Date: 28/10/2010

U.S. Department of Agriculture explores LED lighting for photosynthesis in greenhouses

U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding a research to explore the usage of LED lighting in greenhouses for increase the agriculture yield of some crops.
The U.S. universities such as Purdue University, Rutgers University, the University of Arizona, Michigan State University and Orbital Technologies Corp. are collaborating on a four-year long project to improve and evaluate LED lighting for greenhouse use. The goal is to increase greenhouse yields and decrease producers' energy costs.

The high-intensity discharge lamps can be replaced by LED lighting for better results as well as to save energy consumption.

The research work includes testing of LED lighting on high-wire tomatoes. Those plants can grow taller than 20 feet, and traditional overhead lighting doesn't reach the lower parts of many plants. Researcher Mitchell believes that using LED lights on the sides of plants will increase photosynthesis and flowering, improving yield.

The work also involves testing LED lighting's ability to lower the cost of establishing new plants from cuttings and seeds of about 20 species of bedding plants.

Also to test the best wavelengths and colors for LED lighting to establish vegetable transplants is part of this research.

The researchers are partnering with Robert Morrow and C. Michael Bourget of Orbital Technologies Corp. of Madison, Wisc., which will build the LED lights.