Far-red light and temperature interactively regulate plant growth and morphology of lettuce and basil

Abstract

Both the spectral quality of light, particularly the ratio of red (R; 600–700 nm) to far-red light (FR; 700–800 nm), and temperature can regulate phytochrome activities, subsequently influencing plant growth and morphology. However, our understanding of how light quality and temperature interact to control phytochrome-mediated morphological responses is largely limited to hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis seedlings. In this study, we quantified the interactive effects between FR light and temperature on morphological traits of agronomic and horticultural significance in two crops with contrasting morphology and growth habits, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) ‘Rex’ and basil (Ocimum basilicum) ‘Genovese’. Plants were grown under blue (B), green (G), R, and FR LED light with three spectral treatments [B25G25R200 (0%FR), B25G25R175FR25 (10%FR), B25G25R150FR50 (20%FR); the subscript represents photon flux density in μmol m−2 s−1] and five temperature regimes [Day (℃)/Night (℃); 20/20, 24/24, 28/28, 20/28 (–DIF), 28/20 (+DIF); DIF represents differential day/night temperature]. Total photon flux density in each spectral treatment was 250 μmol m−2 s−1 (400–800 nm; 12-h photoperiod). As FR light percentage and temperature increased, leaf length and plant height increased in both species. However, the effects of FR light and temperature were interdependent. Specifically, the stimulative effects of FR light on extension growth generally diminished under warmer temperatures and in the –DIF treatment (20/28 ℃). Total leaf area increased with increasing FR percentage under 20/20 and 24/24 ℃ treatments in both lettuce and basil. However, under 28/28 ℃, increasing the FR percentage from 0% to 20% caused a decrease in lettuce leaf area while having no effect on basil leaf area. Similar to responses in total leaf area, dry biomass significantly increased with increasing FR percentage under cooler temperatures. Under warm temperature of 28/28 ℃, dry biomass decreased with increasing FR percentage in lettuce, whereas no significant difference was observed in basil. Due to the interaction between FR and temperature, phytochrome photoequilibrium (PPE) estimated from photoconversions alone was less predictive of plant morphology under varying temperature conditions. Those results indicate that light spectrum and temperature interactively regulate the activity of phytochromes, plant morphology, and subsequent plant growth in both lettuce and basil, and thus should be co-optimized in controlled environment crop production systems.