Megaman Horticulture Lighting Horticultural lighting is the LED industry s most explosive new market, revolutionizing the future of farming with technologies and innovations enabling year-round sustainable fruit, vegetable and flower cultivation. Before stepping in the Horticulture Lighting, MEGAMAN distributors need some basic information on how lighting stimulates photosynthesis and enhances growth, so that we can define the most suitable wavelength, as well as the appropriate luminaires for MEGAMAN s own Horticulture lighting product range. Some basics of Light Light is the visible part of the spectrum in electromagnetic radiation. All light from every light source like the sun contains many colours, with a range from ultraviolet to infra-red that influences any kind of growth of plants, but of course plants do not have human eyes and react differently to the electromagnetic spectrum. Plants use light for: - Photosynthesis, growth energy - Plant development, flowering, morphology Page 1 of 5
Visible Light Spectrum - Eye sensitivity has a maximum at around 555nm - Chlorophyll as a photon receiver, has maximum absorption at 400-500nm and 600-700nm, Chlorophyll needs to absorb these two specific ranges of wavelength, in order to realise the full effect of the required process of photosynthesis - The greater amount of light measured in these two wavelength ranges, the higher the photosynthesis rate will be. - Counter-intuitively there is no reason to provide green light, this is just an inefficiency, the green colour of plants is the light reflected and not used for plant growth. However, for practical reasons it may be useful to compliment the blue and red light with a lime colour to mix the light to a white light for human inspection of the plants. This would only be used when needed and not in use otherwise. Basic Terms in horticulture lighting 1. PAR Region - Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR) is the bandwidth from 400nm to 700nm, which is the light plants primarily use. - Different plants require different wavelength combinations within the PAR region - Different wavelengths stimulate different plant properties. o Blue stimulates strong root growth and intense photosynthesis, often used alone during the early phase of plant growth, such as starting seedlings. o Red stimulates stem growth, flowering & fruit production, which speeds up seed germination and encourages stem growth. 660nm is key for flowering and fruit production, but even within the reds deep red and far red have different effects. Page 2 of 5
2. PPF (Photosynthetic Photon Flux) - Measured in μmol/s - Total number of photons emitted per second in the PAR region, i.e. Just for your easy understanding, below is the comparison. General illumination Horticulture lighting Lumen (lm) PPF (μmol/s) Efficacy (lm/w) μmol/j Sunlight is the natural light source used for plant growth, but artificial lighting can bring many benefits with: - Supplemental lighting To supplement natural daylight and raise grow light levels in order to enhance photosynthesis and thereby improve growth and quality of the plants in greenhouses. - Photoperiodic lighting To control the light period by extending the natural day length with artificial light - Cultivation without daylight To totally replace daylight with artificial light for ultimate climate control Important Segments for Horticultural Lighting Different segments for Horticultural lighting requires different luminaires. Low and high bay down lighting Downlighting is typically a complement to sunlight, and thus on/off switching and dimming are strongly recommended to simulate the natural daily cycle. In addition, it is time consuming to change the lamps placed high above the plants, so long life time is another important criteria for choosing suitable luminaires. Energy saving is of course always achieved with a move to LED and remains a key driver. Page 3 of 5
Multilayer Cultivation Multilayer cultivation is a very efficient use of floor space when growing small plants, where there is no sunlight, so compact luminaires are essential. As luminaires are very close to the plant, excessive heat from the lighting must be eliminated by the use of highly efficient LED lighting. Given the horticulture lighting fundamental information above the existing MEGAMAN PLANT LAMP clearly belongs to the supplemental lighting category well suited for domestic use. Smart Series 220-240V Model No. Wattage (W) Lamp Base Dimension (mm) 1 2 3 Life Time (hrs) Photon Flux (umol/s) Photon Flux /watt (umol/j) LR047095/pt-DGv00 9.5 96(D) x 125(L) 19 2.0 1 LR032125/pt-DGv00 12.5 E27 121(D) x 132(L) 25,000 25 2.0 2 LG072080/pt-OPv00 8 60(D) x 112(L) 17 2.1 3 Photo Page 4 of 5
Feedback required from MEGAMAN partners In order to address the LED industry s most explosive new market Horticulture Lighting, MEGAMAN is open to tailor-make the specific wavelengths, as well as the luminaires needed to address this important new market. It is time for MEGAMAN family members to explore the market opportunities and customers requirements. We must equip ourselves and exploit the Horticultural lighting sector in Yr2018. Please evaluate your requirements in this area, so we can develop an enhanced range of commercial horticultural luminaires suited to your needs. Page 5 of 5