Welcome to the LEDs Magazine HortiCann Light + Tech Newsletter for Nov. 1, 2021. Happy Halloween a day late. Alas, that holiday seems to have been ceded to adult parties. I have moved to a smaller community in the south that seems bustling with families. I anticipated a crowd of trick or treaters whereas that practice had almost disappeared in southern California where I previously lived. Unfortunately, I can report the same demise here.

I suppose that fresh produce is a healthier concept than candy anyway, so let’s get to the recent news in horticultural lighting. I have written a mash-up story on packaged LEDs. One part of that story is focused on new Oslon Square Batwing LEDs developed by ams Osram. The company has previously touted efficiency advantages associated with its square LED architecture. Now a unique primary optic delivers a broader and more uniform beam for the plant canopy.

That LED article also includes some information on the Osram Horti White phosphor technology for a broad-spectrum white LED intended for horticultural applications. In fact, an Osram speaker covered that concept in detail at the recent HortiCann Light + Tech Conference. And remember that you can still register and catch the archived content for a couple of more weeks.

We have posted content from our latest issue since the last horticultural-centric newsletter deployed. There is one column from that issue to which I would call your attention. We had a contribution from David Barnby of Samsung that argued growers should turn to broad-spectrum LEDs and away from monochromatic LEDs in vertical farms. It does seem that some cultivars benefit from some of the green, orange, and yellow energy and certainly growers see better in the broad-spectrum light.

We also have a news release touting new solid-state lighting (SSL) for horticultural lighting that I’ll also point to. The products discussed might deserve your attention, but my purpose in mentioning the item is rooted in the news that the company used to help promote their technology. Colorado State University has apparently concluded that the state cannabis growing industry results in as much carbon emission as does the state coal mining industry. It’s clearly a sector that needs adherence to energy-saving technologies such as LED lighting and advanced controls.

And speaking of advanced controls in horticulture, I’ll close a bit off topic. We have a webcast tomorrow in which a connectivity technology expert and a lighting industry executive will speak. The two will cover choosing and installing connected systems. Don’t misunderstand, though. Connectivity is coming to grower operations, and perhaps faster in cases than to commercial buildings. In fact, Silvair is one of the speakers tomorrow and also delivered a Bluetooth Mesh presentation at the aforementioned HortiCann event. I hope to see many of you tomorrow on the live event.

There is lots more for you down below. Always feel free to contact me to discuss content we post or to pitch a contributed article.

- Maury Wright, (858) 208-9442, [email protected]