British Grower: LED Grow Lights has " Amazing " Effect on Tomatoes in the Winter

November 09, 2018

One producer, which supplies tomatoes mainly to UK supermarkets, reportedly said it had achieved " amazing" results from Led Grow Lights.

The company, Flavourfresh, produces nearly three million kilograms of tomatoes a year for major supermarkets such as Asda and Marks&Spencer, two years ago introduced LED plant lights in greenhouses in Southport to ensure production stays in winter. Production manager Andy Roe said the results were "surprising".

"Technical specifications and our expectations were met in the first year, from plant growth to fruit quality and flavor," Roe said. He said it was upsetting to survive the cold winter, but "with the blessing of the tomato god, our expectations fit the reality".

The quality of tomatoes grown in winter under artificial lights is the same as in summer, Roe said. There are costs to achieving this, but UK customers are prepared to pay for it.

LED is gradually replacing high-pressure sodium lamp with its low energy consumption and adjustable spectrum optimized for plant growth. For decades, high - pressure sodium lamps have been the preferred source of light in the garden.

Still, Roe said, leds cannot currently meet all of Flavourfresh's needs. For the new 17,000-square-meter greenhouse, he again chose the high-pressure sodium lamp. The reason is not light, but heat.

While leds emit relatively little heat, high-pressure sodium lamps emit a lot of heat. In many applications, this only wastes energy, but in a greenhouse, heat is useful as long as it can be controlled.

Flavourfresh's existing LED lights are installed in relatively low ceiling greenhouses because if high-pressure sodium lamps are installed, they will be very close to the crop and the heat may cause damage. But the roof of the new greenhouse is more than two meters high, and there is enough space between the plants and the light to make the high-pressure sodium lamp more attractive. Roe explains that a warm environment on the top of the plant helps keep the plant dry and promotes the growth of fruit.

"We have to decide what is the best way forward. We went to other plants that use high-pressure sodium lamps, and that cut both ways. HPS lamps produce intense light, are more expensive to run and have a big impact on plants."

While LED lighting means lower energy costs and probably higher production, in the long run, higher upfront costs mean faster returns for HPS lights.

But Roe still sees LED plant lights as the future. He says LEDs are getting better. "Growers will understand and make adjustments. Within 10 years, LED Grow Lights will be the norm.

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