Monday 11 January 2016

A Comprehensive Overview On The Use Of LED Grow Lights In Crop Production

By Cynthia Hayes


LED is used as an acronym for Light Emitting Diodes. There are major differences between the diodes used in agriculture and those present in most electrical devices. The lighting power of agricultural diodes is effectively adjusted by changing proximity of the diodes accordingly. This information aims to elaborate further on LED grow lights.

The common bulbs produce a vast array of wavelength of light which in turn combine to form the white light we observe. On the other hand the LEDs make it possible for producing single wavelengths. The increase of power is facilitated by combining all the different light emitting diodes and the intensity can be adjusted while making it possible to change the color.

Numerous studies have been commissioned with the aim of gaining an understanding on the effect the sun gives to plants. The benefits availed by the sun are sometimes overshadowed by the fact that chlorophyll formation is greatly reduced in its presence. This is as a result of some wavelengths it produces. For this reason the adoption of LED technology became necessary to counter this.

Most people situated in geographical locations which are often overcast have embraced this technology as it allows avail the same benefits the sun avails. The scarcity of ample land for agricultural practices has forced people to look for solutions indoors. They have gone ahead and planted their crops indoors where all the lighting needs are catered for by all installation of all the LED systems.

Wavelength absorption is facilitated by the fact these diodes can be put close to the plants. This action will have no adverse effects to crops as there will be no cases of excess heat damaging plants. The overall effect of this action is that the development of the plant is experienced to be stimulated.

The reduced heat also cools the surrounding environment. This will make the plants transpire less and therefore the overall water consumption by the plants is reduced significantly. Studies have shown that the height of the plants can be easily controlled when using LEDs. This is made possible by the fact that the growth of a plant can be halted once its height reaches a certain distance from the diodes.

Conventional lighting solutions have been found to increase the energy bills. The major contributing factor to this is their bulky components which require a lot of energy for operation. These components are known as ballasts and they are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the system does not ruin itself. This challenge has been effectively solved by the emergence of diodes.

The adjustment of brightness produced by the diodes is necessary for the effective control of the wavelengths that the plants are subjected to. An interesting discovery linked to this property is that the anti-oxidation elements in plants are greatly fostered. All different brands of agricultural grade LEDs are very different from each other. Several properties are used to classify them and hence determine their suitability. The first factor is cooling abilities, followed by all the level of power consumption. The spectrum provided by a brand is also of great importance.




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