A Layer of Light
UbiGro® is an innovative new greenhouse technology product that empowers greenhouse growers to control light quality, allowing plants to get the most from the world’s biggest light source: the sun. Enabled by patented quantum dot technology, UbiGro uses fluorescence to increase photosynthetic efficiency to improve fruit and flower production without wires or electricity. This increases crop yields for the grower, which means more revenue for the farm all without supplemental energy efficient greenhouse lighting.
Experience the future with UbiGro® – the game-changing sustainable farming practices film powered by quantum dot technology. Optimize light, greenhouse cover material, boost photosynthesis, and increase yields without extra costs or wires. Say goodbye to supplemental greenhouse lighting. Ready to cultivate success? Order UbiGro® now for a brighter, more productive future!
Simple Installation
UbiGro Cover is designed to be a replacement to your current polyethylene greenhouse cover. Follow the same installation instructions from your greenhouse manufacturer. UbiGro Cover can be deployed as a single layer or part of a double-wall poly system.
Versatile in Use
UbiGro Cover can be used in any type of greenhouse that uses a poly cover. Whether used as a single layer for a hoop house or double-wall poly gutter-connect greenhouse, UbiGro Cover has your greenhouse covered!
Minimal Maintenance
There is no special maintenance needed for UbiGro Cover. Our quantum dot technology is built into the extruded poly covering and you can handle and care for UbiGro Cover just as you do any other poly greenhouse covering.
Improved Photosynthetic Efficiency
Quantum dots in UbiGro greenhouse covering materials convert a portion of the sun’s UV and blue light into more potent orange and red light. Orange and red light is more efficiently converted into plant energy by chlorophyll versus green, blue, or UV.
Increased Fruit & Flower Production
Ideal lighting conditions encourage biomass accumulation by providing plants more energy for fruit and flower production.
Improved Full-Canopy Absorption
UbiGro emits diffuse light, causing photons to be more uniformly distributed in a greenhouse. Increased light diffusion will decrease shadowing from the upper canopy and bring light deeper into the lower levels of the crop to increase production.
Plant Photobiology
Understand the Spectrum
How Color Affects Plant Growth
Sustainable Farming Practices Relative photosynthetic efficiency is dependent on the wavelength of light. Wavelengths between 600-650 nm are the most efficient for photosynthesis. The ‘action spectrum’ illustrates the differences in relative photosynthetic efficiency by wavelength. See our White Paper for a more in depth look at this topic.
By shifting UV and blue to orange and red light, UbiGro shifts the sun’s spectrum towards the maximum photosynthetic potential in plants which in turn improves crop yields.
An Enhanced Spectrum
UbiGro glows when illuminated with sunlight. Unlike shade cloths, spray coatings or colored films that filter light, our technology converts short-wavelength photons (blue and UV) to longer wavelength photons (orange and red). This process not only enhances the efficiency of light utilization within the greenhouse but also contributes to more energy efficient greenhouse operations.
As a luminescent layer, the high-tech quantum dot technology within UbiGro empowers growers to optimize the sunlight in their greenhouse by converting excess photons of the solar spectrum while preserving colors critical for plant development. This innovative approach is part of sustainable farming practices that leverage advanced greenhouse technology to improve crop yields.
Take a Deeper Look
UbiGro Photophysics
Understand Light Diffusion
Light Diffusion Affects Plant Growth
A more uniform distribution of sunlight throughout the greenhouse canopy will increase overall photosynthesis and production. Diffuse scattering of sunlight, an integral part of greenhouse technology, is an effective way to achieve a more uniform distribution.
Direct light from the sun is strongly absorbed by the upper canopy leaving the lower canopy shaded. Diffused light avoids this issue: there is less shading by the upper canopy, higher light levels in the lower canopy, and the net result is better overall crop growth and plant productivity in energy efficient and sustainable farming practices.
Enhanced
Light
Diffusion
What is light diffusion? Simply put, it is the scattering of light. Photons from the sun get scattered in all directions as they pass through our layer of quantum dots in this energy-efficient greenhouse. Much like the dimpled reflector of an HID grow light that scatters the photons of light from the bulb, our UbiGro film scatters photons from the sun, incorporating sustainable farming practices.
The quantum dots used by UbiGro have great diffusion properties. When sunlight passes through UbiGro, these photons not only have their wavelengths changed to be more orange and red but also scatter, making them penetrate deeper into the plant canopy to increase overall production.
Why do Quantum Dots Glow?
