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The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2023) | Viewed by 28234

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Prof. Dr. Hail Rihan

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1. School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
2. Consultant Professor, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia
Interests: new-generation LED technologies; impact of light spectra on growth, yield, chemistry, biology, and molecular information of plants; hydroponic production of high-value crops; breeding of wheat and cauliflower; abiotic stress (drought, cold, and salinity); molecular mechanism of plant abiotic stress tolerance (e.g., monitoring gene expression profiles/patterns and gene regulatory networks for understanding genetic control for crop improvement
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Prof. Dr. Mick Fuller

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School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
Interests: plant stress physiology: frost tolerance, ice nucleation, infrared thermal imaging, salt tolerance, drought tolerance; plant biotechnology: plant tissue culture, molecular biology crop physiology; agronomy: physiology of vegetable crops and cereals, climate change physiology, glasshouse crop physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

A new method of artificially grown light sources, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), has been intensively developed in recent years and now has potential for use in agricultural and horticultural production. LEDs have a linear photon output with electrical input current. LEDs also have a substantial potential importance in plant development because LEDs can be constructed in arrays big enough to provide enough PAR but still small in size (few centimeters in diameter) and still emit less heat than “traditional” high‐intensity discharge lighting lamps. LEDs are also known for their durability and long operating lifetime. LED arrays can be designed to have wavelength specificity, which is a key factor due to the fact that each plant species responds differentially to different light wavelengths due to specific differences in their photoreceptors. Plenty of research has investigated the role of LEDs in enhancing plant shape, edible quality, biomass, number of leaves, growth rate, and stem width. Simultaneously, research has demonstrated the effects of LEDs on chemical compounds such as vitamin C content, soluble sugar content, chlorophyll level, antioxidant activity, and different protein levels of many plant species.

For this Special Issue, articles (original research papers, perspectives, opinions, and reviews) that focus on the impact of LED light spectra on plant tissue culture programs, growth and yield of plants, essential oil content and chemical composition of pharmaceutical plant species, plant biochemistry, plant physiology, gene and protein expressions, plant metabolites and nutrition, and economical analysis of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) systems using LED lights are most welcome.

Prof. Dr. Hail Rihan
Prof. Dr. Mick Fuller
Guest Editors

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

LED (light-emitting diode)
pharmaceutical plants
light spectrum
yield, photosynthesis
photosynthetic photon flux
secondary metabolism
physiological regulation
photoreceptors
photobiology
spectral composition

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The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality 2.0 in Plants (3 articles)

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Research

17 pages, 2616 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Various LED Light Qualities, Including Wide Red Spectrum-LED, on the Growth and Quality of Mini Red Romaine Lettuce (cv. Breen)

by Joo Hwan Lee, Yong Beom Kwon, Yoo Han Roh, In-Lee Choi, Jidong Kim, Yongduk Kim, Hyuk Sung Yoon and Ho-Min Kang

Plants 2023, 12(10), 2056; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12102056 - 22 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1765

Abstract

Recently, LEDs with various light qualities have been used in closed plant factories, and they are known to have different effects on the growth and quality of crops. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the change in growth and quality in mini red romaine lettuce using LEDs with various light qualities. Wide red spectrum (WRS)-LEDs, blue (B)-LEDs, blue + red (BR)-LEDs, red (R)-LEDs, and white (W)-LEDs were used as the artificial light sources. Regarding growth, the R-LED treatment showed the most positive effect, but the leaf shape was not normal and the Hunter b* value was not suitable because it was higher than that of the other treatments. The Hunter a*, SPAD, and NDVI values of the B- and BR-LED treatments were effective, but this was not the case for those of the R- and W-LED treatments. The anthocyanin reflectance index 1 (ARI1) was 20 times higher in the B-LED treatment than in the R-LED treatment, and the ascorbic acid content was the highest in the WRS-LED treatment. In the sensory evaluation, bitterness and sweetness showed opposite tendencies. Regarding the overall preference, the BR-LED treatment received the highest score. Correlation analysis showed that the bitterness was closely correlated with the anthocyanin content and leaf color. Taken together, BR-LEDs provided a good top fresh weight, dark red leaves, and high anthocyanin and ascorbic acid contents, with the highest overall preference; therefore, BR-LEDs were the most suitable for the cultivation of mini red romaine lettuce. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality)

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12 pages, 6268 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shift in the Light Quality of Night Interruption Affects Flowering and Morphogenesis of Petunia hybrida

by Yoo Gyeong Park and Byoung Ryong Jeong

Plants 2023, 12(10), 2049; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12102049 - 21 May 2023

