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Lemnis Oreon, an innovative developer and manufacturer of high-tech LED grow lights, develops lighting solutions for the horticultural industry (lettuce, tomatoes, cresses and strawberries). Together with Wageningen UR, one of the world’s leading horticultural universities and research institutes, Lemnis Oreon has successfully executed a project in growing medical cannabis under different lighting recipes. 

Growing cannabis in a greenhouse is fairly new. Many growers build on their experience from either indoor facilities, or from growing other crops in a greenhouse. Traditionally, High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps were the standard for artificial lighting in greenhouses. However, LED technology has emerged as a superior alternative, offering several advantages over HPS, such as: 

• Lower energy consumption 
• Longer life span 
• Reduced heat radiation 
• Enhanced light spectrum (wavelength) control

What are the effects on the growth, development and relevant substance of medical cannabis in a greenhouse when you compare LED-lighting, measured at different light levels, with HPS-lighting?

The experiment took place in a 144 m² glass greenhouse at Wageningen UR, where three lighting regimes were compared:

• 100% HPS at 250 μmol•s-1•m-2 
• 100% LED at 250 μmol•s-1•m-2 
• 100% LED at 400 μmol•s-1•m-2 

The test was executed during late spring (testing period from 06.04.2016 – 21.06.2016), therefore ‘autumn’ conditions have been artificially created with screens (LS 16 and blinds) to allow a maximum of 100 micromol sunlight to enter the greenhouse. 

Two different varieties (cultivars) of cannabis have been tested. Both plants were THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) dominant varieties, but also CBD (cannabidiol) has been measured. To optimally test the influence of the different lighting recipes and levels, all other conditions like temperature, irrigation, humidity and nutrition were set equally. 

The study demonstrated that cannabis thrives under LED lighting. In comparison to HPS, plants grown under Oreon Grow Lights showed significantly higher THC levels. Additionally, in 5 out of 6 treatments, the total weight of THC and CBD was greater in plants exposed to LED lighting.
However, one treatment exhibited an excessive vegetative growth phase, resulting in higher leaf mass but lower flower production, which impacted THC and CBD yields. The researchers concluded that this treatment required more generative steering to improve the balance between vegetative growth and flower development. With adjustments, it is expected that the total THC and CBD content could be even higher in future trials.

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