UNLOCKING GROWTH WITH INTRA-CANOPY LIGHTING (ICL)
World-class research supports use of ICL in maximizing vine crop yards
With energy prices spiking and profits under pressure, growers need to press every possible advantage to drive their business forward. The placement of supplemental lighting within the canopy is one potential avenue that is yet to be seriously explored. Current has worked with Wageningen University & Research (WUR) – one of the world’s foremost horticultural research institutes – to change this, investigating how growers can use intra-canopy lighting to boost yields without increasing their energy use. And the results were surprising.
To learn more about how ICL delivered double-digit growth in vine tomato yields, download the research findings booklet: Lighting for Growth
Impact of Intra-canopy Lighting on Tomato Yields by Wageningen and Current
PLAY TO NATURE’S STRENGTHS
ICL takes advantage of plant architecture
Dividing your supplemental lighting output between LED top lighting and ICL directs more light energy away from often-oversaturated, young leaves at the top, to the larger, more established leaves, with higher photosynthetic capacity, found deep within the canopy. More efficient photosynthesis leads to increased growth or biomass vs energy delivered. In this study, WUR compared 100% top lighting (TL) with a 66:34 TL:ICL split, with the same amount of energy used for lighting across both treatments.
SMART ENERGY USE
1
Consistent OPEX
By lowering the intensity of your top lighting and applying 34% of your daily light integral (DLI) to deep within the canopy, your day-to-day running costs for supplemental lighting remain unchanged vs 100% TL, but deliver greater returns and profitability to the business.
IMPROVED PRODUCTION
2
Higher yields, consistent quality
With a 14% average increase in yields recorded across the two popular tomato cultivars tested, the TL/ICL combination also proved to maintain the quality of fruit produced, with no noticeable differences in Brix values for sugar content or levels of acidity compared to the 100% TL yield.
PLAN YOUR LIGHTING IN 3D
The Arize® Integral ICL
The Arize® Integral intra-canopy light gives growers the flexibility to plan their lighting strategies in 3D.
The perfect partner
Used with the Arize® Element L1000 top light – a one-for-one replacement for traditional HPS fixtures – the Integral allows growers to fine-tune and direct their supplemental lighting output to the parts of the plant that can make best use of it for photosynthesis.
Market-leading performance
The Integral offers best-in-class lighting output of up to 346 µmol/s and efficiency of 3.5 µmol/J.
Optimized spectrum
The Integral features a tailored light spectrum with a high proportion of red wavelengths, designed to encourage plant development and photosynthesis.
Signature quality and longevity
For peace of mind, the Integral’s lifespan exceeds 54,000 hours at L90 and is supported by Current’s five-year warranty.
SPEAK TO AN EXPERT
Free Initial Consultation
Get in touch today to learn more about how Arize® Element LED top lighting with Arize® Integral intra-canopy lighting could deliver double-digit yield growth in your high-wire crops.