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From photobiology to dynamic lighting strategies in greenhouse production

Published

6 minutes ago

April 9, 2026

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Greenhouse growers are working in conditions where crop yield and energy use must be managed simultaneously. According to Timo Spruijt, Chief Customer Officer at RED Horticulture, this requires a shift from fixed lighting schedules to approaches based on plant light responses.

“Lighting is moving from static control to measured and predictable strategies,” says Timo. “That starts with understanding how plants react to light and translating that into everyday decisions.”

This approach is based on photobiology, which links plant development to light conditions. Two parameters are central: intensity and spectrum. Light intensity affects photosynthesis, biomass accumulation and yield, while spectrum affects morphology, flowering, rooting and nutritional composition. Paul Vailhen, photobiologist at RED, points out that these factors must be managed together. “Focusing on one parameter without the other limits how plants use light. The interaction between intensity and spectrum determines photon efficiency.”

He explained that growers can use this knowledge to target harvests more precisely. “When photobiology is applied in practice, lighting becomes a management tool rather than a fixed input.”

Three areas
To support this, RED Horticulture organizes its offer around three areas: luminaires, control platform and agronomic orientation. These components are intended to respond to changes during the day and during the cultivation phases. “The needs of the plants are not constant,” says Timo. “Lighting strategies must follow these variations.”

The MyRED platform is used to translate greenhouse data into lighting decisions. Growers can monitor performance and adjust lighting strategies through a dashboard. “The platform allows producers to define and modify their light recipes and evaluate the results,” explains Timo. “It links crop data with energy use.”

He added that implementation goes beyond software. “Support continues after installation. We work with growers to set goals, apply strategies and adjust over time.”

Energy use
Energy use is a major factor in greenhouse operations. Timo connects lighting strategies directly with consumption. “Understanding how intensity and spectrum affect power use helps growers manage their energy input,” he says. “This could lead to changes in the way lighting is applied during the day.”

Automation is also part of today’s greenhouse practices. The system can adjust the lighting throughout the day according to predefined strategies. “Automation reduces manual adjustments and keeps light levels consistent,” says Timo. “It also allows control over the entire light output.”

He noted that automated control can contribute to additional energy savings beyond the performance of the luminaires. “When strategies are applied dynamically, further reductions in energy use are possible.”

Research
This is another part of the research approach. Through the Photobiology and Agronomy Research Center (PARC), RED Horticulture conducts trials under controlled conditions. Timo explains how this relates to commercial production. “Trials allow strategies to be tested before implementation. Producers can then apply these results with a clearer view of expected outcomes.”

The goal is to make photobiology applicable to different crops and growing environments. “The same principles can be adapted to different varieties and production systems,” says Timo. It concludes by returning to the role of knowledge in greenhouse management. “Understanding photobiology is the starting point. From there, growers can build lighting strategies that match crop requirements and energy constraints.”

For more information:
RED Horticulture
World Horti Center
Europe 1
2672 ZX Naaldwijk
+31 174 705 617
horticulture.red/

Related Topics:dynamic greenhouse lighting photobiology production strategies

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Hawaii Lawmakers Approve Bill To Create Psychedelics Task Force Charged With Studying Psilocybin And MDMA

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Cannabis News

Hawaii Lawmakers Approve Bill To Create Psychedelics Task Force Charged With Studying Psilocybin And MDMA

Published

14 minutes ago

April 9, 2026

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Another Hawaii House committee has passed the Senate-passed bill creating a psychedelic task force responsible for analyzing and making policy recommendations about providing access to breakthrough therapies like psilocybin and MDMA.

The House Finance Committee advanced the legislation to Sen. Chris Lee (D) on a 15-0 vote Tuesday. The measure, which passed the Senate last month by a 24-0 vote, will next go to the House floor before returning to the Senate for that chamber to consider final amendments.

The bill would create Creative Mental Health Therapy, a two-year review of the current scientific literature, supporting additional clinical research and developing policy recommendations for the “safe, ethical, and culturally informed implementation” of a psychedelic therapy program.

“The Legislature believes in addressing the mental health crisis affecting the State’s residents, particularly among veterans, first responders and trauma survivors,” SB 3199 reads. “Suicide remains the leading cause of preventable death, and the State must explore all safe and effective treatment options supported by scientific evidence.”

Given that the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated psilocybin and MDMA as breakthrough therapies in the treatment of serious mental health conditions, which may be subject to future control under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Hawaii’s legislation states that the state must “proactively prepare public health, clinical and research systems for safe and equitable implementation.”

The state Department of Health said in House committee testimony that it supports the bill, noting that in light of the FDA’s action on psychedelics, it is “prudent for Hawaii to assess research readiness, regulatory implications, workforce development and culturally informed implementation pathways” before any federal rescheduling of the substances.

