February 25, 2021
Virtual

Title: Different ratios of red and blue LEDs improve crop quality in indoor vertical farming systems

Who: Dr. Most Tahera Naznin, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Date: Thursday February 25, 2021

Time: 12:00–1:00 P.M. (lunch and learn)

Where: Zoom

Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6lObs2c3Qda3p6SX9OMtHA

Dr. Naznin is an assistant professor in the Department of Biosystems and Technology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Her research interests include the effect of lighting on the quality of vegetables in vertical farming and greenhouse production systems. The latest scientific paper she co-authored described how low light irradiation using blue (B) and red (R) LED was applied in a vertical farm for the growth of red leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var Lollo rosso) to evaluate the growth performance and functional quality. The results showed that a higher fraction of R (B/R = 1:5) significantly increased plant growth parameters such as plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, plant fresh and dry weight, and carbohydrate content. By contrast, a higher fraction of B (B/R = 5:1) significantly increased the photosynthetic parameters and contents of pigment and phenolic compounds. The rate of photosynthetic performance, carbohydrates (except starch), and content of phenolic compounds were highest after 10 days of light treatment, whereas the pigment contents did not significantly differ at the different growth stages. It was concluded that high R fractions favor plant growth and carbohydrate content, while high B fractions favor photosynthetic performance and the accumulation of pigments and phenolic compounds in red leaf lettuce under these conditions. She will discuss this and other aspects of her research.

Contact: Dr. Fadi Al-Daoud, greenhouse vegetable specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), e-mail: fadi.al-daoud@ontario.ca