HORTICULTURAL LED LIGHTING
GROWING UP IN THE CITY:
THE FUTURE OF FARMING IS NOW
805 million people suffer from chronic hunger, and 98 percent of these hungry people live in the developing world. Chronic hunger is a silent, invisible, day-after-day condition. The World Health Organization says that hunger is the No. 1 global health crisis — one in eight people does not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
While Latin America and the Caribbean have made good overall progress in increasing food security, sub-Saharan Africa and Western Asia, which have been afflicted by natural disasters and conflict, remain in dire need of help. According to the UN, hunger reduction requires an integrated approach, and needs to include public and private investments to raise agricultural productivity.
34.9
%
1:9
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 1/3 of American adults are obese. 17% (12.7M) of children aged 2-19 suffer from obesity. There is a direct correlation between poverty and obesity, based upon the high cost of nutritious food.
By stark contrast, 870M people go hungry every night. More lives are lost to starvation than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. The World Food Programme reports that 805M people do not have adequate nutrition to maintain a healthy lifestyle — that’s equivalent to one in nine humans.
1.3B tons of food is wasted globally through the growth, distribution and consumption phases of food production. This amounts to approximately 1/3 of all food produced.
BLEEDING OUR
PLANET DRY Water is indispensable for farming. But many countries grow crops that are unsuitable for the local climate and soil. California is one of our nation’s driest states, but produces more food than any other state. Not only do we use an extraordinary about of water for food production, but the amount of water wasted globally in growing crops that never reach the consumer is estimated at 550 billion cubic metres (more than 132 trillion gallons). The Institute for Mechanical Engineers says that water requirements to meet food demand in 2050 could reach more
than 2 quadrillion gallons per year — about triple the current amount used annually by humans. Wheat requires 132 gallons of water per pound, and a pound of cheese takes about 600 gallons. Therefore, a cheese sandwich represents approximately 100 gallons of water (and that’s just for a couple of cheese slices).
70% of fresh water is utilized in agriculture globally. With a rise in world population, and depletion of natural resources such as fresh water, arable land and phosphorous (for fertilizing crops), the need for alternative farming methods is dire.
CROPPING UP
ANYWHERE Austin, Texas, company Illumitex is working to change the global food crisis. We’re helping innovators around the world grow more food faster in more places.
New indoor growing methods utilizing Illumitex’s patented LED technology can put the food right where the people are, whether it’s urbanites looking for fresh microgreens, or people in Asia needing life-saving produce. One indoor farm in Chicago is using Illumitex® lights to grow nutritious and tasty greens that are available to
urban Chicagoans within hours of harvest. Vertical farms in Michigan and Pennsylvania, too, are seeing incredible yields from their grows using Illumitex LED lights. A major player in the international vertical gardening research movement is using Illumitex grow lights in turnkey Plant Production Units, which can be set up anywhere in the world where there’s a need for good food, fast.
IN THE CITY
YDROPONIC
Growing plants in water — hydroponics — sounds as if it might use a lot of water, but it really uses 90% less water than traditional farming. Nutrient-enriched water recycles through the system, rather than being absorbed into the earth or run off into bodies of water.
Abandoned or under-utilized innercity buildings are perfect places for hydroponic farms, putting the food right where people need it— steps away from families wanting fresh veggies for dinner or chefs needing the perfect augergine for a 5-start plate.
Among the vegetables that can be grown using hydroponics: Artichokes
Carrots
Lettuce
Rhubarb
Asparagus
Cauliflowers
Onions
Squash
Beans
Celery
Parsnips
Tomatoes
Beets
Cucumber
Peas
Yams
Broccoli
Eggplants
Potatoes
Cabbages
Leeks
Radishes
50k
+
NOT JUST ANOTHER
STATISTIC Forbes magazine writes: “Vertical farming is intriguing not just because it addresses growing concerns about food scarcity – the World Resources Institute suggests the world population’s caloric intake requirements will be at least 69% larger in 2050 than today – but because it helps reduce the need to ship
vegetable and fruits all over the place. That, in turn reduces the fuel needed to transport it and decreases the potential for spoilage. Another consideration is food security: right now, certain countries import a huge percentage of their food, including Japan.”
It is estimated that one 30-story vertical farm can supply more than 50K people a nutritionally sound, 2,000-calorie diet for an entire year, thereby countering both hunger and the obesity epidemic.
When food is sold where it’s grown, transportation costs and food spoilage during the distribution phase decrease dramatically, making nutritious food available at a lower price point for those who need it most.
Eclipse™ The Eclipse Series grow lights were developed in collaboration with universities and corporate research partners to drive global horticulture initiatives. With Illumitex’s Surexi™ LEDs, the Eclipse Series grow lights are specifically intended for use in vertical farms, growth chambers, tissue culture laboratories and greenhouses. Eclipse grow lights can virtually alter the photosynthesis and/or photomorphogenesis response, allowing more robust growth in less time.
QUANTUM™ The world’s most advanced plant research tool available. Quantum offers researchers a fine granularity of control — the ability to precisely dial in a specific balance of wavelengths to develop a precise spectrum. No other horticulture lighting fixture allows a researcher to account for the lighting variables as precisely as the Quantum LED grow
LIGHT YEARS AHEAD Illumitex’s light-emitting diode (LED) technology delivers up to 90% of the photons from the LED directly to the target, using less energy than anything else on the market. The light our arrays deliver is in the optimal spectrum for plant growth.
These special LEDs help plants grow bigger and faster. We work with indoor horticulture researchers to develop lighting systems that grow nutritious and delicious food right where people need it.
light from Illumitex.
