Abstract
Indoor farming is becoming a popular alternative approach in food production to meet the demand of a growing world population. Under this production system, artificial light provides the main source of illumination in sustaining plant growth and development. The use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is a popular source of artificial light for indoor farms due to its narrow light spectra, modular design and energy efficiency. This study purposely assessed the effect of monochromatic LED light quality on the growth of three varieties of artichoke seedlings compared to greenhouse condition. Spectral quality assessment showed that photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was highest under red LED light, but only a third of the total PPFD under natural light. Seedlings grown under red light showed 60–100% more shoot dry weight and were 67–115% taller than seedlings grown in the greenhouse. However, seedlings under blue or white light conditions showed 67–76% less in biomass compared to greenhouse-grown seedlings. Overall, plant response of seedlings under red light condition was much better compared to greenhouse-grown seedlings emphasizing the importance of red light spectral quality in plant growth and development.
Highlights
The world population is estimated to reach the nine-billion mark by 2050 of which 66% will be living in urban areas (UN, 2014)
It is critical to optimize the spectral quality of the artificial light source for plant production in indoor farming facilities
The use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) lights is becoming a popular source of artificial light for indoor farming
Summary
The world population is estimated to reach the nine-billion mark by 2050 of which 66% will be living in urban areas (UN, 2014). This growth in population means that a 70–100% increase in food production is needed to feed the growing world population (Godfray et al, 2010). Artificial light source is a critical component in indoor farming since light is one of the most important environmental factors affecting plant growth and morphology (Hernández and Kubota, 2016). Fluorescent tubes (FTs) and high intensity discharge (HID) lamps (e.g., high pressure sodium) are the most commonly used artificial light sources for plant research and greenhouse horticulture (Hogewoning et al, 2010).
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