Indoor Farms of America, LLC. has selected LED lighting from agri-technology company Agrivolution LLC of South Windsor, Connecticut for integration into its patented aeroponic vertical farming system. The LED grow lights from Agrivolution won a year-long performance review with Indoor Farms of America, competing against other LED grow products that offer artificial light for agriculture.
The new relationship brings together Indoor Farms of America, a U.S. supplier and producer of high-yield vertical aeroponic crop growing equipment and Agrivolution that supplies advanced horticultural LED grow lights.
Agrirolution points out that interest in horticultural LED lighting and weather-agnostic indoor plant growth facilities that can support steady food production in North America has risen year after year. At the same time, traditional growers have struggled with unpredictable weather patterns in recent years and the extreme, long-term drought in agricultural-rich California as well as drought conditions in various parts of the country including the Northeast.
Indoor Farms of America based in Las Vegas, Nevada boasts that its aeroponic crop growing equipment can grow pesticide-free, local fruits and vegetables all year. Agrivolution supplies advanced horticultural LEDs that the firm says are popular in Asia and elsewhere around the globe. The announcement comes as Indoor Farms of America has steadily increased its market share and expanded across North America and into key global markets.
“Indoor Farms of America tested the Agrivolution ultra-thin and lightweight bar type Triple-Band LED against a dozen competing products for over a year and determined its superior performance to grow plants indoors,” said Agrivolution President Richard Fu. “Based on the trial results, Indoor Farms of America decided on Agrivolution as its standard LED equipment provider for leafy greens and other select crops.”
Agrivolution expects to supply about 10,000 units of its Triple-Band LED-based grow lights throughout North America in 2017.
“We are very happy with the steady performance of the Triple-Band LED bars from Agrivolution,” states David Martin, CEO of Indoor Farms of America. “We have grown about 20 different leafy green products, as well as flowering and fruiting plants, and they [Agrivolution LEDs] do a great job in helping us reach our targeted harvest times for what we grow.”
Indoor Farms of America plans to integrate the Agrivolution LEDs into its enhanced aeroponics system to grow larger crops such as heirloom tomatoes, squash, and cucumber. The company has already succeeded in tests of its growing techniques that produce a range of leafy greens, as well as strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and chili peppers.
The aeroponics growth technique employs mists of nutrient solutions and supplies ample oxygen to plant and vegetable roots directly. The method promotes root growth, which also reduces root rot and results in healthier plants. Artificial light from LED grow lights enables plants, vegetables, and fruits to photosynthesize.
Plants use the process of photosynthesis to convert the energy of light into chemical energy as their fuel for growth.Agrivolution’s UL certified Triple-Band LED that Indoor Farms of America uses, features a patented single-chip design that emits RED-, BLUE-, and GREEN-bands.
Agrivolution’s UL certified Triple-Band LED that Indoor Farms of America uses, features a patented single-chip design that emits RED-, BLUE-, and GREEN-bands. According to Agrivolution, these Red-, Blue-, and Green-wavelengths cover the full Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) spectrum between 400 nm and 700 nm. The LED grow light’s unique, single-chip architecture enables the Agrivolution LEDs to output a balanced, full-spectrum light while reducing energy usage.