Viewed by 1202

Abstract

Petunia hybrida Hort. “Easy Wave Pink”, a qualitative long-day plant (LDP), was investigated to study the effects of the night interruption light (NIL) provided by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) quality shifting on the morphogenesis, blooming, and transcription of photoreceptor genes. Plants were grown in a closed-type plant factory employing white (W) LEDs at an intensity of 180 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ PPFD provided for short day (SD, 10 h light, 14 h dark), long day (LD, 16 h light, 8 h dark), or SD with 4 h night interruption (NI) with LEDs at an intensity of 10 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ PPFD. The NIL quality was shifted from one light spectrum to another after the first 2 h of NI. Light treatments consisting of all possible pairings of W, far-red (Fr), red (R), and blue (B) light were tested. The SD and LD were referenced as the control, while 12 NI treatments involved altering LED NIL qualities, as follows: from R to B (NI-RB), from B to R (NI-BR), from Fr to R (NI-FrR), from R to Fr (NI-RFr), from Fr to B (NI-FrB), from B to Fr (NI-BFr), from B to W (NI-BW), from W to B (NI-WB), from W to Fr (NI-WFr), from Fr to W (NI-FrW), from W to R (NI-WR), and from R to W (NI-RW). The NI-RFr resulted in the longest shoots, while the NI-WR and NI-RW resulted in the shortest shoots. NI-WR, NI-RW, NI-BW, NI-WB, NI-RFr, NI-RB, NI-BR, and LD all exhibited flowering. High-level expressions of photoreceptor genes were confirmed in the NI-RFr, NI-FrR, NI-BFr, NI-RW, and NI-WR treatments. Morphogenesis and blooming were both impacted by the photoperiod. The first NIL had no effects on the flowering or the morphogenesis, but the second NIL had a profound impact on both. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality)

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19 pages, 4516 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Supplemental Inter-Lighting on Paprika Cultivated in an Unheated Greenhouse in Summer Using Various Light-Emitting Diodes

by Yong Beom Kwon, Joo Hwan Lee, Yoo Han Roh, In-Lee Choi, Yongduk Kim, Jidong Kim and Ho-Min Kang

Plants 2023, 12(8), 1684; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12081684 - 17 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1619

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of supplemental inter-lighting on paprika (cv. Nagano RZ) in South Korea in summer using various LED light sources. The following LED inter-lighting treatments were used: QD-IL (blue + wide-red + far-red inter-lighting), CW-IL (cool-white inter-lighting), and B+R-IL (blue + red (1:2) inter-lighting). To investigate the effect of supplemental lighting on each canopy, top-lighting (CW-TL) was also used. Additionally, a control without supplemental lighting was included for comparison. Significant variations were observed in the plant growth indexes 42 days after treatment. The SPAD values and total chlorophyll content in the last period of cultivation were significantly higher than those of the control. In November, the marketable fruit yield was significantly higher than that of the control. QD-IL, CW-IL, and CW-TL resulted in significantly higher values of total soluble solids than the control, and CW-IL resulted in higher values of ascorbic acid content than the control. Regarding the economic analysis, CW-IL resulted in the highest net income rate (12.70%) compared with the control. Therefore, the light sources of CW-IL were assessed as suitable for supplemental lighting due to the highest total soluble solids, ascorbic acid content, and net income rate obtained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality)

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14 pages, 2808 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of LED Light Spectra on the Growth, Yield and Nutritional Value of Red and Green Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

by Abdullah A. Alrajhi, Abdulaziz S. Alsahli, Ibrahim M. Alhelal, Hail Z. Rihan, Michael P. Fuller, Abdullah A. Alsadon and Abdullah A. Ibrahim

Plants 2023, 12(3), 463; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030463 - 19 Jan 2023

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5088

Abstract

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is a method of increasing crop productivity per unit area of cultivated land by extending crop production into the vertical dimension and enabling year-round production. Light emitting diodes (LED) are frequently used as the source of light energy in CEA systems and light is commonly the limiting factor for production under CEA conditions. In the current study, the impact of different spectra was compared with the use of white LED light. The various spectra were white; white supplemented with ultraviolet b for a week before harvest; three combinations of red/blue lights (red 660 nm with blue 450 nm at 1:1 ratio; red 660 nm with blue 435 nm 1:1 ratio; red 660 nm with blue at mix of 450 nm and 435 nm 1:1 ratio); and red/blue supplemented with green and far red (B/R/G/FR, ratio: 1:1:0.07:0.64). The growth, yield, physiological and chemical profiles of two varieties of lettuce, Carmoli (red) and Locarno (green), responded differently to the various light treatments. However, white (control) appeared to perform the best overall. The B/R/G/FR promoted the growth and yield parameters in both varieties of lettuce but also increased the level of stem elongation (bolting), which impacted the quality of grown plants. There was no clear relationship between the various physiological parameters measured and final marketable yield in either variety. Various chemical traits, including vitamin C content, total phenol content, soluble sugar and total soluble solid contents responded differently to the light treatments, where each targeted chemical was promoted by a specific light spectrum. This highlights the importance of designing the light spectra in accordance with the intended outcomes. The current study has value in the field of commercial vertical farming of lettuce under CEA conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality)

