Can intelligent LED lighting alter the aroma of plants?
Under a project entitled ‘LED Lighting to Enhance the Quality of Plants’, Heliospectra will test LED lighting to stimulate aroma and nutrients in plants with the aim of increasing product quality for growers and consumers. Partners will include SP, the Technical Research Institute of Sweden, SLU, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and Chalmers University.
Vinnova promotes sustainable growth by improving the conditions for innovation and social benefits. More than $10 million will be handed out to a total of 96 different innovation projects around Sweden.
“Previous studies have shown that the light quality is very important for the plants’ inner qualities, and we have great hopes to use light to produce the quality we desire in greenhouse-grown herbs,” explained Dr. Karl-Johan Bergstrand, researcher at SLU
The project is a continuation of the ‘Lighting’s Importance to the Aroma of Herbs’ feasibility study conducted during the autumn, where basil was grown under carefully controlled conditions under four different lighting regimes, one based on HPS lights and three based on LED light. Mature plants were harvested and analyzed with respect to a number of quality factors such as growth, the presence of volatile compounds and sensory properties. The study was conducted with financial support from Partnership Horticulture, a national collaboration between academia and the horticultural industry with the aim to create growth and sustainable development in the horticultural sector.
“The results of the preliminary study clearly shows that the nature of light can affect plant development and lay a good foundation for further research on the topic. We want to learn more about how light of different wavelengths affect the aroma production in the plant. The goal is to be able to control and optimize product quality with the aid of light,” said Tim Nielsen, Project Manager SP.
Related articles and links:
News articles:
LEDs prove cost-saving horticulture alternative to sodium lamps
LED lighting technology encourages sustainable cannabis growth
Targeting LEDs to grow plants in space
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
