Device and a method for illuminating and growing tomato plants in confined spaces without natural light and in greenhouse conditions

A method for illuminating and growing tomato plants in confined spaces without natural light and in greenhouse conditions, the method comprising:

• equipping a breeding/growing facility with a ventilation system and environmental sensors to monitor at least a temperature and a humidity;
• setting the temperature of the growing facility so that it is between 24 and 26° C. during a day and 20-22° C. at a night,
• setting the humidity so that it is between 50 and 60%,
• during growth of the plants, illuminating the plants by means of a light fixture comprising Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for at least 16 hours per 24 hours, so that at least one tomato plant is illuminated in each phase of development (including the seed phase), by maintaining light intensity not lower than 160 μmol/m2/s for 16 hours and adjusting light spectrum to the phase of plant growth so that a red to blue light ratio (R:B) is at least 1.70±0.15,
• conducting farming in the vegetative phase so that:
• PAR
• both in indoor and greenhouse farming, maintaining illumination of 160 μmol/m2s for 16 hours per 24 hours on top surfaces of plant leaves, determining current light demand using a PAR sensor and a spectroradiometer, and adjusting lighting intensity and spectral composition automatically using dedicated software,
• during the vegetative phase in a farming tent, maintaining a spectrum consisting of white light with peak emissions of artificial blue light and artificial red light for 15 to 17 hours per 24 hours, preferably for 16 hours per 24 hours, and maintaining the red to blue light ratio (R:B) at 2.4±15%
• conducting farming in the generative growth phase so that:
• PAR
• both in indoor and greenhouse farming, maintaining light intensity of 200 μmol/m2s on top surfaces of plant leaves for 15 to 17 hours per 24 hours, preferably for 16 hours per 24 hours, continuously monitoring, by means of the PAR sensor, PAR values delivered to the plants both from the light fixtures and from sunlight, and adjusting the PAR value delivered to the plants from the light fixtures to ambient conditions using software so that the total of sunlight and supplemental light is 200 μmol/m2s at the top plant leaves,
• during the generative phase in a farming tent, maintaining a spectrum consisting of white light with peak emissions of artificial blue light and artificial red light for 16 hours per 24 hours, and maintaining the red to blue light ratio (R:B) at 2.40±0.15,
• and during the generative phase in a greenhouse, supplementing natural sunlight with the light fixture for 15 to 17 hours per 24 hours, preferably for 16 hours per 24 hours, so as to obtain a spectrum consisting of white light with blue and red peaks, with the red to blue light ratio of 10.00±0.15,
• and, by means of the PAR sensor, continuously monitoring a PAR value delivered to plants, wherein the PAR value delivered to plants from the light fixtures is adjusted by means of a digital machine so that the total sunlight and supplemental light is 160 μmol/m2s at the top plant leaves, and wherein the light fixture is fitted with a spectroradiometer to adjust the light spectrum to weather conditions in real time using software, so as to maintain a constant light spectrum throughout the growth phase irrespective of the current ambient conditions.