The Effects of LED Light Spectra and Intensities on Plant Growth 2.0

Dear Colleagues,

The physical properties of light, such as spectral quality, irradiance and intensity, and photoperiod, play a deep role in the morphogenesis, growth, and metabolism of many biochemical pathways in plants.

Light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) have been demonstrated to offer interesting prospects for use in plant lighting designs in controlled environment agriculture (greenhouses) and growth chambers for in vitro cultures.

As compared to previously used light sources, LEDs possess advantages such as wavelength specificity, less heat radiation, longer durability, much lower power consumption, and the possibility to manipulate the spectral qualities of the emitted light.

In high-technology greenhouses, supplemental light provides the opportunity to optimize lighting photosynthetic efficiency, through the possibility of optical regulation of plant photoreceptors to enhance the efficiency of plant production, and the synthesis and accumulation of plant metabolites for obtaining products with improved nutritional properties.

“In vitro” culture is regulated by different factors, and among them light is most important. LED illumination system for “in vitro” cultures should provide light in the spectral region that is involved in photosynthesis and photomorphogenic responses without wasting energy on nonproductive wavelengths. The combined effects of light and growth regulators or other components of culture media is another important issue. Even in in vitro cultures, LED light may regulate gene expression and physiological behavior that in turn influences metabolite productions.

This Special Issue of Plants will concern the effects of LED quality and spectral composition on plant physiological and morphological traits, metabolite production, and productive efficiency, both in in vitro and/or in confined environment cultivation.

Dr. Valeria Cavallaro
Dr. Rosario Muleo
Guest Editors

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