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Horticulturae
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Horticultural Crops Responses to LED Lighting
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Horticultural Crops Responses to LED Lighting

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1992

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jelena Milojević

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Guest Editor
Department of Plant Physiology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despot Stefan Blvd. 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: salt tolerance in cauliflower; plant physiology; somatic embryogenesis in spinach; Brassica oleracea
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Suzana Pavlović

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Guest Editor
Group for Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Tadeuša Košćuška 1, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: plant tissue culture; plant regeneration; somatic embryogenesis; light treatments; salt stress; genes expression
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. László Balázs

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Páter Károly utca 1, H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Interests: horticultural lighting; photosynthetic light response; lighting optimization; economics and sustainability of vertical farming; sensors; modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Light-emitting diodes are a new, more modern light source that is increasingly used as an alternative light source for growing plants. LEDs provide a narrow spectrum of light emission with minimal heat generation. It has been shown that a narrow spectrum of defined wavelengths can specifically affect numerous physiological processes in plants. Each plant responds differently to a certain part of the spectrum, just as a specific combination of light affects certain physiological processes or morphological characteristics of plants. Many previous studies have shown that a certain combination of LED light is many times more effective than the traditional use of white light. Determining optimal light conditions for growing is one of the most important criteria in establishing alternative plant cultivation, which is one of the most important principles of regenerative agriculture.

We invite authors to contribute to this special issue with articles of all forms (original, review, etc.). We want this special issue to bring together new discoveries in the field of the impact of LED light on morphological (leaf height, width, number and shape of stomata, and yield, etc.), physiological (content of plant growth regulators, expression of genes key to a particular physiological process, etc.), and biochemical parameters (content of primary and secondary metabolites).

Dr. Jelena Milojević
Dr. Suzana Pavlović
Dr. László Balázs
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • LED
  • morphological plant characteristics
  • crops yield
  • gene expression
  • biochemical composition
  • secondary metabolites
  • plant growth regulations

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4116 KB  
Article
Effects of Red–Blue Light Ratios on Growth, Nutritional Quality, and Nutrient Accumulation in Hydroponic Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)
by Caizhu Hu, Jie Wu, Ali Anwar, Riyuan Chen and Shiwei Song
Horticulturae 2026, 12(3), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12030312 - 5 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1090
Abstract
Light quality is a critical regulatory factor for the growth and nutritional quality of hydroponic lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), and red–blue combined light serves as a key artificial light source for protected horticulture. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different [...] Read more.
Light quality is a critical regulatory factor for the growth and nutritional quality of hydroponic lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), and red–blue combined light serves as a key artificial light source for protected horticulture. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different red–blue (R:B) light ratios on the growth, photosynthetic pigment content, nutritional quality, antioxidant capacity, and mineral nutrient content and accumulation of hydroponic lettuce. Lettuce was cultivated under four R:B light treatments (CK: pure red light, 100:0; T1: 90:10; T2: 80:20; and T3: 60:40) with a uniform photosynthetic photon flux density of 350 µmol m−2s−1 and a 12 h photoperiod. The results showed that all red–blue combined light treatments significantly improved the above physiological and nutritional indices compared with monochromatic red light (CK), with the fresh weight increased by 0.73 to 0.78 times and different R:B ratios inducing distinct tissue-specific and element-specific responses in lettuce. Specifically, T3 (60:40) exhibited the highest root dry weight (0.57 ± 0.02 g plant−1), inhibited excessive leaf elongation to form a compact plant architecture, and its chlorophyll a and b contents increased significantly by 1.6 and 2.25 times compared with CK, respectively. Furthermore, T3 markedly enhanced the accumulation of soluble sugar (0.36 times higher), soluble protein (1.16 times higher), and vitamin C (4.09 times higher), reduced the nitrate content to 0.58 times that of CK, and showed the highest antioxidant capacity (polyphenol content and DPPH free radical scavenging rate), with antioxidant traits positively correlated with the blue light proportion. In contrast, T2 (80:20) effectively promoted plant biomass accumulation and exhibited the most balanced mineral nutrient profile, with significant increases in nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium accumulation, and it also upregulated chlorophyll synthesis to enhance carbon assimilation. T1 (90:10) had moderate regulatory effects on both lettuce growth and nutritional quality and was favorable for potassium accumulation in lettuce tissues. These findings clarify the differential regulatory mechanisms of red–blue light ratios on hydroponic lettuce and provide a theoretical basis for the precise configuration of LED lighting in greenhouse lettuce production. Lettuce producers can select specific R:B ratios according to actual cultivation demands, and the regulatory effects of such light ratios on red leaf lettuce varieties merit further exploration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticultural Crops Responses to LED Lighting)
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18 pages, 2219 KB  
Article
Supplementary Light Intensity and Harvest Date Affect Midrib Oxidative Pinking and Related Metabolites in Two Romaine Lettuce Cultivars with Contrasting Discolouration Sensitivities
by Muhamad Hazwan Yahya, Martin Chadwick and Carol Wagstaff
Horticulturae 2026, 12(1), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12010057 - 1 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 399
Abstract
This study elucidates the variations in phenolic acids, soluble sugars, and pinking development of midribs of two cultivars of Romaine lettuce (Keona—high pinking and Icarus—low pinking) under two light intensities (high L1—558 and low L2—244 µmol m−2 s−1) harvested at [...] Read more.
This study elucidates the variations in phenolic acids, soluble sugars, and pinking development of midribs of two cultivars of Romaine lettuce (Keona—high pinking and Icarus—low pinking) under two light intensities (high L1—558 and low L2—244 µmol m−2 s−1) harvested at two harvest dates (M1—42 and M2—49 days after transplanting, DAT). The pinking index of Keona was higher than that of Icarus on 8 days of storage (5 °C). The concentrations of cinnamic acid were reduced in most treatments for both cultivars during storage, except for Keona grown in L2 with M2 harvest. Upon storage, the concentrations of coumaric acid in Keona were similar regardless of light intensities and harvest dates. Coumaric acid and caffeic acid concentrations in Icarus in L1 harvested at M2 were the highest. Low light intensity with M1 harvest enhanced the concentration of chlorogenic acid in Keona, but a similar situation reduced its content in Icarus during storage. Icarus contained higher initial concentrations of glucose under both light intensities, regardless of harvest dates, compared to Keona. In conclusion, high pinking was associated with high phenolic acids except for cinnamic acid. High light intensities and more advanced harvests increased the pinking of Keona but not of the Icarus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticultural Crops Responses to LED Lighting)
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