OPTIMIZATION OF PARAMETERS OF STIMULATION OF LETTUCE PLANTS IN THE PROTECTED GROUND USING LASER OF RED SPECTRUM

Abstract

The use of laser technologies in agriculture has recently aroused great interest due to the positive effect on plants, which leads to an increase in bioenergetic potential, stimulation of biochemical and physiological processes. The success of irradiation depends on the choice of the exact parameters of the light source, time and exposure. (Research purpose) The research purpose is studying the effect of the red spectrum on the yield and growth of lettuce plants, conducting an experiment on laser irradiation of lettuce plants, stimulating growth and studying the resulting biomass dependence on the irradiation time. (Materials and methods) Two experiments were performed on laser irradiation of lettuce to stimulate growth and analyze the resulting biomass at fixed parameters of height and laser radiation power. Irradiation was carried out at night with a red light laser with a wavelength of 638 nanometers at a height of 2.6 meters at a heat flux density of 0.28 watts per square meter. (Results and discussion) When irradiation lasts for 4 seconds, it is possible to obtain the greatest increase in plant height by 16.5 percent and plant biomass by 15 percent relative to the control. The nutritional value of the green mass of lettuce was evaluated too. During laboratory studies, an increase in the protein content in laser-treated samples was about to 98 percent relative to the control. Due to the laser treatment, the content of water-soluble carbohydrates decreased by 30 percent relative to the control. (Conclusions) The article presents an experiment on laser irradiation of lettuce to study issues related to the stimulation of the growth of sprouted plants.