Lamp selection when speaking about plant production in the horticulture or floriculture field is a very important decision. Lamps can be a good investment when we ask ourselves the correct questions. When working with artificial lighting we first need to analyze the requirements of our growing system and our crop.
A clear example are the different needs from an indoor vertical farming system in comparison with top lighting inside a plant factory or a greenhouse. Vertical farming is mostly used for leafy greens production. In vertical farm indoor system plants are grown in a multi layer system where height between plants and lamps allow the use of multiple lamps with a lower photon flux in comparison with the ones required at the top of greenhouses or plant factories where photon flux should be way higher in order to reach plant canopy levels at higher distance and provide enough light per day to optimize plant growth.
Another option in the use of artificial lighting is the use of photoperiodic lighting. In some plants flowering can be triggered by short or long day conditions. Therefore some growers can be interested in the use of artificial lighting to create an artificial photoperiod to promote or delay flowering in different crops. Plants can have a response to photoperiod from very low light intensity levels. Meaning not a lot of light is required in order to promote a photoperiodic response. When your objective is mainly to create an artificial photoperiod for your plants you can go for a more simple lamp which can provide low light intensity levels. This kind of lamp will not have a strong impact in plant growth but will provide enough lighting to induce a photoperiodic response.
Lamps used for indoor vertical farm systems, top lighting and photoperiodic lighting can have very different characteristics and prices. Therefore it is crucial to define which lamp will be the one necessary for you based on the lighting necessities for your plants and your growing system.
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