Influence of laser diode red beams on germination rate of tomato seeds

Laser diodes are lighting devices in which the light is generated by stimulated emission rather than spontaneous emission, with high generation efficiency. A device using 20 red laser diodes is presented. Emission wavelengths are in the 650-670 nm range. Emission power for each laser diode is about 4 mW. This device is used to irradiate the tomato seeds with three different irradiating doses. There were three Petri vessels for each dose having 25 seeds each of them. Results show that the germination rate increases for irradiated seeds. The red light has a positive effect for vegetable cultivated in protected area.© (2007) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.