LED lamps provide a different greenhouse climate

Added on 25 March 2024

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LED lamps provide a different greenhouse climate

Photo: WUR

In recent years, many growers have switched from SON-T lighting to LED lighting. These lamps are more energy efficient. But they also have a major effect on the greenhouse climate, due to a different color spectrum and much less radiant heat. This often leads to cultivation problems. The Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs Business Unit of Wageningen University & Research is investigating exactly what causes these problems in tomato cultivation and how they can be prevented.

LED lamps emit little radiant heat; they only provide convection heat (i.e. heat distribution through the air). Moreover, the installed power often remains the same, causing the light intensity under the LED lamps to increase from 180 µmol to 280 µmol. The total heat input remains the same, but less heat is supplied per µmol of exposure. At crop level, this leads to less evaporation: the driving force for evaporation decreases. At greenhouse level there is a lower energy input per mole of PAR lighting.