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18 pages, 3074 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Light Quality Modulates Photosynthesis and Antioxidant Properties of B. vulgaris L. Plants from Seeds Irradiated with High-Energy Heavy Ions: Implications for Cultivation in Space

by Ermenegilda Vitale, Luigi Gennaro Izzo, Chiara Amitrano, Violeta Velikova, Tsonko Tsonev, Palma Simoniello, Veronica De Micco and Carmen Arena

Plants 2022, 11(14), 1816; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11141816 - 10 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1862

Abstract

Beta vulgaris L. is a crop selected for cultivation in Space for its nutritional properties. However, exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) can alter plant photosynthetic performance and phytochemical production in the extraterrestrial environment. This study investigated if plant growth under different light quality regimes (FL—white fluorescent; RGB—red–green–blue; RB—red–blue) modifies the photosynthetic behavior and bioactive compound synthesis of plants sprouted by dry seeds irradiated with carbon or titanium high-energy ions. The study evidenced that: (i) the plant response depends on the type of heavyion; (ii) control and C-ion-irradiated plants were similar for photosynthetic pigment content and PSII photochemical efficiency, regardless of the LQ regime; (iii) under FL, net photosynthesis (A_N) and water use efficiency (iWUE) declined in C- and Ti-ion plants compared to control, while the growth of irradiated plants under RGB and RB regimes offset these differences; (iv) the interaction Ti-ion× RB improved iWUE, and stimulated the production of pigments, carbohydrates, and antioxidants. The overall results highlighted that the cultivation of irradiated plants under specific LQ regimes effectively regulates photosynthesis and bioactive compound amounts in leaf edible tissues. In particular, the interaction Ti-ion × RB improved iWUE and increased pigments, carbohydrates, and antioxidant content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality)

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14 pages, 1138 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Phenolic Compounds Content Evaluation of Lettuce Grown under Short-Term Preharvest Daytime or Nighttime Supplemental LEDs

by Aušra Brazaitytė, Viktorija Vaštakaitė-Kairienė, Rūta Sutulienė, Neringa Rasiukevičiūtė, Akvilė Viršilė, Jurga Miliauskienė, Kristina Laužikė, Alma Valiuškaitė, Lina Dėnė, Simona Chrapačienė, Asta Kupčinskienė and Giedrė Samuolienė

Plants 2022, 11(9), 1123; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11091123 - 21 Apr 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2721

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the changes in phenolic compounds content in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Little Gem) depending on the preharvest short-term daytime or nighttime supplemental light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to high-pressure sodium lamps (HPS) lighting in a greenhouse during autumn and spring cultivation. Plants were grown in a greenhouse under HPS supplemented with 400 nm, 455 nm, 530 nm, 455 + 530 nm or 660 nm LEDs light for 4 h five days before harvest. Two experiments (EXP) were performed: EXP1—HPS, and LEDs treatment during daytime 6 PM–10 PM, and EXP2—LEDs treatment at nighttime during 10 AM–2 PM. LEDs’ photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was 50 and HPS—90 ± 10 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹. The most pronounced positive effect on total phenolic compounds revealed supplemental 400 and 455 + 530 nm LEDs lighting, except its application during the daytime at spring cultivation, when all supplemental LEDs light had no impact on phenolics content variation. Supplemental 400 nm LEDs applied in the daytime increased chlorogenic acid during spring and chicoric acid during autumn cultivation. 400 nm LEDs used in nighttime enhanced chlorogenic acid accumulation and rutin during autumn. Chicoric and chlorogenic acid significantly increased under supplemental 455 + 530 nm LEDs applied at daytime in autumn and used at nighttime—in spring. Supplemental LEDs application in the nighttime resulted in higher phenolic compounds content during spring cultivation and the daytime during autumn cultivation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality)

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17 pages, 20829 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Red Light and Glucose Enhance Cytokinin-Mediated Bud Initial Formation in Physcomitrium patens

by Durga Prasad Biswal and Kishore Chandra Sekhar Panigrahi

Plants 2022, 11(5), 707; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11050707 - 07 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2434

Abstract

Growth and development of Physcomitrium patens is endogenously regulated by phytohormones such as auxin and cytokinin. Auxin induces the transition of chloronema to caulonema. This transition is also regulated by additional factors such as quantity and quality of light, carbon supply, and other phytohormones such as strigolactones and precursors of gibberrelic acid. On the other hand, cytokinins induce the formation of bud initials following caulonema differentiation. However, the influence of external factors such as light or nutrient supply on cytokinin-mediated bud initial formation has not been demonstrated in Physcomitrium patens. This study deals with the effect of light quality and nutrient supply on cytokinin-mediated bud initial formation. Bud initial formation has been observed in wild type plants in different light conditions such as white, red, and blue light in response to exogenously supplied cytokinin as well as glucose. In addition, budding assay has been demonstrated in the cry1a mutant of Physcomitrium in different light conditions. The results indicate that carbon supply and red light enhance the cytokinin response, while blue light inhibits this process in Physcomitrium. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality)

