Effects of adding far-red light to the photosynthetic active spectrum on growth and morphological characteristics of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) under controlled conditions

Document Type : scientific research article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

2 Corresponding Author, Associate Prof., Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

3 Associate Prof., Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Light is an essential factor for growth and development in agricultural production. Vertical agriculture has been increasingly developed to produce leafy vegetables and herbs. High light consumption is the most important obstacle in the development of vertical farming system. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is one of the most popular leafy vegetables and is suitable for growing in plant factories. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to reveal the yield and dry matter production response of basil to add far-red light to the photosynthetic active spectrum, and finally to investigate the interaction of far-red light and daily light integral (DLI) on growth, morphology and light use efficiency in basil.
Materials and Methods: The experiment was performed in a split plot based on a randomized complete block design. Treatments included daily light integral (DLI) at two levels of 6.4 and 10.8 (mol m-2 d-1), and far-red light at three levels of 0, 5 and 20% based on the light recipe of the LEDs DLI. The measured traits included morphological traits (fresh and dry weight of leaves, stems and plants, plant height and leaf area), growth (specific leaf area (SLA), and partitioning to leaves), and determining the efficiency of light and radiation use efficiency.
Results: The results showed that the plant fresh and dry weight increased by far-red light at the level of 20% in high DLI conditions (10.8), which was due to the increase in stem fresh and dry weight. As a result, the partitioning to leaves decreased slightly, although it was not statistically significant. Similar to high DLI conditions, the plant fresh and dry weight increased with the addition of far-red light (5 and 20%) at low DLI conditions (6.4), but this increase was due to the increase in leaves fresh and dry weight, and eventually led to the more partitioning to leaves. SLA in plants grown in low DLI decreased significantly by decreasing the phytochrome stationary state (PSS) as a result of adding far-red light from 0.88 to 0.82, which was due to the increase in leaves dry matter. In this regard, in plants grown at high DLI, with decreasing the PSS as a result of adding far-red light from 0.88 to 0.85, the SLA did not change.
Conclusion: In general, the response of shade avoidance syndrome (SAS) seems to be more associated with increased stem height when plants grown under high DLI, and is more associated with increased leaf area and stem height when plants grown under low DLI and high levels of far-red light.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

