Out of the blue, you came up with something amazing, an idea, a light bulb moment some may call it.
What if you had a light bulb moment anytime you wanted too? Your mind would constantly be flowing with ideas until you wanted it to stop.
This is what horticultural LED lighting can do for plants. Gone are the times when crops are waiting for natural sunlight to occur. With technology constantly evolving, we can now control how much light a plant can receive from a single button.
Instead of using natural sunlight to grow our crops, horticultural lighting has been on the top of the agenda for providing plants with stimulated growth – creating sustainable methods of agriculture.
Emitting near full spectrum lighting that provides quality and density of light compared to no other, is highly advantageous to commercial growers. A vital element within traditional methods of agriculture is weather and if crops are not getting light they need – then this will drastically affect the growth of the plant.
Food security is an underlying issue in many parts of the world, however, urban farming and agri-tech has revolutionised the way we source our food.
By using aeroponics as a new farming technique, horticultural LED lighting mimics natural sunlight and is able to be more efficient, environmentally friendly as well as having a lifespan that lasts for up to 50, 000 hours.
These lights also have a low heat and are resilient to extreme weather conditions. With weather and global warming being a concern for many farmers, crops are not getting enough sunlight or rain due to the extremities of certain weather conditions in countries that experience it the most.
For British farmers who are experiencing constraints because they cannot grow certain crops at many times of the year, if there is not enough natural sunlight. Imports have increased as we have become heavily reliant on sourcing our food from other parts of the world.
The use of horticultural lighting will only enhance what we call smart farming, as we are able to utilise technological devices to the best of its ability, to increase crop growth and nutrition with plentiful returns.
As the LED market begins to grow, the increase rate is expected to reach 52%. LED lighting accounts for 23% of total lightings in Europe by 2016, which is the highest across the world.
Adding horticultural lighting to your crops will increase their overall lifespan, making them 25 times longer than traditional bulbs – that’s nearly 3 years extra time if the lights are left on all day everyday.
Giving our fruit and vegetables the light bulb moment they deserve will play an integral part in feeding a growing population.
Get involved: @iAgriTech
