Morphological changes and antioxidative capacity of jute (Corchorus capsularis, Malvaceae) under different color light-emitting diodes

Abstract

Light quality is an important environmental factor controlling plant growth and development. On the other hand, jute (Corchorus capsularis L.) (jute) is sensitive to light quality and the factory production of C. capsularis for vegetable use and for transplanting in the field requires an investigation of the responses of C. capsularis to light quality. For this purpose, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different color light-emitting diodes (LED) on growth, chlorophyll contents, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and antioxidative defense system in C. capsularis under glasshouse environment. Different light-emitting diodes were used in this study: white light (WL), red light (RL), dark red light (DL), mixed dark red light (ML), blue light (BL) and orange light (OL). Results showed that RL, DL and ML significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased plant height, crown length and plant biomass as compared with control (WL). All red-light spectrum, i.e., RL, DL and ML, improved leaf development, but decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline contents as well as activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD). Meanwhile, chlorophyll contents were also augmented. In contrast, BL and OL reduced plant growth, biomass, chlorophyll contents and increased activities of SOD, POD, content of proline, MDA, and reduced the total soluble protein which suggested that plants grown under BL and OL undergo high environmental stress. These results depicted that all red lights, i.e., red, dark red, mixed red lights, can be effectively implemented for industrial production of C. capsularis.