Seedlings and the effects of horticultural LED
Horticultural LEDs represent a great opportunity for horticultural lighting because of their high energy efficiency and the possibility of precisely adjusting the light spectrum. Today, LED-based horticultural lamps are as efficient or even more than HPS, and their efficiency increase continuously. They can also be used at all stages of growth of your plants. Several studies have looked at the potential of horticultural LEDs on the development of seedlings. Roberto Lopez and Wesley Randall, researchers in the Department of Horticulture at Purdue University, have compared the quality of flower seedlings (sages, geraniums, petunias …) exposed to either LED light sources or natural light.
The conclusion of this study was that seedlings grown under LEDs were of similar or higher quality than those grown under natural light. The addition of blue light had the effect of suppressing vertical growth and leaf expansion, resulting in young compact plants, which is often a characteristic sought by greenhouse growers. Their recommendation is to add between 10 and 30% of blue light, depending on the crop specific attributes and the costs.
The second study essentially arrives at the same conclusions. Tomatoes, sage, petunias and impatience were put under LED, with either a red spectrum or a spectrum half red, half blue. At the end of the experiment, plants were 40 to 60% smaller when grown with at least 25% blue compared to plants under red light. The plants grown under 50% blue were larger than those under 25%, and smaller than those under red light. The same is true on the size of the leaves that was superior with the red light.
Blooming under LED lightings
The overall conclusion is that the use of horticultural LEDs for seedlings helps manage their development in finesse. The addition of blue light inhibits the elongation of the stem and the expansion of the leaves, in contrast to a totally red spectrum. The blue-red light ratio can be adjusted to produce seedlings with specific sizes.
The Horticoled team can accompany you in all your project culture. From simple greenhouse cultivation, to automated multi-layer cultivation according to your farming goals and budgets.
