LED applications have started a revolution in horticulture lighting. Nichia, the famous Japanese LED giant is certainly capitalizing on this development. They have set up a laboratorial plant factory in Shanghai to analyze how various LED light sources can change the ingredients of plants to produce medicinal effects.
By mixing blue LED with different phosphors, they successfully created artificial LED light with sunlight spectrum to amplify the quality of light. This has been shown to enhance eye comfort for people as well as improve vegetable growth.
Also, an indoor farm to conduct experiments on plants with several LEDs has been established in the plant factory in Shanghai by Chun Chia Tai, Chairman and President of Nichia’s Shanghai & Taiwan Offices.
As per Tai, Nichia aims to rear vegetables with increased medicinal effects. The ingredients of vegetables could be modified by changing the spectrum of LEDs. For example, Nichia has bred vegetables having lower sugar which would be advantageous for diabetic patients.
The technology of combining phosphors with LEDs is helping the company in bringing horticulture lighting to a new level. They have joined hands with local supermarkets to sell its vegetables in Shanghai as well as shipped some products to the Netherlands. This development strongly hints at the wide range of applications of LED which has created a bridge between cutting-edge technologies and farming. Moreover, this is helping bring healthy options for people in the world.
