Plant Growth Modeling and Response from Broadband Phosphor-Converted Lighting for Indoor Agriculture

The rapid change in population, environment, and climate is accompanied by the food crisis. As a new type of farming, indoor agriculture opens the possibility of addressing this crisis in the future. In this study, a phosphor-converted light-emitting diode (pc-LED), as energy-saving lighting for indoor agriculture, was used to evaluate the response and effect on the growth of Lactuca sativa. Red phosphors, SrLiAl3N4:Eu2+ (SLA) and CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ (CASN), were characterized and analyzed with crystal structure, morphology, and optical properties. Eu2+-doped phosphors provided the red emission of around 650 nm which is highly matched with the absorption of chlorophyll. Under the same luminescence intensity, broader emission of CASN pc-LED demonstrated a 100% increase of photosynthetically active photon flux density and 130% promotion of plant weight than the SLA pc-LED, which reflected the positive result of the carbon fixation. The chlorophyll and nitrate responses have also revealed the effect of broader red light on indoor agriculture.