𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐄𝐃𝐬

A recent study tested cucumber seedlings under different growth conditions, combining:

• 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲: 80, 100, or 150 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹
• 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦 - 𝐑𝐞𝐝:𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨 (R:B): 30:70, 50:50, or 70:30
• 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝: 10/14, 12/12, or 14/10 h

🔹 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦:
𝟏𝟓𝟎 μ𝐦𝐨𝐥 𝐦⁻² 𝐬⁻¹ + 𝐑𝟕𝟎:𝐁𝟑𝟎 + 𝟏𝟐𝐡/𝟏𝟐𝐡 → producing the strongest growth, highest chlorophyll levels, and more sugars.

Light intensity had the greatest effect, followed by the red:blue spectrum ratio, and finally the photoperiod, which had the least influence.

💡 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬:

• Prioritize 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 first, then 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦, and lastly 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝.

• A 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 (70:30 R:B) with balanced blue is especially effective for cucumbers.

• 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐥𝐥 content can help fine-tune your lighting strategy in practice.

👉 While this study was conducted in an indoor controlled environment, the insights are also valuable for 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 when optimizing 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 to boost seedling quality and overall crop performance.

hashtag#CEA hashtag#GreenhouseGrowing hashtag#LEDLighting hashtag#Horticulture hashtag#SustainableAgriculture
hashtag#IndoorFarming hashtag#ControlledEnvironmentAgriculture hashtag#UrbanFarming hashtag#AgTech

📚 Source: Hamedalla et al. (2022). Increasing the performance of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings by LED illumination. 𝑆𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑅𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠, volume 12, Article number: 852 (2022)

Dr. Michele Grieco turned his plant biology expertise into Plant Monitor - affordable monitoring apps bringing research-grade measurements to small greenhouses and vertical farms.

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