Managing light is visibly essential to the production of crops cultivated in a regulated ecosystem. While taking into account the various facets of light, we generally concentrate on photoperiod (day span), light quantity (intensity), and light quality (the spectral supply).
A frequently overlooked factor in the garden is light consistency, which signifies how distinctly light is consistently dispersed to a producing region. Light uniformity should be of importance when choosing the location and glazing of newly setup greenhouses, for plant lighting systems comprising photoperiodic, additional, and sole-source lighting functions, and fitting green house screening techniques. I believe that light consistency is equivalently significant as light intensity, in the construction of greenhouse or indoor crops. The consistency of the light environment has a great effect on the uniformity of the crop. Light controls how quickly plantsutilizes water and also plant development as well as plant growth (comprising of flowering). Plants dry out at diverse speeds, when the light situations in a producing region are not similar, those under more light usually develop more and progress more rapidly, and in next to no time those crops with those that do not get enough light (and are smaller) becomes very problematic.
Greenhouse orientation. As the sun travels east-west nearly most of the greenhouses in temperate region are positioned north-south as, the shadows produced from the infrastructure move during the day. The shadows don’t change a great deal with the sun, in an east-west greenhouse, producing dark spots. Usually, east-west- positioned greenhouses convey more light, but the effect of less uniform light surroundings means that for the majority of the high wire vegetable crop and circumstances, a north-south orientation is suggested.
Shade screens and glazing. A new trend, is the use of diffused glass as a greenhouse glazing substance and plastics in shade curtains which disperse sunlight, particularly for high wire vegetable crops like cucumber, or to have correct tomato crops. The main benefit of these new technologies is an increase in light consistency, both perpendicularly and horizontally. They enhance the intensity of dark spots in the greenhouse and lessen the intensity of bright spots, that evens out plant development and in some situations, can truly intensify fruit production.
Plant lighting. The significance of light uniformity is relevant to all crop lighting products. Various photosynthetic daily light integrals creates various plant production responses, due to uneven light intensities in greenhouses or in doors. Likewise, setting up areas in which the intensity is too low for plant perception, flowering of day length-sensitive crops will not be consistent, if photoperiodic lighting is not uniform.
Be certain to get a light intensity map (which look a lot like a contour map) from the lighting company or supplier, while bearing in mind greenhouse additional lighting possibilities. These maps, should be made specially for your greenhouse and preferred connection, and should be reported in μmol∙m–2∙s–1 of photosynthetic light as they show the predictable differences in light intensity after being put in place e.g. most locations are around 80 μmol∙m–2∙s–1, with a higher intensity (100 μmol∙m–2∙s–1) just underneath the lamps and a lesser intensity (60 μmol∙m–2∙s–1) at the peripheries (Figure 1).
You will need to give the company your greenhouse measurements (comprising lamp suspending height), to obtain a light map. They will create an intensity map by using evidence for the light output of each lamp type displaying the positioning of fixtures and the anticipated light intensities. Mostly, a 10-20 % difference in intensity is tolerable.
With in-doors sole-source lighting, light uniformity is all the more so significant. Here, light disparity is time and again extreme, and differences in intensity of 50 percent or more are not uncommon. As the vertical farming industry develops, hopefully more attention will be paid to light uniformity and its importance in growing uniform high wire vegetable crop.
If you’re looking where to buy these crops for your greenhouse or your outdoor crop, HORTOMALLAS is a good company and you can find more information on its website.