With so much speculation and confusion in the commercial tomato cultivation community — as related to supplemental lighting — Fluence set out to demystify the choices by conducting decisive scientific studies. Led by three preeminent horticultural scientists, Fluence's recent webinar revealed the results of those studies. In this blog, they'll summarize the high-level topics covered in the webinar along with answers to a few of the attendees’ questions.
Fluence’s director of horticulture services, Dr. Abhay Thosar, kicked off the webinar with a brief overview of supplemental lighting. He reminded attendees about how the optimal DLI for tomato growth drops off significantly from September through March, a deficit perfectly resolved by using supplemental lighting.
Dr. Thosar addressed some common concerns he hears from cultivators who are evaluating the switch from high-pressure sodium lamps (HPS) to LED lighting solutions. He’s heard many cultivators mention that they rely on the heat generated from HPS while others are concerned about the expense of LED lighting vs. HPS. And obviously, almost every cultivator wonders about the impact LED lighting will have on their yields.
Dr. David Hawley, senior scientist at Fluence, and Dr. Haris Ouzounis, Fluence senior photobiologist and horticulture service specialist, described two studies conducted in conjunction with Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands and Dutch greenhouse consultancy Vortus BV.
Dr. Hawley shared the results of a study designed to evaluate yields and quality of tomato crops grown under broad-spectrum LED light vs. HPS. The bottom line? While the results were cultivar-dependent, the study demonstrated a clear tendency toward higher yield under LEDs as compared to HPS. Interestingly, researchers also learned that plants grown under LEDs were much more compact, which can have a significant beneficial impact on labor costs.
The second study took a deeper dive into investigating the optimal spectrum for tomato production. Researchers deployed four unique spectra ranging from BROAD R4 (white light) to R9B (a narrow-band spectrum comprised of red and blue light) to analyze the growth and development of two popular tomato cultivars, Brioso, and Merlice. While results varied based on cultivar, the study concluded that both the cultivars that were tested performed better under broad spectra than narrow-band R9B.
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