UCC sheds light on exciting new technology

A multi-discipline research team has managed to develop a lighting system to replace the nutritional value lost when plant food is grown indoors and away from UV light.

University College Cork (UCC) announced that the collaborative project, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, has evaluated innovative UV-LED systems in plant growth trials. Potential partners from commercial horticulture are currently being sought for the initiative to further develop the UV technology.

The announcement coincides with Science Week which is supported by Science Foundation Ireland.

Irish food crops are often grown in glasshouses or polytunnels. However, the new technology offers plants protection from adverse weather conditions, including low temperatures, and facilitates the growth of crops normally found in warmer regions.

Professor Marcel Jansen of the UCC School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences elaborated on the process.

“The glass or plastic used to protect crops also changes the light that reaches the plants,” he explained. “The amount of light is not only lower in intensity than outside, but the type of light is also changed, with the UV part of natural sunlight filtered out”.

He spoke about the benefits of UV light.

“We are warned that UV light can cause us harm, but UV light is actually beneficial for plants. Both UVA and UVB affect plant size, and improve colour, taste, and smell, as well as nutritional qualities. As pointed out by Prof. Jansen, “sun-ripened fruits really do taste better”.

Dr Alan Morrison of the UCC School of Engineering and Architecture, who developed the technology, also weighed in on the subject.

“Additional artificial lighting is already used to increase the light intensity in glasshouses, but so far these lighting systems have not considered the problem of the lack of UV,” he said. “Now we have developed working LED lighting technology in the UV part of the spectrum as well. Our research shows that plants grow better when there are natural amounts of UV light present. And importantly for the consumer, UV encourages plants to produce more vitamins, which make our salads so much healthier to eat.” The team has released a video coinciding with Science Week to educate people about the project.

To find out more visit https://www.ucc.ie/en/uvleds4crops/