QDs & Photons
UbiGro Glows. The product is designed to glow at the color that helps plants accumulate biomass as fast as possible, harnessing energy efficient greenhouse technology. What is happening within UbiGro to make this happen? The process is called ‘photoluminescence’. Photoluminescence is when a material absorbs a certain color of light and emits or ‘glows’ a different color. QDs in UbiGro film glow incredibly bright because they are so efficient at absorbing UV and blue light and emitting orange or red light, a key aspect of sustainable farming practices.
What does photoluminescence look like at the nanoscale?
Photons are particles of light. When a photon of UV or blue light hits a quantum dot, the light energy is absorbed, and almost immediately, a photon of a new color is emitted. Thanks to sunlight in a greenhouse, this process is occurring more than a trillion times per second in just 1ft2 of glowing UbiGro – which is why plants below UbiGro enjoy an optimized sunlight spectrum enhanced by greenhouse technology.
Questions?
Do you have questions about UbiGro’s technology? Talk to the Greenhouse Light Experts.
Connect With Us
Company
Resources
Hunter McDaniel, PhD
Founder & CEO
Hunter earned a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, before joining Los Alamos National Laboratory in the Chemistry Division. Ultimately the value proposition of UbiGro is about boosting crop yields and quality without the cost or energy impact of lighting. Hunter has more than fifty publications and patents, and more than 2000 total citations, h-index: 20. Hunter fundamentally believes that novel materials underpin every significant technology advancement, and he is focused on leveraging new materials to have a lasting and sustainable impact.
Damon Hebert, PhD
Director of Agriculture
Damon brings a wide range of experience in agriculture, materials science, spectroscopy, and small business. During his time in Prof. Angus Rockett’s research group at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Hebert authored a doctoral thesis and multiple papers on the materials science of CIGS semiconductor materials, which is closely related to the materials developed at UbiQD. He also served as a consultant to Nanosolar, a CIGS nanocrystal solar cell manufacturing company. Hebert has industry experience having co-founded Dr. Jolly’s, a leading cultivation and distribution operation in Bend, OR.
Tania Lafaille
Sales Representative
Tania is a UbiGro Sales Representative, with over 7 years of experience in product sales (specifically berries and avocados) covering all of North America and parts of South America. While in agriculture, Tania has cultivated strong relationships with growers and distributors, granting her a unique insight into both perspectives. That understanding, paired with her fierce dedication to results, drives her fun and fiery commitment to her craft. Tania is based in Gilroy, CA.
Tyler Veyna
Sales Representative
Tyler brings 15 years of experience in Greenhouse production and facility management of a wide range of crops in multiple states to the UbiGro team. Based in Salinas, California. “Being a fourth-generation farmer, I look to improve and empower the grower, and with UbiGro, we can do just that.”
Jim Gideon
Sales Manager
Jim Gideon is an UbiGro Sales Manager, with over 25 years of greenhouse industry sales experience covering all of North America. Previously Jim has worked for Green Tek, Plazit-Polygal, Texel, Cherry Creek, and Nexus. He is based in Montgomery, AL, and Jim believes that “light is everything to the grower.”
Eric Moody
Director of Sales
Eric Moody is UbiQD’s Director of UbiGro Sales. Eric has more than 6 years of experience in horticulture lighting industry, building relationships with greenhouse growers of all sizes and crops on optimal lighting for their growing operation, and most recently managed a North American sales team for PL Light Systems. Overall, Eric has been in sales leadership positions for more than 13 years. Eric brings with him a great understanding of the market and available technologies for growers, greenhouse facilities, and sales leadership. Reach Eric by phone at 541-490-6421 or by email at [email protected].
Mike Burrows, PhD
VP of Business Development
Dr. Michael Burrows is UbiQd’s Vice President of Business Development. His educational background includes a Materials Science doctorate from the University of Delaware and an MBA from Duke University Fuqua School of Business. His career has specialized in the commercialization of novel electronic materials in venture-run programs for different industries including solar, biosensors, and the automotive industry. In both start-up and corporate environments, he has extensive experience in global market development, foraging supply chain partnerships, productization, and brand building. He is currently leading UbiQD’s partnership efforts in luminescent greenhouse technology, smart windows, and security ventures.
Matt Bergern, PhD
Cheif Product Officer
As Chief Product Officer at UbiQD, Dr. Matt Bergren leads the company’s product development efforts, sales, and product manufacturing, including the company’s first commercial agriculture product, UbiGro. He plays a critical role in continuing the company’s path of technology development and vision of powering product innovations in agriculture, clean energy, and security.
He serves as the principal investigator for UbiQD’s contract with NASA, focused on tailoring the solar spectrum for enhanced crop production for space missions. Dr. Bergren’s leadership experience includes serving on the board of directors for the New Mexico Energy Manufacturing Institute, focused on job creation in New Mexico’s energy, and related manufacturing community.