Why Should Your Growth Lights Include UV-A?

Despite years of research on the effects of ultraviolet light on cultivation, there are still many misconceptions about it, such as the belief that all ultraviolet light is harmful to plants or that only UVB is valuable. In the following, we will share some research findings about the benefits of UV-A on plant growth.

What ultraviolet light is in terms of LED growth light

Ultraviolet light used in hospitals refers to the total range of light within the 10nm-400nm wavelength range, which can be further divided into UVA/UVB/UVC, corresponding to different wavelength ranges. UVA: 320nm-400nm / UVB: 275nm-320nm / UVC: 200nm-280nm. The shorter the wavelength, the stronger the harmfulness to organisms, but the weaker the transmission capacity.

Due to the existence of the Earth's atmosphere, hardly any UVC reaches the surface. Near the equator at sea level, 6% of the sun's radiation is ultraviolet, of which UVA represents 5.7% and UVB represents 0.3%. Depending on latitude, altitude, and time of year, plants receive 10 to 100 times more UV-A than UV-B. Therefore, it can be said that light containing UV-A is in line with the natural survival environment of plants.

The use of UV-A in indoor cultivation with LED growth light

UV-A increases production

Usually misleading research on ultraviolet light is not done on entire leaves or entire plants, but only on some algae or chloroplasts. The fact is that plants themselves have good natural adaptability to LED growth lights UV-A, with different species exhibiting similar responses but with different mechanisms.

Increases the nutritional value of the harvest

We all know that exposure to appropriate ultraviolet light is beneficial to the human body, for example, it can promote the synthesis of vitamin D in the body. Plants also undergo similar reactions. Plants respond to low doses of ultraviolet light by producing antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids and phenolic compounds, which usually give fruits and vegetables a bright blue or purple color. Many of these compounds are antioxidants and are beneficial to the human body. Flavonoids are closely related to longevity, weight management, heart health, reduced cancer risk, and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. Other phenolic compounds are also of interest in preventing and treating cancer.

LED growth lamp UV-A changes the growth state of plants, making them grow better

Plants judge their own position based on changes in wholesale led grow lights quality and adopt different growth postures as a result. A typical example is the shadow effect. When UV-A, blue light, and red light are lost from the spectrum, and there is a high proportion of green light and infrared light, the plant will assume it is blocked and will grow excessively, resulting in a poor harvest. The opposite plant will assume it is bathed in sunlight and will grow better. The following are some survey results.

LED grow lamp UV-A effectively prevents and treats plant diseases

UV-A light will increase the thickness of the leaf surface, thereby increasing resistance to fungal infections. At the same time, there is a near-UVA light with a wavelength of 405 nm, which has been proven to be harmless to living organisms such as humans or plants, but can kill bacterial diseases.