Light Sum Calculator

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Plant Classification Based on Light Sum Needs

Shade-plants: 5 - 10 mol.m^-2 per day (e.g., Saintpaulia, Lorraine-begonia)
Medium tolerance plants: 10 - 20 mol.m^-2 per day (e.g., Kalanchoë, Poinsettia, pot-Chrysanthemum, Elatior-begonia)
Tolerant plants: > 20 mol.m^-2 per day (e.g., Roses, Tomato, Cucumber)

Formula

The formula to calculate the light sum (mol.m^-2) from irradiance (µmol.m^-2.s^-1) and duration (seconds) is:

\[ \text{Light Sum} (\text{mol.m}^{-2}) = \frac{\text{Irradiance} (\mu \text{mol.m}^{-2}.\text{s}^{-1}) \times \text{Duration} (\text{s})}{1000000} \]

Example Calculation

Let's assume the following values:

Irradiance = 100 µmol.m^-2.s^-1
Duration = 16 hours

Using the formula:

\[ \text{Light Sum} = \frac{100 \times (16 \times 3600)}{1000000} = 5.76 \text{mol.m}^{-2} \]

The light sum is 5.76 mol.m^-2.