Engineering and Development of a LED narrow wavelength system for plant growth

到2050年，人类将面临为估计100亿人提供粮食的挑战，用于改善作物生产的节能发光二极管（LED）照明可以为缓解全球粮食短缺提供部分解决方案。了解植物是如何生长的对于增加我们的农业产量至关重要，这是光的作用。LED正逐渐成为受控环境中的主要光源。然而，高压钠（HPS）仍然是大多数园艺家和温室种植者的首选。LED上级HPS灯和其他传统光源，因为它需要更少的能量，并且可以选择特定的光波长来提高作物的数量和质量。随着LED的发展，覆盖了整个光合有效辐射范围（400-700 nm），包括紫外线和远红外线，现在可以确定窄波长（< 5 nm）对光合作用和植物生长的影响。然而，大多数LED制造商仅向园艺和农业行业提供红色和蓝色LED，该光谱之外的波长有限，并且很少考虑“琥珀色”光，即传统HPS为最大作物产量而发射的范围。这项发现提案的目标是通过监测植物生产和相关现象，针对增强光合作用和植物生长的特定光波长来优化LED技术，从而提高节能作物生产。这将通过将光过滤到5 nm的精度和设计将促进植物生长的光组合来实现。为了实现这种窄滤波并产生足够的光来测量光合作用和植物生长，我们的第一个研究目标将是重新配置LED窄波长植物生长（LED-NWPG）光学滤波器系统，该系统将选择高辐照度LED发出的5 nm波长。该系统将包括LED阵列，该LED阵列由布置在限制外部环境影响的生长室中的光学光分离设备（衍射光栅、滤波器和功率控制器）制成。LED将被过度供电并冷却以达到维持最佳LED寿命所需的期望辐照度水平。植物产量，形态，光合效率和代谢产物的生产将深入探讨使用LED-NWPG。此外，还将对植物进行真实的实时监测，以优化植物生长环境，从而在消耗更少能源的同时实现最大作物产量。重新配置的LED-NWPG将允许监测光、环境（温度、湿度、二氧化碳水平）和植物监测（叶温、叶膨胀、蒸腾速率）。这项研究将有助于更好地了解光合作用，可用于开发最佳的光照配方，以在受控环境中最大限度地提高植物产量，并有可能提高粮食作物的数量和质量。

As humanity will be challenged with providing food for an estimated 10 billion people by 2050, energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lighting for improved crop production could provide a partial solution to mitigating global food shortages. Understanding how plants grow is imperative to increasing our agricultural output, as a function of light. LEDs are slowly becoming the primary light source in controlled environments. However, high pressure sodium (HPS) are still preferred by most horticulturalists and greenhouse growers. LEDs are superior to HPS lamps and other conventional lighting sources because less energy is required and specific light wavelengths can be selected to improve crop quantity and quality. With the development of LEDs that cover the complete photosynthetically active radiation range (400-700 nm), including ultraviolet and far red/ infrared, it is now possible to determine the impact of narrow wavelengths (< 5 nm) on photosynthesis and plant growth. Yet, most LED manufacturers only provide red and blue LEDs to the horticultural and agricultural industry, with limited wavelengths outside of this spectrum and little consideration for "amber" light, the range emitted by conventional HPS for maximal crop production. The goal of this Discovery proposal is to improve energy-efficient crop production by monitoring plant production and related phenomena, targeting specific light wavelengths that enhance photosynthesis and plant growth to optimize LED technology. This will be accomplished by filtering light to 5 nm of precision and designing light combinations that will enhance plant growth. To achieve this narrow filtering and produce enough light for measuring photosynthesis and plant growth, our first research objective will be to reconfigure a LED narrow wavelength plant growth (LED-NWPG) optical filter system that will select for 5-nm wavelengths emitted by high irradiance LEDs. This system will comprise LED arrays made with optical light fractionating equipment (diffraction gratings, filters and power controller) arranged in a growth chamber that limits external environmental effects. The LEDs will be overpowered and chilled to reach desired irradiance levels required to maintain optimal LED life spans. Plant yield, morphology, photosynthetic efficiency, and metabolite production will be explored in depth using the LED-NWPG. Plants will additionally be monitored in real time to optimize the plant growth environment, allowing for maximal crop production while consuming less energy. The reconfigured LED-NWPG will permit monitoring of light, environment (temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels), and plant monitoring (leaf temperature, leaf expansion, transpiration rate). This research will allow for a better understanding of photosynthesis that can be used to develop optimum light recipes to maximize plant production in controlled environments, with the potential to increase food crop quantity and quality.