Scientists from Don State Technical University in the Russian city of Rostov are working on developing a system for controlling artificial lighting for plants, mimicking the natural cycles of night and day.
This was reported by the university's press service.
According to the press service, modern agriculture increasingly relies on greenhouses and vertical farming, where light plays a key role. However, many greenhouses still use traditional lamps or expensive imported systems that do not allow for flexible adjustment of lighting to suit each crop. The research conducted by scientists at the Russian university aims to address this problem.
The press service statement read: "Scientists are developing an artificial lighting management system for plants that mimics the natural cycles of day and night. The final system will be able to control dozens of lamps using a single device."
The press service explained that the researchers developed a protocol for exchanging data between the control unit and the lamps, allowing for flexible lighting adjustments by changing the light intensity and color composition. The system uses lamps with four channels: red, blue, infrared, and white.
The system operates via a control computer that determines the lighting program. Commands are sent through an interface to a dedicated unit that controls the light channels. Scientists are also developing an additional unit to collect environmental data, including soil condition, water consumption, air humidity, and atmospheric pressure, with the goal of creating a comprehensive database for analyzing plant growth stages. In the future, this data—such as data on spring wheat—could be used to build predictive models of plant development.
It is worth noting that Don State Technical University is one of the largest scientific and educational centers in southern Russia, with more than 45,000 students in over 100 disciplines.
