A multi-year global study of broad-spectrum white light on cannabis growth shows “improved crop yield, morphology [the form of living organisms, and with relationships between their structures], and overall performance in selected cultivars [a plant variety that has been produced in cultivation by selective breeding] when compared to narrow-band spectra with high ratios of red and far-red wavelengths.”

Fluence by OSRAM, a global provider of energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis and food production, produced the study. Fluence conducted individual studies with Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation (TOCC), respectively.

“The results from our global studies show how effective broad-spectrum white light can be in improving crop performance for many cultivators around the world. Broad-spectrum strategies are about balance and flexibility in the spectrum itself as well as the overall cultivation approach,” said Dr. David Hawley, Fluence’s principal scientist. “Our latest research empowers us with new insights to assess each grower’s objectives, weigh those objectives against a facility’s unique financial, environmental and energy parameters, and then ultimately derive a tailored solution for each cultivator.”

In the TOCC study, researchers studied Type I, Type II and Type III cannabis response to broad-spectrum R4, R6 and R8 under high PPFD. Plants grown under broad-spectrum R4 were free of photobleaching in their upper buds, a development that typically occurs in plants grown with a higher fraction of red light.

“Time and time again, our research with leading institutions around the world is proving that there is no universal spectral strategy for cultivators,” said Fluence’s CEO David Cohen. “For many crops and cultivars, however, it’s also showing the holistic benefits of broad-spectrum white light not just for the crop, but for a cultivator’s entire operation.”

Fluence’s research results are but the latest to appear on our newsfeeds lately as light is constantly studied in the cannabis field. The industry is booming more and more every day and understanding how to efficiently, productively, and responsibly grow cannabis becomes more important with each new cultivation operation that pops up.