Speaking The Language of Plants Through Narrowband Light

In a world where most food is grown — and even genetically altered — for shelf life rather than nourishment, today’s story brings a breath of fresh air… or rather, fresh light.

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Symbiotic Systems, founded by Paul Bhola, is changing the game in indoor farming with a breakthrough in narrowband LED technology. Unlike traditional white LEDs used in grow operations, which focus mostly on light intensity, this approach uses specific wavelengths of light that plants actually respond to. Think of it as speaking a plant’s native language — instead of shouting the entire light spectrum.

“Plants don’t just need light. They need the right signals at the right time. What we are doing is providing them with a language they understand,” says Bhola.

And plants are clearly listening. In a recent study, crops grown under Symbiotic Systems’ LEDs showed a fivefold increase in beta-caryophyllene, a potent medicinal compound found in basil and cannabis. Each plant responds to different light cues, so this tech can be optimized by wavelength to encourage faster growth, greater resilience, and enhanced nutritional value.

For farmers, the ability to speed up growth and boost yields is already a win. But the added energy efficiency of narrowband lights — which cut costs and allow growers to reinvest in scaling — makes the model even more compelling.

Symbiotic is currently building a licensing model that would allow existing light manufacturers to integrate this wavelength-specific tech into their own LEDs. That means faster adoption and wider access, even for small-scale growers. These lights could hit the market in as little as 9 months to a year and a half, potentially transforming indoor farms, medicinal agriculture, and high-value horticulture.

In a time when industrial food systems are stripping nutrients from our crops, this is exactly the kind of tech we want — tools that work with nature instead of trying to dominate it. It’s a perfect example of how we can take back our tech.

It also raises some powerful questions:

• Could light alone help restore nutrition in our food supply?
• What would it look like if this kind of tech was accessible to homesteaders and local growers?

As technology learns to speak the language of plants, maybe it’s time we all start listening.

• Have you tried growing your own food indoors — did it work? Let us know in the comments.

Read the original article at Agri Business Review

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