technically speaking
Lighting
Greenhouse
Vegetables
By Erik Runkle
I
’ve been receiving an increasing number of inquiries from critical, although it will increase crop yield from autumn
greenhouse growers about lighting guidelines for growing through spring.
fruiting vegetable crops. Certainly for vine crops like A typical supplemental lighting intensity for high-light
tomato, pepper and cucumber, the daily light integral vegetable crops is 125 to 175 µmol∙m-2∙s-1 [950 to 1,330
(DLI) is the biggest limitation for greenhouse growers during foot-candles from high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps]. If a
light-limiting conditions. The primary way to increase fruit grower wants to increase the DLI by 10 mol∙m-2∙d-1 and plans
yield (fruit number and/or size) is to increase the amount of to operate lamps for 18 hours per day, then an intensity of
photosynthetic light provided to plants. As a general rule, a 155 µmol∙m-2∙s-1 (1,175 foot-candles) needs to be provided.
1 percent increase in DLI increases production by 1 percent. That’s at least twice the intensity that is typically provided
Most vegetable crops are day neutral, so there’s no reason to by U.S. growers of ornamentals. An even higher intensity
provide photoperiod (low-intensity) lighting. (for example, 200 µmol∙m-2∙s-1, or 1,520 foot-candles) is
Below are answers to commonly asked questions about commonly provided in greenhouse tomato production in
lighting of vegetable crops. northern Europe, where the natural DLI is very low. Growers
also provide supplemental carbon dioxide to maximize the
How much light do I need? benefit of supplemental lighting.
A recommended minimum DLI for lettuce production
is 12 to 14 mol∙m-2∙d-1, whereas at least 15 (and prefer- How do I provide that light?
ably more than 20) mol∙m-2∙d-1 is suggested for vine crops. The HPS lamp is still the recommended way to pro-
Therefore, the answer to this question depends primarily on vide high-intensity lighting to greenhouse vegetable crops.
your geographic location. In the northern half of the United During the winter, heat emitted from the lamps can account
Figure 1. High-pressure States, achieving such a high DLI requires high-intensity for 25 percent of the total heating of a greenhouse, although
sodium lighting of greenhouse lighting for at least six months of the year. In the southern the cost of that heat is likely higher than if provided by a
cucumber in Norway. half of the United States, supplemental lighting is less heater or boiler. As light-emitting diode (LED) technology
improves, and as their prices decrease, they may become
the preferred light source, especially for growers who use
lighting much of the year.
Some growers and academics are experimenting with
“intra-canopy” lighting of high-wire vine crops, where lamps
are positioned between plant rows to provide light to leaves
towards the middle of the canopy. LEDs are particularly well
suited to this technique, since they emit less heat than HPS
lamps and thus, can be placed close to the leaves. It’s possible
that in the future, a combination of HPS lamps and LEDs
will be commonplace in greenhouse production of vegetables.
When should the lamps operate?
The benefit of supplemental lighting is greatest when the
ambient light intensity is low and at night. Thus, lamps are
operated much more during the winter than during other
parts of the year. Some crops, especially tomato, become
stressed and develop chlorotic leaves if grown under con-
tinuous light. Therefore, four to six hours of darkness is
suggested each night. For more information on greenhouse
lighting, visit http://flor.hrt.msu.edu/lighting. g
Erik Runkle is associate professor and floriculture
extension specialist in Michigan State University’s
department of horticulture. He can be reached at
[email protected] or 517.355.5191 ext. 1350.
42 | gpn | december 2011 | www.gpnmag .com
