Valoya and Weiss Technik UK Bring a State of the Art Research Environment to the University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow, College of MVLS, Plant Science Group have partnered with Weiss Technik UK and Valoya, the Finnish LED grow lights manufacturer to create a state of the art research environment. Three Weiss Technik FITOTRON® SGR 213 environmentally controlled plant growth rooms with research grade LED grow lights were installed to perform experiments on the plant genetic model Arabidopsis thaliana. Valoya lighting was chosen as a supplier as Valoya is the market leader in horticultural and research grow lighting. The growth rooms are fitted with Valoya’s C-series dimmable LED lighting units which give outstanding performance, light intensity output and a reliable, natural light spectrum. The choice of their NS12 light spectrum was due to it being best suited for a wide variety of research requirements. The NS12 spectrum is a true wide (also known as full or continuous) spectrum, made up of custom made LED chips that produce all the color components of the spectrum unlike most red-blue LED luminaires that dominate the market. This light spectrum is preferred by researchers worldwide. The upper light intensity levels needed for the University of Glasgow installation were 250 μmol m-2 s-1 at a 25 cm distance from the plants, however this has been exceeded to give 340 μmol m-2 s-1 if required by installing four LED lighting modules per shelf. With dimmable control, a lower limit is between 30-40 μmol m-2 s-1 can be achieved. Researchers have full control of temperature, humidity, lighting and other factors with Weiss Technik’s state of the art FITOTRON SGR growth rooms. University of Glasgow researchers have produced reliable data in trials involving Arabidopsis thaliana and its response to changing environmental conditions such as daily photoperiod, light intensity, temperature variations etc. This whole project has been an outstanding success for all parties concerned from initial conception, planning, manufacture, installation to final commissioning due to the collaboration between Weiss Technik and Valoya, who both have considerable expertise in this area. These new facilities have allowed the researchers to continue to advance Plant Science research within the Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology at Glasgow with the additional benefits of a reduction in overall energy costs and carbon footprint within this improved facility. Valoya is a provider of high end, energy efficient LED grow lights for use in crop science, vertical farming and medicinal plants cultivation. Valoya LED grow lights have been developed using Valoya's proprietary LED technology and extensive plant photobiology research. www.valoya.com Weiss Technik UK are world leaders in the design, manufacture and installation of controlled environment equipment for plant growth and insect research facilities across the globe. Having many years experience in working close with the research institutes to ensure that the needs of the researcher are realized.

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