Abstract
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are useful for the in-vitro micropropagation of plants, but little information is available on woody species. This work compares the effects of light quality and intensity on the growth and development of micropropagated olive plants from two different subspecies. Illumination was provided with fluorescent and LED lamps covering different red/blue ratios (90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40) or red/blue/white combinations, as well as different light intensities (30, 34, 40, 52, 56, 84, 98 and 137 µmol m−2 s−1 of photosynthetic photon fluxes, PPF). Olive plants exhibited high sensitivity to light quality and intensity. Higher red/blue ratios or lower light intensities stimulated plant growth and biomass mainly as a consequence of a higher internodal elongation rate, not affecting either the total number of nodes or shoots. In comparison to fluorescent illumination, LED lighting improved leaf area and biomass, which additionally was positively correlated with light intensity. Stomatal frequency was positively, and pigments content negatively, correlated with light intensity, while no clear correlation was observed with light quality. In comparison with fluorescent lamps, LED illumination (particularly the 70/30 red/blue ratio with 34 µmol m−2 s−1 PPF intensity) allowed optimal manipulation and improved the quality of in-vitro micropropagated olive plants.
Highlights
Olive (Olea europaea, L.) is a woody crop belonging to the Oleaceae family
A clear variation of plant growth was observed in micropropagated olive plants treated with different light regimes (Figure 1)
A clear variation of plant growth was observed in micropropagated olive plants trea2t.eRdeswuiltths different light regimes (Figure 1)
Summary
Olive (Olea europaea, L.) is a woody crop belonging to the Oleaceae family. It is a medium-sized tree of about 4 to 8 m high, depending on the variety. Olive is a crop that is well adapted to Mediterranean drylands, with very acceptable productions and is capable of surviving periods of intense water deficit. It does not tolerate temperatures below −10 ◦C for prolonged periods of time. It is a plant highly dependent on light, so that light deficiency reduces the number of flowers or their viability. An increase of in-vitro culture efficiency for olive requires the optimization of temperature, lighting and ventilation parameters. Light quality and quantity play essential roles in plant photosynthesis, development and organogenesis [3,4,5,6]
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