LED can revolutionize outdoor vegetable growing in Hungary

Twenty thousand square meters of leeks planted outdoors were tested with night-time LED lighting, and it was found that the light grew the vegetable faster, its resilience increased, so 50 percent less pesticide than usual was enough for cultivation. Thus, sustainable crop production can be achieved with minimal effort. Under the influence of red light, plants grow better, bloom more abundantly than blue light, and adequate UV light improves their defenses. Color LEDs have so far only been used for indoor plant cultivation, houseplants or hobby gardeners ’specialties. However, Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde has now tried them in open field cultivation as part of a pilot project - we read on 365.reblog.hu. Grow is both an art installation and a scientific experiment created by Roosegaarde in collaboration with Rabobank and Wageningen University. Solar-powered LED light sources essentially extend the number of hours of sunshine, illuminating the leek plantation with red, blue and UV ...