Transparent Material Considerations for UV Optics in Horticultural Lighting Applications

Advancements in UV LED technology have begun changing the horticultural lighting landscape. Research is still ongoing to discover the extent of benefits and best practices of using UV light in horticulture. Using optics in tandem with UV LED light systems can help reach performance goals and optimize growing. Although there are several UV- transmitting materials available, not all are equivalent or able to meet the requirements for UV applications. Justine Galbraith, glass engineer, and Sharayah Follett, market development manager at Kopp Glass, Inc. discuss the performance considerations of various UV-transmitting materials and how application challenges are addressed by integrating optical elements.

The advancements of LEDs enable simultaneous light intensity and spectrum control, resulting in a more efficient and productive method of providing light for plant growth than traditional sources. This is further realized by improvements made in UV LEDs, allowing growers to integrate specific doses of targeted UV wavelengths at the right time of a harvest cycle to increase the quality of plant growth in a more cost-effective manner.  

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