The Governor’s Office of Wellness and Resiliency said the bill “has an important opportunity to begin paving a planned pathway for people who need access to life-saving treatments for trauma and other mental health issues.”

“A growing body of research demonstrates that breakthrough therapies (such as MDMA and psilocybin-assisted therapies) demonstrate high efficacy and positive clinical outcomes in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, end-of-life anxiety, eating disorders, depression, treatment-resistant, and additional conditions in terminally ill patients.”

Team members should include representatives from the State Department of Health (DOH), the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of Wellness and Resiliency (OWR), the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, and more.

Like the draft, the DOH would oversee the task force, an amendment approved by the House Health Committee last month makes the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) the responsible institution, and JABSOM’s nominee as the panel’s chairman.

The commission also adopted amendments suggested by the Department of Law Enforcement to say that its Division of Narcotics Enforcement — and not the Board of Pharmacy — would be responsible for changing the state’s scheduling of psychedelics after any federal reclassification, and to change the deadline for doing so from 90 days to 30 days.

Members note in their bill report that the state Agency for Health Planning and Development has expressed concern that psychedelics are illegal under federal law and that the task force should proceed with caution.

Finally, the panel made technical corrections for clarity, consistency, and style.

If ordered, it appears invoice would be It was first assembled in 2023 based on prior work by a separate psychedelic task force.With a similar goal of exploring avenues for therapeutic access in breakthrough drugs approved by the FDA such as psilocybin.

—
It’s Marijuana Time tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracking and become a Patreon supporter to gain access
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Meanwhile, Hawaii senators recently passed a bill to legalize low-dose, low-potency marijuanathe legislation did not advance the necessary steps before a crucial deadline, so it is dead for the year.

A separate marijuana legalization bill, SB 2421, that contained provisions under federal reform law or amendments to the state Constitution, was delayed for action. The Senate and House panels also delayed action on a measure to sell certain hemp-derived cannabinoid products.

These actions follow Senior lawmakers in the House indicated that proposals to legalize cannabis would not move forward In the 2026 session, citing the lack of sufficient support in their chamber.

Earlier this month, a Hawaii Senate committee unanimously approved legislation to allow patients immediately enter medical cannabis after submitting their recordsinstead of waiting for the cards to be delivered, as is the case under current legislation.

A Senate committee also adopted the resolutions Asking Congress to federally legalize marijuanasupport the state’s efforts to clean up people’s criminal records and take steps to make it easier for cannabis companies to access banking services.

Another Senate panel advanced separate resolutions urging the state attorney general and the health department to seek a waiver from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Hawaii is allowed to run its cannabis program without federal interference.

user photo Wikimedia/Mushroom Observer.

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Cannabis News

Rescheduling appeal process ‘remains pending’ despite Trump’s executive order

Published

1 day ago

April 8, 2026

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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says the marijuana redistricting appeals process “remains pending” despite President Donald Trump issuing an executive order more than three months ago ordering the attorney general to pursue reform “as expeditiously as possible.”

The DEA and reform advocates filed a joint status report Monday on the agency’s interlocutory appeal of bias and improper communications with parties opposed to the redistricting.

“To date, the Movants’ interlocutory appeal to the Administrator on the Motion for Reconsideration remains pending with the Administrator,” said attorneys representing the DEA and cannabis reform advocates who are challenging the process. “No information schedule has been established.”

The agency is responsible for establishing the information schedule. But nearly a year after a former administrative law judge granted the appeal, the DEA is once again delaying the process. This is the fifth consolidated status report, with largely identical language, that the parties have submitted under the administrative litigation order.

Cannabis News

Massachusetts Lawmakers Unanimously Pass Bill To Double Marijuana Possession Limit And Restructure Cannabis Commission

Published

1 day ago

April 8, 2026

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Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives have unanimously approved a bill double the legal limit for possession of marijuana for adults and revise the regulatory framework For the state’s adult cannabis market.

The House of Representatives approved the legislation in a 155-0 vote on Wednesday. If the Senate goes ahead, expected this week, the proposal would go to the desk of Gov. Maura Healey (D), who could sign it or veto it, making it law without her signature or proposing amendments for lawmakers to consider.

A bicameral conference committee spent months working on provisions of the legislation after the two chambers passed different versions last year, and the committee approved the compromise approach on Monday.

“The conference committee’s report lays out an excellent road map for the future structure of cannabis regulation in the commonwealth,” said Rep. Daniel M. Donahue (D), who chaired the bicameral panel, before the vote on the House floor.

Changes to the state’s cannabis regulatory structure will “create better accountability, better transparency and greater efficiencies in the oversight of our cannabis industry,” he said. “We also worked on some massive regulatory changes for the industry. I think some of these regulatory changes have been a long time coming, and that’s why we should be proud that we’re doing it to help our businesses.”

Donahue and Sen. Adam Gómez (D), who chaired the conference committee, said in a joint statement earlier this week that the agreement “charts a more hopeful path forward for the regulation of cannabis in our commonwealth.”

