Question
One of our customers has posed the question "Does leaving the lights on in a banana room reduce mold growth? Is it worth the energy cost?" (T.L.)
Answer
I am not aware of visible light having the effect of reducing mold growth, at least the decay that affects bananas. And even if light did reduce decay, lights in the top of the room would not illuminate the bulk of the fruit in the room.
I can see no value in having lights on during the ripening process, except of course for safety of an operator inspecting the fruit.
—Jim Thompson