Real-Time Sensing and Control of Integrative Horticultural Lighting Systems

Abstract

Optical radiation, including light, plays a crucial role in the structural development of plants through photomorphogenesis and the response to environmental changes. However, plant sensitivity to optical radiation widely varies across species. While research efforts are currently underway to discover the fundamentals of plant physiology, light sources with preprogrammed light settings (light recipes) are offered to clients to expedite plant growth. Since horticultural lighting research is in its infancy, prescribed lighting conditions are not likely to address every plants’ needs in terms of the spatial and spectral distribution, intensity, and duration of the light sources. However, it is possible to imagine an intelligent horticultural lighting system that can diagnose plants through sensors, and adjust the light intensity, the spatial and spectral distribution for the specific plant species with active feedback. Such an advanced real-time horticultural lighting system would consist of sensors to detect physiological markers from plants and environmental factors and an artificial intelligence algorithm to adjust the output. While the underlying technology for a real-time optimization system exists, the implementation and training would require further research.