Cultivation of microalgae Chlorella sp. was performed in draft-tube photobioreactors. Effect of light intensity on the microalgae growth performance was conducted under a light intensity range of 82-590 mu mol/m(2) s. A lumostatic strategy was proposed based on the light distribution profiles obtained by image analysis and specific chlorophyll a content. The proposed lumostatic strategy allowed a maximum biomass dry weight of 5.78 g/L and a productivity of 1.29 g/L d, which were 25.7% and 74.3% higher than that achieved by the optimal constant light intensity, respectively. A comparison with other lumostatic strategies reported in the literature indicated that the proposed lumostatic strategy in the current study can be a promising approach in improving the growth of microalgae. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.