1.Ballaré, C.L. and Pierik, R. 2017. The shade‐avoidance syndrome: Multiple signals and ecological consequences. Plant, Cell Environ. 40: 11. 2530-2543.
2.Sharath Kumar, M., Heuvelink, E. and Marcelis, L.F. 2020. Vertical farming: moving from genetic to environmental modification. Trends Plant Sci. 25: 8. 724-727.
3.Kusuma, P., Pattison, P.M. and Bugbee, B. 2020. From physics to fixtures to food: Current and potential LED efficacy. Hort. Res. 7p.
4.Touliatos, D., Dodd, I.C. and McAinsh, M. 2016. Vertical farming increases lettuce yield per unit area compared to conventional horizontal hydroponics. Food Energy Secur. 5: 3. 184-191.
5.Esetlili, B. Ç., Öztürk, B., Çobanoğlu, Ö. and Anaç, D. 2016. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and potassium fertilization. J. Plant Nutr. 39: 1. 35-44.
6.Pennisi, G., Pistillo, A., Orsini, F., Cellini, A., Spinelli, F., Nicola, S. and Marcelis, L.F. 2020. Optimal light intensity for sustainable water and energy use in indoor cultivation of lettuce and basil under red and blue LEDs. Sci. Hort. 272: 109508.
7.Jin, W., Urbina, J.L., Heuvelink, E. and Marcelis, L.F. 2021. Adding far-red to red-blue light-emitting diode light promotes yield of lettuce at different planting densities. Front Plant Sci. 2219.
8.Ruberti, I., Sessa, G., Ciolfi, A., Possenti, M., Carabelli, M. and Morelli, G.J.B.A. 2012. Plant adaptation to dynamically changing environment: the shade avoidance response. Biotechnol. Adv. 30: 5. 1047-1058.
9.Taiz, L., Zeiger, E., Møller, I.M. and Murphy, A. 2015. Plant physiology and development (No. Ed. 6). Sinauer Associates Incorporated.
10.Li, Q. and Kubota, C. 2009. Effects of supplemental light quality on growth and phytochemicals of baby leaf lettuce. Environ. Exp. Bot. 67: 1. 59-64.
11.Yang, F., Feng, L., Liu, Q., Wu, X., Fan, Y., Raza, M.A. and Yang, W. 2018. Effect of interactions between light intensity and red-to-far-red ratio on the photosynthesis of soybean leaves under shade condition. Environ. Exp. Bot. 150: 79-87.
12.Park, Y. and Runkle, E.S. 2017. Far-red radiation promotes growth of seedlings by increasing leaf expansion and whole-plant net assimilation. Environ. Exp. Bot. 136: 41-49.
13.Yuan, H.Y., Saha, S., Vandenberg, A. and Bett, K.E. 2017. Flowering and growth responses of cultivated lentil and wild Lens germplasm toward the differences in red to far-red ratio and photosynthetically active radiation. Front Plant Sci. 8: 386.
14.Pierik, R. and de Wit, M. 2014. Shade avoidance: phytochrome signalling and other aboveground neighbour detection cues. J. Exp. Bot. 65: 11. 2815-2824.
15.Demotes-Mainard, S., Péron, T., Corot, A., Bertheloot, J., Le Gourrierec, J., Pelleschi-Travier, S. and Sakr, S. 2016. Plant responses to red and far-red lights, applications in horticulture. Environ. Exp. Bot. 121: 4-21.
16.Bongers, F.J., Evers, J.B., Anten, N.P. and Pierik, R. 2014. From shade avoidance responses to plant performance at vegetation level: using virtual plant modelling as a tool. New Phytol. 204: 2. 268-272.
17.Franklin, K.A. 2008. Shade avoidance. New Phytol. 179: 4. 930-944.
18.Vos, J., Evers, J.B., Buck-Sorlin, G.H., Andrieu, B., Chelle, M. and De Visser, P.H. 2010. Functional–structural plant modelling: a new versatile tool in crop science. J. Exp. Bot. 61: 8. 2101-2115.
19.Park, Y. and Runkle, E.S. 2018. Far-red radiation and photosynthetic photon flux density independently regulate seedling growth but interactively regulate flowering. Environ. Exp. Bot. 155: 206-216.
20.Yang, F., Fan, Y., Wu, X., Cheng, Y., Liu, Q., Feng, L. and Yang, W. 2018. Auxin-to-gibberellin ratio as a signal for light intensity and quality in regulating soybean growth and matter partitioning. Front Plant Sci. 9: 56.
21.McCree, K.J. 1971. The action spectrum, absorptance and quantum yield of photosynthesis in crop plants. J. Agric. Meteorol. 9: 191-216.
22.Zhen, S. and van Iersel, M.W. 2017. Far-red light is needed for efficient photochemistry and photosynthesis. J. Integr. Plant Biol. 209: 115-122.
23.Larsen, D.H., Woltering, E.J., Nicole, C. and Marcelis, L.F. 2020. Response of basil growth and morphology to light intensity and spectrum in a vertical farm. Front Plant Sci. 11: 1893.
24.Zou, J., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Y., Bian, Z., Fanourakis, D., Yang, Q. and Li, T. 2019. Morphological and physiological properties of indoor cultivated lettuce in response to additional far-red light. Sci. Hort. 257: 108725.
25.Zhen, S. and Bugbee, B. 2020. Far‐red photons have equivalent efficiency to traditional photosynthetic photons: Implications for redefining photosynthetically active radiation. Plant, Cell Environ. 43: 5. 1259-1272.
26.Steiner, A.A. 1984. The universal nutrient solution. In 6. International Congress on Soilless Culture, Lunteren (Netherlands), 29 Apr-5 May 1984. ISOSC.
27.Sager, J.C., Smith, W.O., Edwards, J.L. and Cyr, K.L. 1988. Photosynthetic efficiency and phytochrome photoequilibria determination using spectral data. Transactions of the ASAE, 31: 6. 1882-1889.
28.Kalaitzoglou, P., Van Ieperen, W., Harbinson, J., Van der Meer, M., Martinakos, S., Weerheim, K. and Marcelis, L.F. 2019. Effects of continuous or end-of-day far-red light on tomato plant growth, morphology, light absorption, and fruit production. Front Plant Sci. 10: 322.
29.Meng, Q., Kelly, N. and Runkle, E.S. 2019. Substituting green or far-red radiation for blue radiation induces shade avoidance and promotes growth in lettuce and kale. Environ. Exp. Bot. 162: 383-391.
30.Carvalho, S.D., Schwieterman, M.L., Abrahan, C.E., Colquhoun, T.A. and Folta, K.M. 2016. Light quality dependent changes in morphology, antioxidant capacity, and volatile production in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). Front Plant Sci. 7: 1328.
31.Ji, Y., Ouzounis, T., Courbier, S., Kaiser, E., Nguyen, P.T., Schouten, H.J. and Heuvelink, E. 2019. Far-red radiation increases dry mass partitioning to fruits but reduces Botrytis cinerea resistance in tomato. Environ Exp. Bot. 168: 103889.
32.Emerson, R., Chalmers, R. and Cederstrand, C. 1957. Some factors influencing the long-wave limit of photosynthesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 43: 1. 133.
Journal of Plant Production Research
Volume 30, Issue 1
June 2023
Pages 149-164

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics