ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1391: IX South-Eastern Europe Symposium on Vegetables and Potatoes
Yield and morphology of mustard and garden cress microgreens grown under LED’s supplemental lighting |
| Authors: | R. Vrkić, B. Benko, S. Fabek Uher, J. Šic Žlabur |
| Keywords: | Sinapis alba L., Lepidium sativum L., photosynthetic lighting, microgreens yield |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1391.45 |
| Abstract:
Light is one of the key factors for optimal plant growth and development. The quality and photoperiod of light directly impact plant yield and morphological properties. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of three different wavelengths of supplemental LED’s lighting: blue (450 nm), red (620 nm) and a combination of blue and red spectrum (50:50) in the photoperiod of 14 h on the yield and morphological properties of mustard (Sinapis alba L.) and garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) microgreens. Microgreens were grown in a climate chamber with fully controlled plant growth conditions (25°C, 60% RH) for eight days under supplemental LED’s lighting. After eight days, microgreens were manually cut at the base of the hypocotyl in the cotyledon phenophase. While the highest yield of mustard microgreens (1590 g m‑2) was achieved under the blue spectrum, the highest yield of cress salad microgreens was achieved under the combined spectrum (690 g m‑2). Microgreens of mustard grown under blue and combined spectrum developed longer hypocotyl than those grown under red but without significant differences. At the same time, garden cress microgreens grown under the red spectrum developed significantly shorter hypocotyl (5.4 cm) than under the other two tested spectrums (6.4 cm). The cotyledon length of mustard microgreens was similar (0.6-0.8 cm) under all tested wavelengths. At the same time, cress salad microgreens grown under blue light developed significantly larger cotyledons (1.2 cm) than under red (0.6 cm) and combined spectrum (0.7 cm), respectively. Future research is needed to determine the best spectrum and photoperiod for high and quality commercial production of particular microgreens species. | |
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