US (PA): LED improves production and plant quality in organic greenhouse

Peace Tree Farm has improved crop production and energy efficiency since deploying Fluence horticulture lighting solutions. Peace Tree Farm installed Fluence VYPRx Plus LED lighting solutions to improve production of its USDA certified organic and sustainably grown herbs, vegetables and ornamental plants in Kintnersville, Pa.

“We simply were not growing produce with the quality and consistency that met our standards, nor the demands of our customers, under high-pressure sodium lights,” said Lloyd Traven, CEO and owner, Peace Tree Farm. “Since switching to Fluence LED solutions, we have increased yields, quality and energy efficiency while reducing lead times and shrink. Our customers have never been happier, and we will never go back to high-pressure sodium lights again.”

Peace Tree Farm is transitioning from HPS lighting (left) to Fluence VYPRx PLUS LED lighting (right) and has reduced plant loss by 40% as a result

In the past year, Peace Tree Farm experienced large variations in plant quality and production, especially with its basil. To minimize these inconsistencies and losses due to low levels of natural sunlight, the cultivation team overproduced seedlings to ensure retail-ready plants for its supermarket chain customer. Since transitioning to Fluence LED lighting solutions, Peace Tree Farm has reduced plant loss by 40 percent and now ships virtually every plant to its customer’s supermarkets across the Mid-Atlantic region.

Fluence VYPRx PLUS lighting solutions have improved operations at Peace Tree Farm by:

Enhancing Plant Quality – The plant morphology for Peace Tree Farm crops is now sturdier, more compact and well-branched under Fluence LEDs compared to crops grown under high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights.
Speeding Up Bench Turns – Cultivation under Fluence lighting solutions resulted in immediate production improvements as bench turns went from six weeks to four, vastly improving the speed of production and fulfilment.
Reducing Energy Consumption – As a one-for-one replacement of 1,000-watt (W) HPS fixtures, at only 525W, the Fluence VYPRx PLUS increased light intensity while cutting energy consumption by nearly 50 percent.
Reducing Shrink and Improving Forecast – By virtually eliminating crop loss with improved lighting conditions, Peace Tree Farm has all but eliminated shrink and dramatically improved its ability to forecast sowing and shipping.

“Efficiency is at the cornerstone of addressing food and climate issues affecting our world today. We are proud to work with growers like Peace Tree Farm who are on the cutting-edge of sustainable crop production,” said Nick Klase, CEO and co-founder, Fluence Bioengineering. “The results Peace Tree Farm achieved since deploying our lighting systems are very impressive, and we believe this model will become a blueprint to help farmers around the world produce higher quality crops while using fewer natural resources.”

For more information:
Fluence Bioengineering
4129 Commercial Center Drive
Suite 450
Austin, TX 78744
512-212-4544
info@fluencebioengineering.com
www.fluence.science