COVID-19 RAPID RESPONSE: LOW-COST LIGHT SPECTRA OPTIMIZATION TO INCREASE THE PROFITS OF GREENHOUSE GROWERS

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The greenhouse coverings currently available in the marketplace provides a controlled environment to grow the higher quality food; however, it does not manipulate the spectrum of incoming sunlight to optimize the light environment inside the greenhouse, which is one of the most important considerations for plant growth. SolGro will incorporate light converting agents in LDPE plastic to produce the light converting greenhouse film, which not only provides a controlled growing environment but also optimizes the light spectra in the greenhouse. The optimized light spectra will increase the crop yield and hence increase profit for greenhouse growers. This cost-effective method of light spectra optimization is particularly important for small and rural growers, who cannot offer to pay the high upfront cost of supplement lighting, such as LED. In this project, SolGro will utilize the nanophosphors to convert the part of the incoming solar spectrum that is not used by plants to the light spectrum that is more useful for the growth and development of plants. The nanophosphors will be engineered and incorporated in the poly greenhouse film to efficiently perform the light conversion throughout the life of the film. The effectiveness of light converting greenhouse film will be tested by studying the growth and development of lettuce and tomatoes plants in the greenhouse built using the light converting greenhouse film. An LDPE greenhouse film from the marketplace will be used as a control to quantify the effect of light converting greenhouse film.The main goal of this project is to prove the effectiveness of light converting greenhouse film in increasing the crop yield. Upon successful completion of this project, a greenhouse film will be available to the growers, which not only provides a controlled environment but also optimizes the light condition resulting in increasing crop yield. This will helps greenhouse growers to become more sustainable by increasing the profit without requiring to pay a high upfront cost for currently available light spectra optimization techniques such as LEDs. In terms of societal benefit, the increase in crop production will make food accessible to more people.