DEVELOPMENT AND LABORATORY TESTING OF A LED PHYTO-IRRADIATOR

The issue of energy saving in optical electrotechnologies is important for modern LED-based phytoirradiators, which have now definitely found their niche in indoor plant lighting. Such devices have several specific features that need to be considered when designing and analysing them. The phyto-irradiator developed is primarily intended for experimental studies on the energy and environmental aspects of indoor plant lighting. It may be also used in the private sector and in small greenhouses for the irradiation of both seedlings and longstemmed plants. The aim of the study was to design a simple device that could regulate the radiation spectrum accurately enough for practical applications and that could be switched on automatically according to the time of day and the level of natural light. The phyto-irradiator uses a new design principle. Multi-spectral LEDs are evenly distributed over the heat-dissipating surface and combined into separate electrical groups that are switched to achieve the required light quality of the radiation flux. Experimental data was obtained by measuring spectral, photometric, electrical and thermal characteristics of the device. The results confirmed the effectiveness of the developed phyto-irradiator. It combines the accuracy of light quality control with energy efficiency.