Key Takeaways
- Abhay Thosar brings over 25 years of combined plant physiology and greenhouse experience to his role at Sollum.
- Dynamic, four-channel LED lighting enables growers to adapt light spectra to crops rather than forcing crops to adapt to fixed lighting.
- ROI, not marginal yield gains alone, is central to evaluating LED lighting strategies in commercial greenhouses.
- Integration of LEDs with AI-driven climate, irrigation, and energy systems is expected to define the next phase of greenhouse technology.
- Growers are increasingly prioritizing long-term support, consistency, and future-proofing when selecting LED partners.
Abhay Thosar on Bridging Plant Physiology and Commercial Greenhouse Operations
Chief Horticultural Specialist at Sollum Technologies. Image provided by Sollum Technologies.
Abhay Thosar’s career has been shaped by a deliberate decision to move beyond academic research and into commercial greenhouse production. Trained as a plant physiologist, Thosar spent more than 12 years working directly in greenhouse operations, applying plant science principles to real-world cultivation challenges.
“I didn’t want to do research in a sandbox,” Thosar said. “I wanted to see how plant physiology actually applies in practice and how we can improve crop performance in terms of quality and productivity.”
This combination of theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience positioned him at the early stages of the horticultural LED transition. In 2013, he joined Philips Horticulture LED Solutions as the first hire in North America, at a time when static-spectrum LEDs represented the most viable commercial option. For more than a decade, Thosar worked across greenhouse lighting deployments, observing firsthand how growers adapted—or struggled to adapt—to new lighting technologies.
In 2024, he joined Sollum Technologies as Chief Horticulture Specialist, citing recent advancements in dynamic LED systems as the key reason for the move. “As a plant physiologist, I always knew different wavelengths impact plant responses,” he said. “Now, the technology is commercially viable.”
Sollum’s Three-Pillar Approach to Horticulture Lighting
Sollum positions itself not as a fixture supplier alone, but as a systems provider. According to Thosar, the company operates around three integrated pillars.
Advanced Dynamic Four-Channel LED Fixtures
Sollum’s hardware consists of four independently controllable light channels: blue, green, red, and far-red. Each channel can be adjusted anywhere between 0% and 100%, allowing growers to create crop- and phase-specific light recipes rather than relying on a fixed spectrum.
Software as an Operating Layer
The second pillar is Sollum’s “SUN as a Service®” software, which allows growers to automate spectral adjustments based on crop type, growth stage, and environmental conditions. “The grower can focus on growing,” Thosar said, “rather than constantly adjusting lighting parameters.”
Continuous Agronomic Support
The third pillar is 24/7 technical and agronomic support. Thosar and his team provide ongoing guidance, recognizing that lighting decisions cannot be isolated from broader greenhouse management. “It’s not just fixtures,” he said. “It’s knowledge sharing, training, and continuous optimization.”
Abhay Thosar on Why Advanced Dynamic LEDs Change the Grower Equation
Static LED fixtures typically lock growers into a single spectral profile for the full lifespan of the lights, often exceeding 15 years. Thosar argues this rigidity is increasingly incompatible with modern greenhouse realities.
“Markets change, crops change, diseases change,” he said. “If you’re stuck with a fixed spectrum, you’re asking the crop to adapt to the light. With advanced dynamic LEDs, the light adapts to the crop.”
Dynamic lighting also enables geographic customization. Thosar highlighted differences between winter light conditions in the Netherlands and Canada. Dutch growers may receive as little as one to three moles of natural light in winter, while Canadian growers can receive double that amount.
“The same strawberry cultivar will need different spectral strategies depending on location,” he explained. “A recipe that works in the Netherlands won’t automatically work in Ontario.”
For crops such as cucumbers, dynamic far-red control plays a role in managing plant architecture during low-light periods, while higher red ratios can be emphasized when natural light is sufficient to drive photosynthesis.
ROI Before Recipes: Evaluating LED Performance in Practice
Thosar is cautious about headline-grabbing lighting trials that demonstrate small yield improvements without accounting for cost. “You can publish a study showing a five percent yield increase,” he said, “but if the energy cost doubles, that doesn’t help the grower.”
At Sollum, trials are structured around return on investment rather than isolated physiological responses. Energy consumption, energy savings, yield gains, and capital expenditure are evaluated together.
“We look at how many years it takes to recover the investment,” Thosar said. “Whether that’s two, three, or four years, the grower needs that clarity before making a decision.”
He also emphasized that light is only one variable among many. “If you adjust the spectrum but ignore temperature, CO₂, humidity, or fertigation, that’s a recipe for disaster,” he said.
Grower Mindset Shifts: From HPS to Integrated Systems
Over the past decade, Thosar has observed a significant shift in how growers perceive lighting. Early LED adoption was driven by curiosity or experimentation. Today, LEDs are increasingly viewed as a baseline requirement.
“The question is no longer ‘Should I use LEDs?’” he said. “It’s ‘What do I need to change in my greenhouse to make LEDs work for me?’”
The transition from high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting has required a mindset change. Unlike HPS, LEDs decouple light from heat, forcing growers to rethink climate control strategies. Sollum provides training not only to growers but also to greenhouse staff to support this transition.
The Next Phase According To Abhay Thosar: AI Integration and System-Level Optimization
Looking ahead five to ten years, Thosar does not expect dramatic jumps in LED efficacy beyond current benchmarks of around 4.0 µmol/J. Instead, he sees the next phase emerging through integration.
“Lighting is pushing plant responses,” he said. “Now we need systems that respond alongside it.”
He expects deeper integration between LED platforms and AI-driven tools for yield prediction, irrigation management, CO₂ control, and energy optimization. The goal is to prevent plant stress while maximizing productivity and consistency.
“If lighting strategy increases demand for CO₂ at a certain moment, the grower should see that immediately and respond,” he said.
Choosing an LED Partner in a Crowded Market According To Abhay Thosar
With LED pricing and efficacy increasingly commoditized, Thosar believes differentiation now lies elsewhere. Trust, longevity, and post-installation support have become critical criteria.
“LEDs will hang in the greenhouse for 10 to 15 years,” he said. “Growers need to know the company will still be there.”
He cautioned against low-cost, short-term suppliers offering fixtures without agronomic backing. “You can buy LEDs off Alibaba,” he said. “But that doesn’t give you a holistic solution.”
For Thosar, the future of greenhouse lighting is not about selling fixtures—it is about delivering integrated systems that evolve with the grower’s business.
“In the end,” he said, “the technology has to serve the grower’s objectives, not the other way around.”
