Modeling of fluorescent lighting on micropropagation shelves

A study of modeling of fluorescent lighting systems for micropropagation is presented. Flux transfer algorithms are used to predict the amount of light reaching a micropropagation vessel lid as well as the amount of light reaching the plantlet itself Model results are compared to measured values for various luminaire spacings and mounting heights. Errors in the model are analyzed, and the model is evaluated for its usefulness as a predictive design tool. Additionally, the effects of plant material, vessel, and growing medium on light level are investigated. The Relative Mean Absolute Error (MAE) for modeling the vessel lid flux densities for individual measurement points is 6.1%, while the Relative MAEs for average flux density and average deviation on a shelf are 4.6% and 8.9%. Corresponding values for the plant level flux densities are 14.9%, 7.9%, and 2.7%.