Abstract
Light energy is one of the most important factors regulating the growth and development of plants. In greenhouses and other controlled- environments in which the natural radiation intensities are often low, plant production relies on supplementary lighting to optimize the photosynthesis, increase production levels, and enable year-round production. For a long time, the research related to artificial lighting sources focused on the optimization of the efficiency of use for photosynthesis. The quality of light in plant production has been widely addressed only recently with the development of advanced LED technology that is energy efficient and enables the control of the spectral composition of light. Red and far-red light are sensed by the phytochromes that trigger several morphological and developmental processes that impact productivity and yield quality. Thus, to efficiently exploit all the advantages of LEDs and to develop LED arrays for specific plant applications, it is essential to understand thoroughly how light quality influences plant growth and development. This paper presents an overview of the recent developments in light quality manipulation, focusing on far-red light and the R: FR ratio, to improve yield and quality of products and to manage plant architecture and flowering in vegetable and ornamental horticulture.
Highlights
Many food and ornamental horticultural crops are produced year-round in greenhouses
We summarise the research work referring to the use of far-red light or manipulating the R : FR ratio, to improve yield and quality of products and to manage plant architecture and flowering in vegetable and ornamental horticulture
Each subunit consists of a light-absorbing pigment molecule called the ‘chromophore’ that is synthesized in chloroplasts and a polypeptide chain called ‘apoprotein’, synthesized in the cytosol
Summary
Many food and ornamental horticultural crops are produced year-round in greenhouses. Recently, plant factories and vertical farms that can ensure a supply of locally produced, fresh food are being introduced (Bantis et al, 2018). The availability of natural sunlight in these controlled-environments is often limited and could prevent or suppress plant production during large parts of the year. In such circumstances, the production of many crops rely on artificial lighting. Traditional artificial lighting sources, such as fluorescent, high-pressure sodium, metal halide and incandescent lamps, have long been used as a solo source or supplemental lighting to enhance photosynthesis and/or to regulate plant development (Bilodeau et al, 2019; Bantis et al, 2018). Many experiments have focused on designing an optimal lighting system, mostly modifying the proportion of different wavelengths within photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) region to support plant growth (Massa et al, 2008) and, more recently, to precisely regulate plant development. We summarise the research work referring to the use of far-red light or manipulating the R : FR ratio, to improve yield and quality of products and to manage plant architecture and flowering in vegetable and ornamental horticulture
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