Based on perspectives of the development of semiconductor materials systems for high-power light-emitting diodes (LEDs), an illumination facility for greenhouse plant cultivation was designed with the dominating 640 nm photosynthetically active component delivered by AlGaInP LEDs and supplementary components from AlGaN (photothropic action, 455 nm) and AlGaAs (photosynthetic 660 nm and photomorphogenetic 735 nm) LEDs. Photosynthesis intensity, photosynthetic productivity and growth morphology as well as chlorophyll and phytohormone concentrations were investigated in radish and lettuce grown in phytotron chambers under the LED-based illuminators and under high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps with an equivalent photon flux density. Advantages of the high-power LED-based illuminators over conventional HPS lamps, applicability of AlGaInP LEDs for photosynthesis and control of plant growth by circadian manipulation of a relatively weak far-red component were demonstrated.

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Colour-perception differences under illumination by two quadrichromatic solid-state sources of light have been studied with respect to a tungsten radiator with the same correlated colour temperature (2600 K). A virtual RYgCB source (illuminant), which contains red, yellow–green, cyan and blue components with the line width typical of AlGaInP and AlInGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs), was fully optimized for the highest value of the general colour-rendering index (CRI) (Ra = 98.3). An implemented RAGB source (lamp) contained commercially available red, amber, green and blue LEDs (Ra = 79.4). Colorimetric calculations in the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage 1976 (u′,v′) colour plane for 40 Munsell colour samples (value 6, chroma/6, hue increment 2.5) revealed the differences in hue discrimination and distortion for both sources in the yellow–green and blue–cyan ranges. These differences were not revealed by the standard analysis of the special CRIs and were lower for the RYgCB illuminant, which contained primary LEDs in the sensitive ranges. A psychophysical experiment on seven subjects was performed using the RAGB lamp stabilized against thermal and ageing drifts. Despite different colour-perception abilities of the subjects under investigation, the experiment confirmed the calculation results. Methods of obtaining composite white light with high subjective ratings are discussed, based on the obtained data.

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