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11 pages, 2329 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

The Impact of LED Lighting Spectra in a Plant Factory on the Growth, Physiological Traits and Essential Oil Content of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

by Hail Z. Rihan, Naofel Aljafer, Marwa Jbara, Lynn McCallum, Sabine Lengger and Michael P. Fuller

Plants 2022, 11(3), 342; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030342 - 27 Jan 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3404

Abstract

With the recent development of LED lighting systems for plant cultivation, the use of vertical farming under controlled conditions is attracting increased attention. This study investigated the impact of a number of LED light spectra (red, blue, green and white) on the growth, development and essential oil content of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), a herb and pharmaceutical plant species used across the world. White light and red-rich light spectra gave the best outputs in terms of impact on the growth and yield. For blue-rich spectra, the development and yield was lower despite having a significant impact on the photosynthesis activity, including Fv/Fm and NDVI values. For the blue-rich spectra, a peak wavelength of 450 mn was better than that of 435 nm. The results have practical value in terms of increased yield and the reduction of electricity consumption under controlled environmental conditions for the commercial production of lemon balm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality)

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12 pages, 2095 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Red Light Enhances the Antioxidant Properties and Growth of Rubus hongnoensis

by Hyeon Eui Oh, Ara Yoon and Yoo Gyeong Park

Plants 2021, 10(12), 2589; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122589 - 26 Nov 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 1917

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of light quality on R.hongnoensis growth, physiology, and antioxidant properties. Five light conditions were employed, including white (control), red (R), blue (B), combined LED of R, green (G), and B at 7:1:2 (RGB), as well as combined LED of R, G, B, and far-red (Fr) at 7:1:2:1 (RGBFr). R light had the greatest growth-promoting effect based on plant height, leaf length, leaf width, stem diameter, and leaf area. However, leaf width and root length exhibited the greatest growth under RGB. The fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots were highest under R and RGB light. Photosynthesis was highest under RGB and lowest under B. Transpiration was highest in RGBFr. Stomatal conductance and photosynthetic water use efficiency were greatest under RGBFr. Total phenol content and radical scavenging activity were highest under R, while total flavonoid content was highest under RGB. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities were upregulated under W, whereas guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) activity was highest under RGB. The present results suggest that, among the tested light treatments, R light was most conductive for vegetative growth and antioxidant capacity in R. hongnoensis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality)

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16 pages, 8986 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Light Spectrum and Intensity on the Growth, Physiology, and Antioxidant Activity of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

by Shiren J. Mohamed, Hail Z. Rihan, Naofel Aljafer and Michael P. Fuller

Plants 2021, 10(10), 2162; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10102162 - 12 Oct 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3596

Abstract

This study focused on the physiology, growth and antioxidant activity response of hydroponically grown lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) under sole-source LED lighting of differing spectra. Lighting spectra were provided by differing combinations of LEDs of three different peak wavelengths, (Blue 435, Blue 450, and Red 663 nm) with ratios of B450/R663: 1.25 ± 0.1, B450/R663: 1.25 ± 0.1, and B450/R663 1:1 at two light intensities of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) (270 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 60 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹). A further experiment was conducted, in which Blue and Red LEDs were supplemented with Green (Blue 450, Red 663, and Green 520 nm) with ratios of B435/R663: 1.25 ± 0.1, B450/R663/G520: 1/0.73/0.26, and B450/R663: 1.25 ± 0.1. LED light intensities under the different spectra were adjusted to deliver the same level of PAR (270 ± 20 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹). Results from the first experiment showed that increased fraction of blue 435 nm in combination with red light at 663 nm at high irradiance enhanced the physiology of lettuce (i.e., significantly increased assimilation rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate) and increased the yield while having no significant effect on antioxidant activity. At the lower irradiance, the B435/R663 significantly increased antioxidant activity compared to other spectra. Results from the second experiment showed no significant effect of the spectra of LEDs on the physiology and yield of lettuce, but antioxidant activity was very significantly induced by B450/R663 at the ratio of 1.25 ± 0.1. However, the amount was still less than that obtained by B435/R663 1.25 ± 0.1 from the first experiment. This study indicates that LED light with a spectrum of B435/R663 at a ratio of 1.25 ± 0.1 significantly improves lettuce yield and antioxidant activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Spectra on Plant Growth and Quality)

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