LED leadership

Photo courtesy of Fluence

Produce Grower: What factors should growers consider when identifying a new grow light for their indoor farm?

Dave Hawley: You want something that is well-built, something that’s going to be reliable and something that is proven by science, not just by anecdotes. Because ultimately, what you want is a product that gets out of your way. You want to be able to set it up and have it do exactly what you bought it for.

It’s important to have a solution that is backed by objective evidence versus a solution that is backed by hype and anecdotal trends in the market. Trends are simply trends, and they can be intellectually interesting or exciting. But when there are concepts that are a little bit new and unproven, it’s better to explore the latest research before investing millions of dollars on a novelty that may not actually add value to your business.

PG: Are there any trends in the lighting space right now that growers should be paying attention to?

DH: There’s one really big one that spans all crops. Tomato, cucumber, strawberry, pepper, leafy greens, cannabis, you name it. This trend, which is trending in mostly a positive direction, is far-red light and figuring out how to apply far-red to crops to add value in whatever way a grower needs. Because sometimes value means increasing yield, sometimes it means increasing quality and that can mean chemistry, it can mean flavor, it can mean aroma. It can even mean just improving crop architecture so that the crop is easier for growers to work with.

For example, there’s interest in applying far-red lighting to vine crops like cucumbers, tomatoes or peppers. Far-red light causes the vine to stretch, and that can mean a few things. It can make the crop easier to work with because you have more access to the developing fruit. It can also mean that you get a better canopy architecture, with more expanded or horizontal leaves that theoretically could intercept more light.

PG: What resources are available to growers who go with Fluence for their LED needs?

DH: For growers that are interested in talking to the research team, we are always happy to help. Typically, a grower will be engaged with one of our sales reps and if they have some of the more common questions, our sales personnel are equipped to answer those questions right away. We also have a team of horticultural specialists that have extensive experience and knowledge in CEA that can assist with questions about lighting design, environment and nutrition, and crop management. And my team of research specialists are ready to jump in and assist on any conversation. The Fluence team is ready to support growers and help make them as successful as possible in their industry.