LED in agriculture

Biological effect - More milk through more light
Lighting duration, intensity and colour have a great influence on lactation, fertility and animal welfare. In dairy farming, lighting management is therefore of particular importance.
Scientific studies show that long daylight phases with 16 hours of brightness and 8 hours of darkness can increase daily milk production by an average of 5-15 %. The prerequisite is a uniform illuminance of 150-200 lux.
 
How does it work?
Light signals are sent to the pineal gland via the animal's eyes. A higher amount of light reduces the release of the hormone melatonin from the pineal gland, which in turn stimulates the liver to produce the IGF-1 hormone. This ultimately leads to increased activity of the cow, more appetite and increased milk production.

Young cattle
Increasing the light intensity with 16 hours of brightness and 8 hours of darkness also has a positive effect on the development of young cattle. An increased amount of light stimulates activity and appetite and accelerates the growth of the animals.

Dry standing cows
Daylight phases with 8 hours of light and 16 hours of darkness make sense for dry cows. This leads to higher milk yields in the following lactation. In addition, feed intake and the immune system are positively influenced. It is therefore advisable to house dry cows in a separate barn.

LED luminaires have all the prerequisites
In order to achieve optimal milk and growth performance, LED luminaires are particularly suitable for new barns and for the conversion of old barns. In terms of service life and efficiency, LED lighting is superior to all other variants. The higher the annual number of operating hours, the more this advantage comes to the fore.

Influence of colour temperature
The colour temperature of a light source also has a decisive influence on biorhythms. Here, a basic distinction is made between warm white. (< 3300 K), neutral white. and daylight white. (> 5300 K). The higher the colour temperature, the higher the blue-green component in the spectral composition of the light. Since the brightness perceived by the bovine eye is highest in the blue-green range, the use of luminaires with a high colour temperature is recommended to achieve an increase in productivity. LEDs with a colour temperature of at least 5,300 K are therefore particularly suitable.