LLeaf Fluoresent Plastic Shifting Unused Spectra to Longer Wavelengths

[Uberhoust]

Just came across an article in the New Scientist regarding plastic product that will take normal full spectrum light and in one case absorb the green and release it as slightly longer reddish light, they call it Spectrum Shifting. It is being tested/used to improve green house productivity. The company is called LLeaf, https://www.lleafgrow.com/technical.

They have a product for the aquatic plants that shifts the light towards 590 nm which is more or less yellow. A color I haven't seen in typical aquarium lights, which tend towards the blue side of the spectrum in general. The closest plant pigment that might absorb this wavelength is associated with the Phytochromes, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyto... many aspects of,of flowering in adult plants. for a quick overview. These pigments are from what I have recently researched are primarily associated with chlorophyll production.

Lleaf is providing a commercial product, and it is in their interest to encourage people to buy into their ideas but it does bring to mind that maybe in general we are missing something in the light we provide our aquarium plants that might serve an important service. I know my lights do not have much in the red or yellow ranges of the spectra and not all my plants seem to grow well. We use PAR ratings but these values relate to the spectra that activate the chlorophylls primarily, but don't necessarily capture all the important wavelengths.

I will be reading up on this more but was curious if other people have looked at the wavelengths we normally don't worry about with our artificial lights. Perhaps as others have said we need to look at having more longer wavelength light in our aquariums to encourage better growth.

 

[StevenF]

Many people believe plants only need red and blue light to grow. While you can find plants that do well with just red and blue, Some plants need more. Most plants have many pigments, Some help covert light into energy, Other regulate help regulate growth and some like these plastic sheets convert one color into another.

in the past incandescent bulbs produced enough red and blue as well as other colors for plants to do well. However they also produced a lot of waist heat. Todays LED are very good on blue but can be quite weak on red.

When I made my LED light I used good LEDs with 300K and +90 CRI white LEDs. Blue was good and all colors were pressent but the plants were streatching to reach the light. So plants that were normally 1" high would reach 4+ inches tall. The LLEDs were producing red light but it wasn't enough. I then modified the Lamp by adding red 660nm Red LEDs. Now the plants grow to their normal hight. These plastic films might be very useful for those that want to make a LED Lamp.