Effect of light emitting diodes (LED) light on the productivity and quality of selected crops in a modular agricultural production system

The integration of light emitting diodes (LEDs) in a modular agricultural production system (MAPS) receives full attention as they provide the opportunity to control light spectrum. There exists a strong need for developing an artificial cultivation environment for sustainable and feasible solution in order to ensure food safety. As plant growth is highly affected by environmental conditions, more efficient cultivation methods are required to optimize plant growth. The main objectives of this study included the development of specific lighting protocols to enhance the productivity and quality of selected crop categories, as well as the physiological and molecular characterization of the selected crop plants grown under different LED light treatments. The effect of various LED light qualities on the productivity and nutritional quality of hydroponically cultivated crop plants, were accomplished by conducting experiments with selected cultivars of leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa 'New Red Fire') and strawberry (Fragarisa annua 'Sweet Charlie') as test crops. Specific LED lighting regimes and nutrient solution recipes were standardized and formulated for hydroponically growing leaf lettuce and strawberry inside MAPS. Evaluation of physiological and growth parameters were recorded, and statistical analysis have been done for these parameters involving growth of lettuce and strawberry. The study as a whole revealed interesting results which include that increasing the light intensity with short photoperiod gave significant increase in the growth and development of lettuce. Qualitative analysis of the harvested strawberry showed enhanced fruit quality and sugar content in strawberry fruits grown under specific LED light recipes. Genetic and bioinformatics analysis results also proved that specific genes involved in important biochemical functional pathways were differentially regulated among leaf lettuce subjected to different LED light treatments.