Breakthroughs With Photonics: Growing Lettuce With Red And Blue Light

During Photonics Applications Week you can attend digital lectures and workshops on the applications of photonics, like those in agriculture and horticulture.

1 October 2020

LUCETTE MASCINI - Innovation Origins

From October 5 to 9, the third edition of the Photonics Applications Week will take place. In this series, Innovation Origins highlights the breakthrough that the application of photonics has meant for three different fields: medical care, the gaming industry, and vertical farming. Today, Part 3: You can influence the shape and color of plants during their cultivation with special lighting in vertical farms.

“The market for vertical farming is growing,” says Sebastian Olschowski, a biologist at the bioengineering company Fluence, part of the Munich-based lamp manufacturer Osram. And this cannot be achieved without photonics. After all, plant growth is dependent on light due to the photosynthesis process it undergoes.

Vertical farming is gaining traction over the past five to ten years. Plant and flower growers set up farms within an enclosed space. The plants are then grown in multiple layers on top of each other.

Light influences shape and color of plants

The climate inside a vertical farm is regulated by nutrient supply, temperature, and lighting. Olschowski is an expert when it comes to lighting. The company he works for supplies the lamps. Olschowski is researching the effects of different light frequencies on plant growth. “We know that plants are able to perceive different frequencies of light. We also know how different types of light affect the plant’s metabolism, color, and shape.”

At the request of plant growers, vertical farms are set up on the basis of this science and the research that Olschowski is conducting in collaboration with universities and research institutes. A grower can, for example, ask the biologist how they can increase basil production so that they can sell more of it. Adjusting the lighting is one way of doing this.

A plant that needs to blossom quickly is subjected to a shorter night. The lighting is switched on earlier in the morning to provide more light. The lights are switched on later for plants that do not need to flower quickly.

Lighting formula is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution

However, these types of lighting formulas are not ‘one size fits all’ solutions, Olschowski notes. “Various light spectra and light intensities have a different effect on one group of plants than on another. A certain amount of extra infrared light when growing basil leads to longer stems. That doesn’t necessarily work like that with another plant.”

Several videos on YouTube present vertical farming as a possible solution for world population growth and to the lack of space for growing food crops such as grains. But Olschowski does not think this is very realistic. “Setting up a vertical farm is expensive and consumes a lot of electricity. In countries where the days are long, growing grain on fields is much more efficient. After all, the sun shines for free.”

Fewer pesticides

One advantage is that vertical farms that have good phytosanitary measures in place require fewer pesticides or even none at all. “At least if you know how to keep pests out. That’s definitely an advantage then.”

But if farming on land is just as good, why set up these expensive vertical farms? That’s because certain crops, such as leafy vegetables that do not last long, can be grown very close to their consumers like those in large cities, says Olschowksi. They can then be delivered to shops and the hospitality sector immediately after harvesting.

Moreover, there are plenty of vegetables that you want to eat in winter but can only grow outdoors in summer, like lettuce for example. “By growing them in a vertical farm, you are assured of quality all year round.”

REGISTER HERE FOR THE WORKSHOP ON

APPLICATIONS FOR PHOTONICS IN VERTICAL

FARMS TO BE HELD DURING THE PHOTONICS

APPLICATION WEEK FROM

 2 PM TO 5.30 PM ON OCTOBER 8.

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Lead photo: Dr.-Ing. Grit Bürgow prüft Pflanzen an der vertikalen Farm © TU Berlin

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Horticulture Lighting Based on LEDs To Be Installed In Commercial Buildings, Breaking The Limitation of Plant Growth

A new deal announced by Heliospectra, a Sweden based horticulture lighting technology provider, unveiled a new approach for achieving urban farming with LED grow lights.

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(Image: Heliospectra)

Heliospectra reported that it has received an order from BBL Construction, who operates as a general contractor in the fields of commercial and institutional construction. According to Heliospectra, the two business partners are going to apply their expertise for several projects.

The partnership might indicate that LED grow light and vertical farming facilities are now considered a function to be integrated into commercial and institutional buildings, highlighting the trend of urban and indoor farming.

Increasing urban farming and indoor cultivation facilities are considered one of the prioritized projects for countries and area who used to rely heavily on imported food, as the food security issue was emphasized with the COVID-19 pandemic. Adding LED grow lights and smart cultivation system into commercial construction offer a solution for urban farming to enhance local food production.

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The Science of Sananbio - Research and Development

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Led by a team of 38 scientists and another 100 R&D professionals, Sananbio is investing heavily in the science that is sustainable, local, and fresh indoor food and crop production. With deep expertise in photobiology, plant nutrition, and plant cultivation techniques, we are at the forefront of sustainable indoor agriculture.

PHOTOBIOLOGY/SPECTRAL RESEARCH

Photobiology is an evolving area of science that studies the interactions of light on living organisms. One of Sananbio’s core focuses is the optimization of lighting spectrum’s that allow plants to thrive at all stages of growth. Through the latest’s developments in LED lighting technology in conjunction with years of scientific research, Sananbio is working to understand the synergy that exists between artificial light and plants. Our unique spectra has been trialed on a multitude of cultivars and our results have shown that by optimizing the spectrum based off of the cultivar we are able to increase nutritional value, drive unique genetic expression, increase active naturally occurring chemical compounds, and shorten flowering times.

PLANT NUTRITION

Sananbio’s team of elite plant scientist’s have worked tirelessly to develop proprietary nutrient blends that support a wide array of cultivars at different life stages of growth while growing in a controlled environment setting. With so much of our food today lacking proper nutritional value, our team is working to understand the most effective way grow nutritionally dense food sustainably in a indoor vertical farm. This cutting-edge science will lead to breakthroughs in the way we grow our food, how and when it is consumed, how it is transported to ensure maximum nutritional value.

VERTICAL FARM DESIGN and SUPPORT EQUIPMENT RESEARCH

With a team of scientists, senior designers, engineers, and product developers solely dedicated to understanding building the eco-systems that support thriving vertical farms, Sananbio is positioned at the fore-front of the science of vertical farming design and plant factory operations. We are focused on providing a holistic solution that allows us to partner with our clients from the ideation phase to the execution of their indoor vertical farm. Our research has given way to various patents in areas of plant growth illumination, hydroponic cultivation equipment, and accessories/equipment for industrial plant production. Great grow technology and equipment is just one aspect that must be taken in to account when venturing in to indoor vertical farming. Know before you grow.

THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND SANANBIO

INNOVATION AT OUR CORE

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT THAT IS DRIVING INNOVATION IN LED LIGHTING

Manufacturing Capacity

Sanan Opto-electronics, a sister company of Sananbio, is the world’s largest LED chip manufacturer accounting for 20% of the global chip production capacity. Sanan Group, our parent company, has built the infrastructure that allows Sananbio to capitalize upon cutting-edge technology development while providing the production capacity to support global market adoption of our technologies in the Ag-Tech space.

Vertical Integration

The vertical integration of the Sanan Group gives Sananbio a massive competitive advantage by allowing us to control our supply chain. This insight and perspective gives us unmatched flexibility in to our production capacity, global reach, and technological know-how. The diversity of industries we support gives us the versatility to respond to rapidly evolving markets as consumer demands shift.

Research and Development

A subset of the semiconductor industry, LED technology is incredibly research and development intensive sector and Sanan Opto is a global leader in this space. With 470 PhD’s and 502 engineers from all over the world, Sanan Opto possess the largest talent pool in the world dedicated to active research into LED technology.