I’ve been trying different searches but everything I find just says “sunlight”. Since sunlight consists of multiple parts such as UV, Infrared and the normal visible spectrum, I’m curious which part is actually responsible for photosynthesis to occur? On that note, depending on what part of the light, would it still grow with an LED, black light, etc.?
I think you’ll find this helpful: https://boulderlamp.com/light-spectrum-and-photosynthesis/
Awesome, so if I’m reading that right UV can contribute to growth, and IR doesn’t contribute much at all. The blue and red end of the visible spectrum encourages growth, however it can pretty much occur at any visible wavelength, just not as efficient as the bands listed on the image.
Blue and red are the biggest drivers for photosynthesis, but other wavelengths have effects on the plants as well. For example, far red light (infrared) has a huge influence on flowering and stem elongation in many plants. They really rely on light for a lot of cues for regulation.
Edit: words
Interestingly that chart basically says “light visible to humans”