NeoSol DS™ The NeoSol DS grow light is suitable for a wide range of horticulture lighting applications including propagation of vegetative or flowering plants in grow tents, compact growing areas or large-scale commercial grow operations. May be used in vertically stacked orientation of two or more layers of grow trays and NeoSol fixtures. Outperforms 1000W HID fixtures in 4×4 and 5×5 plant grow beds, giving growers more than 50% energy savings.
NeoSol LS™ Suitable for a wide range of hobby and home enthusiast applications including cultivation of vegetative or flowering plants and herbs. May be used in vertically stacked orientation of two or more layers of grow trays.
NeoSol NS™ The NeoSol NS LED grow light is designed for home and hobby projects. Fitted with Illumitex Surexi F3 Spectrum LEDs, the slim fixture design maximizes volumetric area for plant growth and minimizes fixture weight and energy consumption. Replaces 600W HID.
Safari™ The Safari features Illumitex’s patented Surexi LED technology with customized horticultural spectra options designed for use where photoperiod and inflorescence management is required.
GROWTH & SUPPLEMENTAL LIGHTING
F1 SPECTRUM
of plant species throughout their growth cycle. It contains a high proportion of red light, which spurs photosynthesis during the vegetative growth stage and facilitates the flowering stage. It has the highest photon yield efficacy
blue content of all Surexi™ spectra and produces stocky plants
F1 WAVELENGTH MIX Blue (400 - 499nm)
with short internodal distances, highly desirable at the seedling
22.8%
Green (500 - 599nm)
0.3%
Red (600 - 699nm)
76.8%
Far Red (700 - 780nm)
0.1%
of all custom Surexi™ spectra and is
stage. Recommended for growing seedlings prior to transplantation.
recommended for applications with a
F3 SPECTRUM
BEST FOR SEEDLINGS The Illumitex F7 has the highest
GENERAL PURPOSE, HIGH EFFICIENCY The F1 spectrum is suitable for a variety
F7 SPECTRUM
X5 SPECTRUM
The Illumitex X5 spectrum, inspired
BEST FOR GERMINATION THROUGH FLOWERING
by NASA, is a good choice for
from Illumitex, F3 produces the fastest germination and drives the best vegetative and flowering results among all of the Surexi™ spectra options. In addition to the blue and red wavelengths, the F3 spectrum contains a small amount of green which
growing situations where it’s important for people to see plants as we’re
F3 WAVELENGTH MIX Blue (400 - 499nm)
11.0%
Green (500 - 599nm)
7.7%
Red (600 - 699nm)
81.0%
Far Red (700 - 780nm)
0.3%
Blue (400 - 499nm)
74.5%
Green (500 - 599nm)
0.6%
Red (600 - 699nm)
24.8%
Far Red (700 - 780nm)
0.1%
BEST FOR SEEDLINGS
tight electrical energy budget.
The workhorse and most popular spectrum
F7 WAVELENGTH MIX
accustomed to seeing them — that is, green. The purplish light cast by many grow lights wouldn’t work in situations
X5 WAVELENGTH MIX Blue (400 - 499nm)
18%
Green (500 - 599nm)
17%
Red (600 - 699nm)
64%
Far Red (700 - 780nm)
0%
where we want to see the plants — for example, on a decorative grow wall. X5 provides good light for plant growth, along with light that allows
is beneficial for the quality assessment of
humans to see the plants.
plants. The F3 spectrum is recommended for use in growth chambers as well as controlled environment agriculture
operations of any size.
F6 SPECTRUM
The 450nm spectrum enacts regulation by cryptochromes and
BEST FOR VEGETATIVE GROWTH The Illumitex F6 spectrum has an enhanced blue region and provides the fastest vegetative growth results. The increased blue content reduces plant height, thereby improving plant appearance and space utilization. Recommended for the production of leafy green vegetables when the visible assessment of plant health is not important.
450nm RED WAVELENGTH phototropins, mediating various plant responses, such as phototropic
F6 WAVELENGTH MIX Blue (400 - 499nm)
49.5%
Green (500 - 599nm)
0.5%
Red (600 - 699nm)
49.9%
Far Red (700 - 780nm)
0.1%
curvature, inhibition of elongation growth, chloroplast movement, stomatal opening and seedling growth regulation. Can be directly absorbed by chlorophyll in photosynthesis. Recommended as supplemental light for seedlings and young plants during the vegetative stage of their growth cycle, especially when “stretching” must be reduced or eliminated.
NOTES
525nm RED WAVELENGTH The Illumitex 525nm wavelength LED can be used as a tool for eliciting specific plant responses such as stomatal control, phototropism, photomorphogenic growth and environmental signaling. When combined with blue, red and far-red wavelengths, 525nm completes a comprehensive spectral treatment for understanding plant physiological activity.
624nm RED WAVELENGTH This 624nm region has the highest photosynthetic relative quantum yield for a range of plants. At the same time, its action on red-absorbing phytochrome is considerably weaker compared to that of 660nm red light and can be used to balance the phytochrome equilibrium towards lower values (closer to those of daylight) than those achievable with 660nm red light, especially when used together with 730nm red light.
660nm DEEP RED WAVELENGTH The 660nm wavelength has a very strong photosynthetic action and also exhibits the highest action on red-absorbing phytochrome regulated germination, flowering and other processes. Most effective for light cycle extension or night interruption to induce flowering of long-day plants or prevent flowering of short-day plants. Most energy-efficient source for photosynthesis among all available supplemental LEDs.
730nm FAR RED WAVELENGTH Although the 730nm wavelength is outside the photosynthetically active range, it has the strongest action on the far-red absorbing form of phytochrome, converting it back to the red-absorbing form. It becomes necessary for plants requiring relatively low values of the phytochrome photoequilibrium to flower. Can be used at the end of each light cycle to promote flowering in short-day plants.
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