Osram’s new broadband infrared LED helps farmers plan the best time for harvest

One of the most important decisions that farmers and vineyard owners have to make involves getting the timing right for the harvest. This not only ensures that the produce has the best possible taste but also means that precious time and money can be saved at the subsequent processing and shipment stages. To make it easier for farmers and vineyard owners to gage the right time for the harvest, Osram now presents its new Oslon Black SFH 4736 near-infrared LED (NIRED). Simply scanning fruit or cereal crops with the NIRED installed in a smartphone or tablet produces reliable information about the sugar, water and fat content.

Determining ripeness in this way is made possible by near-infrared spectroscopy. This involves “scanning” the content of various types of fruit and vegetables. The system makes use of the absorption behavior of certain molecular compounds. The NIRED irradiates a specimen with a defined spectrum of light and a spectrometer is used to measure the wavelength distribution of the reflected light. These measurements indicate the existence and quantity of certain ingredients. The farmer in the field or the vineyard owner at the vine can therefore take samples and easily monitor the progress of their crops in real time so they can plan the ideal time for the harvest (more info).