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EVEC Microgreens
Adding UVA and Far-Red Light to White LED Affects Growth, Morphology, and Phytochemicals of Indoor-Grown Microgreens
White light emitting diodes (LED) have commonly been used as a sole light source for the indoor production of microgreens. However, the response of microgr
Triston Hooks, Ling Sun, Yun Kong, Joseph Masabni, Genhua Niu
Sustainability · 2022 · https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148552
Abstract
White light emitting diodes (LED) have commonly been used as a sole light source for the indoor production of microgreens. However, the response of microgreens to the inclusion of ultraviolet A (UVA) and/or far-red (FR) light to white LED light remains unknown. To investigate the effects of adding UVA and FR light to white LEDs on plant biomass, height, and the concentrations of phytochemicals, four species of microgreens including basil, cabbage, kale, and kohlrabi were grown under six light treatments. The first three treatments were white LED (control) and two UVA treatments (adding UVA to white LED for the whole growth period or for the last 5 days). Another three treatments consisted of adding FR to the first three treatments. The total photon flux density (TPFD) for all six light treatments was the same. The percentages of UVA and FR photons in the TPFD were 23% and 32%, respectively. Compared to white LEDs, adding UVA throughout the growth period did not affect plant height in all the species except for basil, where 9% reduction was observed regardless of the FR light. On the contrary, the addition of FR light increased plant heights by 9–18% for basil, cabbage, and kohlrabi, regardless of the UVA treatment, compared to white LED. Furthermore, regardless of UVA, adding FR to white LEDs reduced the plant biomass, total phenolic contents, and antioxidant concentrations for at least one species. There was no interaction between FR and UVA on all the above growth and quality traits for all the species. In summary, microgreens were more sensitive to the addition of FR light compared to UVA; however, the addition of FR to white LEDs may reduce yields and phytochemicals in some species.
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How to credit this work
Triston Hooks; Ling Sun; Yun Kong; Joseph Masabni; Genhua Niu (2022). Adding UVA and Far-Red Light to White LED Affects Growth, Morphology, and Phytochemicals of Indoor-Grown Microgreens. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148552 Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Hosted by EVEC Athens (microgreens.org.gr). No changes were made to this article. Provided as-is, without warranties. EVEC Athens is not affiliated with, and this copy is not endorsed by, the authors or the publisher.
Explore this on our site
- How to grow it: Basil microgreens — growing guide
- How to grow it: Kale microgreens — growing guide
- How to grow it: Kohlrabi microgreens — growing guide
- Related reading: Microgreens and their anti inflammatory antioxidant and preventive potential
- Related reading: The antioxidant capacity of radish microgreens
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