Sharp announced it has teamed up with Japan’s  Hiroshima Prefectural Technology Research Institute's Agricultural Center to develop moth repellent LED bulbs to prevent the nocturnal pests from destroying crops, and to minimize conventional moth lighting’s impact on crops.

The bulbs are expected to be commercialized and retailed in spring 2016.

Sharp's new moth repellent LED bulbs that is currently being jointly developed with Hiroshima Prefectural Technology Research Institute's Agricultural Center. (Sharp/LEDinside)

Traditional pesticide alternatives have included yellow lighting to repel moths. However, conventional moth repellent mercury vapor lamps and fluorescent lamps had to be kept on all night, and were unsuitable for lighting certain light sensitive crops, such as strawberries and chrysanthemums because of its adverse impact on these plants growth.

The current LED bulb developed by the agricultural center and Sharp is formed by merging the center’s moth repellent lighting technology and Sharp’s LED design and manufacturing know-how. The new LED bulbs effectively repels moths, while keeping the negative impact of lighting at a minimum by using flickering LED light technology.

The use of LED as the light source , as well as reduce the lamp life of the and lower power consumption , the flashing realization is difficult emitting a mercury lamp or a fluorescent lamp , and suppresses the adverse effect of traditional yellow mercury vapor lights and CFL lighting on the crop development.

Breakthrough these lights are expected to achieve is they will be highly moth repellent and be applicable in pesticide free farming, and on light sensitive crops such as strawberries and chrysanthemums.

No further details about the bulbs specs were offered on Sharp’s website.