Light for Plant Health
This program is dedicated to developing sustainable disease management solutions using the latest lighting technologies to educate stakeholders on using light and other forms of optical energy to control plant diseases.
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Light can be used to promote healthy plant growth in controlled environments and in field applications. Visible and ultraviolet wavelengths can be used to inhibit plant pathogens and lighting strategies generally can enable growers to extract greater value from their crops.
The Light and Health Research Center harnesses its expertise in physics and engineering to complement the work of plant health scientists. The goal of the Light for Plant Health program is to develop sustainable disease management solutions using the latest lighting technologies, apply research results in practice for a greater understanding of their applicability, and educate stakeholders on the use of lighting technologies to control plant diseases.
In the News
See How to Apply Titanium Dioxide to Combat Fire Blight in Apples
See How to Apply Titanium Dioxide to Combat Fire Blight in Apples
February 2025
In this video on our YouTube channel, we demonstrate how apple growers can use titanium dioxide combined with the UV in sunlight to fight the bacterium that causes fire blight.
Press Release LRx-LHRC.pdfLRx, LLC to Join as Inaugural Member of the Light for Plant Health Partnership
LRx, LLC to Join as Inaugural Member of the Light for Plant Health Partnership
January 2024
LRx founding partner, Barry Muscatello, says “LRx is pleased to join the Light for Plant Health Partnership in the important mission of combating plant diseases and improving agricultural sustatinability. Working together, researchers from Mount Sinai and LRx will be working to commercialize sophisticated lighting technology to combat a range of plant diseases.”
Exploring Alternative Treatment for Apple Fire Blight Disease
Exploring Alternative Treatment for Apple Fire Blight Disease
May 2023
Fire blight of apple and pear trees is a bacterial disease which has been a concern since the colonial period in North America. We are studying the use of natural UV with titanium dioxide (TiO2) as an alternative to conventional treatments. Field studies are underway for the 2023 and planned for the 2024 growing seasons.
March 2023
Field trials at Kinderhook Creek Farm in Stephentown, New York, investigated the use of UV-C to treat powdery mildew on summer squash, specifically to discover whether leaf canopy agitation increases the efficacy of the UV treatments.
Learn More About Light for Plant Health
Our team is dedicated to learning about the impacts light has on plant health. Learn more about:
Light for Plant Health Partners
LRx, LLC
Contact
Program Director: Mark Rea, PhD
Email: mark.rea@mountsinai.org
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