Development and Acclimatisation of Horticultural Plants Subjected to Narrow-Band Lighting

Light-emitting diodes (LED) allow narrow-band light to be easily obtained and can be used for narrow-band lighting in plant cultivation, with possible effects on plant growth and development. This study examined use of narrow-band lighting of different wavelengths in the cultivation of ornamental pot plant (Pelargonium and Petunia), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) transplants and sunflower (Helianthus annuus), either as sole light source in growth chambers, or as endof-day (EOD) treatment in a greenhouse environment. Biometrie measurements on plant growth and measurements of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance showed that when Helianthus was grown exclusively in blue light, stem elongation was greater than when it was grown exclusively in yellow, red, green or white light. Similar results were obtained when blue light was supplied in EOD treatments for Petunia and Pelargonium and for tomato. However, stem elongation was also high when red light was given as EOD treatment to tomato, whereas green light gave the least elongated plants in these conditions. Biomass production was generally not affected by the different EOD treatments. For Helianthus plants grown solely in monochromatic light, plant biomass production was highest in red light. For Pelargonium, photosynthetic rate was highest in blue light. It was concluded that plant response to different wavelengths is species-dependent and that EOD treatment with narrow-band lighting might be useful for plant growth regulation.