UbiQD Quantum Dot Glass Boosts Crop Yield, Efficiency, and Sustainability in USDA-Funded Study

07 October 2025, Los Alamos: UbiQD^®, a leader in quantum dot (QD) materials, today announced the publication of peer-reviewed results from a landmark greenhouse study funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA, through its National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)), and conducted at the University of California (UC), Davis. The findings, now published in Materials Today Sustainability, demonstrate that UbiQD’s luminescent QD-laminated glass significantly enhances plant growth, nutrient uptake, and energy efficiency in controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) settings, without any electricity or mechanical input.

The study marks the first deployment of quantum dot-integrated structural glass in agriculture, representing a new form factor of the UbiGro greenhouse technology, providing compelling evidence that spectrum-optimized glass can enable high-yield, year-round production, particularly in colder climates and energy-constrained regions.

“For glass greenhouse farmers looking to boost output while reducing energy inputs, this is a breakthrough,” said Hunter McDaniel, PhD, CEO of UbiQD. “These results prove that the sun can be engineered passively through QD-infused glass to deliver more productive, resilient, and sustainable food systems.”

Key Findings

Conducted over a full winter lettuce growing cycle at UC Davis, the study compared matched greenhouses, one equipped with laminated QD-glass, the other with standard greenhouse glass. The greenhouse using UbiGro glass delivered the following results:

• Fresh biomass increased by 37.8%
  • Plants were nearly 40% heavier, indicating significantly more edible yield.
• Leaf area was increased by 38.0%
  • Larger leaf area means higher photosynthetic surface.
• Root length increased by 38.0%
  • Deeper roots improve water and nutrient uptake, resilience, and shelf life.
• Light-use efficiency was increased by 41.0%
  • The plants used sunlight more effectively, with more biomass per photon.
• Nutrient concentrations (N, P, K, Mg, Zn, Cu) were significantly elevated
  • The crops were more nutritious, with higher levels of essential nutrients.
• Spectral red:blue ratio increased by 61.0%, with no significant PAR losses
  • More red light was delivered without sacrificing total usable light levels.

“It’s incredibly validating to see these spectral shifts result in measurable improvements in plant performance,” said Eric Moody, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at UbiQD. “Our film products are already delivering strong results in commercial greenhouses around the world, and this new data supports our broader vision for integrating light-optimizing technologies—like our upcoming glass innovations—into agriculture at scale.”

A Solution for the Global Food-Energy-Water Crisis

Global food production faces a perfect storm of pressures: rising demand, land and water scarcity, and worsening climate volatility. Agriculture already consumes over half of all habitable land, draws down ~72% of global freshwater withdrawals, and contributes nearly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As the world races toward a population of 10 billion by 2050, growers need solutions that maximize yield while minimizing resource use.

In that context, the UC Davis study provides timely and powerful validation for spectral engineering as a tool for sustainable intensification. The peer-reviewed results describe UbiGro glass as “a promising pathway toward climate-smart greenhouse envelopes that integrate photonics with sustainable food and energy strategies.”

The complete technical findings have been published in Materials and Sustainability Today under the title “Spectrally selective quantum dot laminated glass for photonic modulation and climate regulation in greenhouses.”

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