Articles
Pigment time-course of two lettuce cultivars in response to end-of-production blue-enhanced white light treatment
Article number
1423_7
Pages
47 – 54
Language
English
Abstract
Lettuce leaves are rich in chlorophylls and carotenoids which confer health benefits to humans.
Cultivating lettuce in controlled light environment allows to manipulate its nutritional quality.
In this study we aimed at exploring the patterns of leaf pigments over light spectral treatment duration.
Two lettuce cultivars, a green- and a red-leaf one, were grown in optimal controlled conditions (temperature: 20°C, relative humidity: 60%, 18-h photoperiod, 160 μmol m‑2 s‑1) for 30 days.
Blue-enhanced white light spectrum (40% of blue portion, WB) was applied from day 31 to 35. The patterns of leaf pigments under WB have been observed for a duration of 96 h and compared to a more conventional white light spectrum (15% portion of blue, WC) by sampling light-exposed leaves at 0.5, 24, 48, 72, 96 h after treatment start.
Results obtained through UHPLC-ToF-MS demonstrated that content of chlorophylls and most carotenoids increased in response to WB light treatment and the effect was more pronounced in the red-leaf cultivar compared to the green lettuce cultivar.
Zeaxanthin was reduced under WB and trans-violaxanthin was not statistically affected by light treatment.
All measured pigments showed a similar trend with peak accumulation around after 24-72 h of treatment application followed by a decline.
This trend was inverse between chlorophylls, which reached greatest levels earlier in ‘Barlach’ (48 h) than in ‘Aquino’ (72 h), and carotenoids, which reached greatest levels earlier in ‘Aquino’ (24 h) than in ‘Barlach’ (48 h). Unravelling the time/dose-dependent patterns of specific leaf pigments under different light spectral treatments provides valuable insights for precision farming.
Understanding how light influences pigment accumulation over time can contribute to the controlled cultivation of high-quality lettuce, offering implications for the broader field of precision agriculture.
Cultivating lettuce in controlled light environment allows to manipulate its nutritional quality.
In this study we aimed at exploring the patterns of leaf pigments over light spectral treatment duration.
Two lettuce cultivars, a green- and a red-leaf one, were grown in optimal controlled conditions (temperature: 20°C, relative humidity: 60%, 18-h photoperiod, 160 μmol m‑2 s‑1) for 30 days.
Blue-enhanced white light spectrum (40% of blue portion, WB) was applied from day 31 to 35. The patterns of leaf pigments under WB have been observed for a duration of 96 h and compared to a more conventional white light spectrum (15% portion of blue, WC) by sampling light-exposed leaves at 0.5, 24, 48, 72, 96 h after treatment start.
Results obtained through UHPLC-ToF-MS demonstrated that content of chlorophylls and most carotenoids increased in response to WB light treatment and the effect was more pronounced in the red-leaf cultivar compared to the green lettuce cultivar.
Zeaxanthin was reduced under WB and trans-violaxanthin was not statistically affected by light treatment.
All measured pigments showed a similar trend with peak accumulation around after 24-72 h of treatment application followed by a decline.
This trend was inverse between chlorophylls, which reached greatest levels earlier in ‘Barlach’ (48 h) than in ‘Aquino’ (72 h), and carotenoids, which reached greatest levels earlier in ‘Aquino’ (24 h) than in ‘Barlach’ (48 h). Unravelling the time/dose-dependent patterns of specific leaf pigments under different light spectral treatments provides valuable insights for precision farming.
Understanding how light influences pigment accumulation over time can contribute to the controlled cultivation of high-quality lettuce, offering implications for the broader field of precision agriculture.
Authors
L. Cammarisano, K. Frede, J. Graefe, M. Schreiner, S. Baldermann, O. Körner
Keywords
controlled environment agriculture, nutritional quality, leaf pigments, lettuce, blue light
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