Greenhouse lighting

Light is the source of energy for the process of photosynthesis, therefore, sufficient illumination is one of the most important conditions for the growth and proper development of plants. The necessary duration of daylight for normal development of greenhouse crops is usually 8-10 hours, some light-loving plants, for example, eggplants , need even 12 hours. That is why, in order to create optimal conditions, insufficient natural illumination of the greenhouse is supplemented by electric, artificial.

As a rule, the question of how to make lighting in a greenhouse is solved simultaneously with its construction and includes a whole range of technical solutions: the main cable, the planning and installation of electrical wiring, the calculation of the required number and location of lamps. To a large extent, the scheme of a particular lighting system depends on the type of lamps used.

Kinds of lamps for illumination of a greenhouse

For the arrangement of artificial illumination of greenhouses, several types of lamps are used, each of which has its advantages:

1. Luminescent. Due to their special properties, these lamps until recently were the undisputed leader in the arrangement of greenhouses. They are absolutely not heated, so they do not affect the microclimate inside the structure. In addition, fluorescent lamps are inexpensive and consume a minimum of electricity.
2. High pressure sodium lamps. Features of the spectral radiation of this kind of lamps are used exclusively at reproductive stages of plant development, at other times sodium lamps for lighting greenhouses can adversely affect the productivity of crops.
3. LED lamp. The biggest advantage of these lamps is the spectral composition of the light flux that is ideally suited to plants. In addition, with LED lighting for greenhouses differs maximum use of light energy (efficiency reaches 100 percent).

The choice of a particular type of lamp largely depends on the needs of plants at each stage of development, the features of the greenhouse and the amount of natural light.