storage potential. For instance, studies have found that UV-A LED illumination has a positive effect on reducing the microbial degradation of vegetables and herbs.

Low Maintenance

Dairy cows require a specific amount of light for milk production (typically 150 lux for 16 hours per day), and LED lighting can provide this exact spectrum. Tests have shown that this leads to a 5-16% increase in milk yield compared to improperly lit cows. Additionally, LED lighting can be switched to a red spectrum during the night to allow farm workers to check on the cows without disturbing them.

Horticultural LED fixtures typically contain combinations of red (peak 660 nm), blue (peak 450 nm), white, and far-red (peak 730 nm) emitting LEDs. Different wavelengths are needed for optimum plant growth and health, and these LEDs can be tuned to the exact desired spectrum in real time.

For example, research has shown that far-red photons can induce stem elongation in lettuce plants, while also increasing leaf size and anthocyanin synthesis. Additionally, blue photons promote rooting and fruit development in tomato and cucumber plants, while red photons stimulate flowering in roses.

In addition, LEDs can be cycled on and off at varying frequencies over short intervals to improve plant growth. However, high-frequency flickering is not recommended because it has been found to significantly reduce quantum yield in photosynthesis. Ideally, the LEDs should be rapidly switched on and off at a rate of 60 to 100 times per second or less to maximize light-intensity utilization.