“The bill creates new opportunities for small businesses to grow, while providing temporary and exclusive access to those opportunities for those historically harmed by marijuana laws,” said the lawmakers, who also serve as chairs of the House Joint Cannabis Policy Committee. “This bill will allow them to realize their capital and achieve innovative models such as employee businesses.”

Among the revisions to the state’s cannabis law is a section that would increase the personal possession limit of marijuana from one ounce to two. Colorado enacted the same reform in 2021 after the state’s cannabis market matured.

H.5350 would reduce the size and reorganize the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), while also updating the limits on marijuana business licenses.

According to the versions of both chambers invoiceThe CCC would consist of three members instead of the current five. Conference committee the report It adopts provisions of the House measure that would allow the governor to make all the appointments, with the Senate approach giving the attorney general one of the appointments. Under current legislation, the treasurer also has a role in appointing committee members, but this will not be the case if the legislation comes into force.

The proposal calls for one member of the CCC to have a background in social justice, while the other two commissioners have a background in public health, public safety, social justice, consumer regulation or the production and distribution of cannabis.

The bill will also increase the number of licenses a single entity can hold from three to six, and also raise from 10 percent to 20 percent the threshold for how much of a company’s equity is considered property to count toward the license cap. It also removes a current requirement that medical cannabis operators be vertically integrated to simultaneously cultivate, manufacture and sell marijuana.

It also empowers regulators to choose dispensaries to advertise sales, discounts and customer loyalty programs at retail locations and via email, and specifies that marijuana dispensary operators can deliver to any municipality unless local officials proactively ban cannabis businesses and stop delivery.

The measure creates a new portal for reporting illegal behavior and directs regulators to create a list of cannabis companies that have not paid their debts to other operators for more than 60 days and prevents regulators from doing business with other operators until the debts are settled.

The legislation also requires regulators to study and report on hemp-derived products, the public health impacts of cannabis, tax policy and workplace safety regulations.

The passage of the cannabis regulation bill comes as the state’s marijuana businesses file a lawsuit to block it. initiative to roll back the legalization law approved by state voters from reaching the November vote.

If approved, the state would not return to general prohibition; rather, it would repeal the commercial recreational sales and home cultivation components of the law, while allowing adults 21 and older to possess one ounce of cannabis for personal use.

Possession of more than one ounce but less than two ounces would effectively be decriminalized, with violators facing a $100 fine. Adults can also continue to gift cannabis to each other without payment. The sale of medical marijuana would be legal.

The measure is before the legislature after supporters provided an initial round of signatures last year, and lawmakers have until May 5 to act on the proposal. If they decide not to pass it in the legislature, the campaign would have to go through another round of petitions and get at least 12,429 certified signatures by July 1 to get on the November ballot.

The promoters faced skeptical questions from lawmakers at a hearing of the Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions last month, with several. raising concerns about the motivations behind the anti-marijuana measure and the consequences for consumers and companies.

A Bay State Poll by the University of Hampshire State Opinion Project found that A majority of Massachusetts adults oppose the initiative to repeal the sale and cultivation of marijuana.

Meanwhile, in November, the legislature’s Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy advanced a bill that would have required a study. legal barriers facing first responders who want to use marijuana in compliance with state law.

Regulators should also examine marijuana’s effectiveness in the treatment of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, police and first responders in other jurisdictions will review laws and policies regarding the use of cannabis and “any other matter deemed relevant by the commission.”

The bill was reported when lawmakers in another committee passed separate legislation employment protection for people who use marijuana. Another panel advanced a a bill similar to the employment protections for cannabis in September

Meanwhile, the head of Massachusetts’ marijuana regulatory agency recently suggested measures to effectively recriminalize the sale of recreational cannabis. dangerous tax revenues being used to support substance abuse treatment efforts and other public programs.

To that point, Massachusetts recently achieved another marijuana milestone, officials announced in February that the state has. Over $9 billion in adult cannabis purchases since market launch in 2018.

A report by the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) found that legalization is achieving one of its main goals: stopping the illegal sale of cannabis as adults move into the regulated market. It shows that among adults who used marijuana in the past year, a staggering 84 percent said they got their cannabis from a licensed source.

Massachusetts lawmakers recently joined a bicameral conference committee to hammer out a deal. double the legal limit for possession of marijuana for adults and review the regulatory framework for the state’s adult cannabis market.

In December, state regulators, too established rules for the halls of social consumption of marijuana.

CCC has recently launched a targeted online platform helping people find work, on-the-job training and networking opportunities in the state’s legal cannabis industry.

Separately, members of parliament are advancing the legislation establishing pilot programs for the regulated therapeutic use of psychedelics.

Marihuana Moment is made possible with the help of readers. If you rely on our pro-cannabis journalism to stay informed, consider a monthly Patreon pledge.