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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Crop and Product Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1515457

Growing in Red: Impact of Different Light Spectra and Lighting Conditions on Lentil Microgreens Growth in Vertical Farming

Provisionally accepted
Marlus Dias Silva Marlus Dias Silva 1*Jaqueline Martins Vasconcelos Jaqueline Martins Vasconcelos 1*Fábia Barbosa da Silva Fábia Barbosa da Silva 1*Adriano Soares de Oliveira Bailão Adriano Soares de Oliveira Bailão 1*Ítalo Moraes Rocha Guedes Ítalo Moraes Rocha Guedes 2Márcio da Silva Vilela Márcio da Silva Vilela 1*Adriano Carvalho Costa Adriano Carvalho Costa 1Márcio Rosa Márcio Rosa 3Fabiano Guimarães Silva Fabiano Guimarães Silva 1*
  • 1 Goiano Federal Institute (IFGOIANO), Goiania, Brazil
  • 2 Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
  • 3 University of Rio Verde, Rio Verde, Goias, Brazil

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Vertical Farming Systems (VFS) emerge as an approach to optimize plant growth in urban and controlled environments, by enabling sustainable and intensive production in reduced spaces. VFS allow for greater control over growing conditions, such as light, temperature and humidity, resulting in higher quality crops and with less use of resources, such as water and fertilizers. This research investigates the effects of different lighting regimes (Constant and Gaussian) and spectral qualities (white, RBW, blue and red) on the growth, photosynthesis, and biomass accumulation of lentil microgreens (Lens culinaris) in VFS. The results demonstrate that constant lighting regimes, particularly under red, white, and RBW lights, significantly increase biomass production and energy efficiency. On the other hand, the Gaussian regime promotes the accumulation of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, especially under red light. Chlorophyll content and the photochemical coefficient (qP) also varied across treatments, with significant variations between lighting regimes and spectral combinations. Tailored lighting strategies, adjusted to specific production goals, have the potential to enhance both productivity and nutritional quality in VFS. The analysis contained in the research provides relevant information for optimizing lighting management in controlled agricultural environments, providing practical applications to improve harvest performance.

    Keywords: Vertical farming, Lighting regimes, Lens culinaris, Microgreens, Constant light, Gaussian curve, photosynthetic efficiency, Artificial lighting

    Received: 22 Oct 2024; Accepted: 27 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Silva, Vasconcelos, Silva, Soares de Oliveira Bailão, Moraes Rocha Guedes, da Silva Vilela, Carvalho Costa, Rosa and Guimarães Silva. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Marlus Dias Silva, Goiano Federal Institute (IFGOIANO), Goiania, Brazil
    Jaqueline Martins Vasconcelos, Goiano Federal Institute (IFGOIANO), Goiania, Brazil
    Fábia Barbosa da Silva, Goiano Federal Institute (IFGOIANO), Goiania, Brazil
    Adriano Soares de Oliveira Bailão, Goiano Federal Institute (IFGOIANO), Goiania, Brazil
    Márcio da Silva Vilela, Goiano Federal Institute (IFGOIANO), Goiania, Brazil
    Fabiano Guimarães Silva, Goiano Federal Institute (IFGOIANO), Goiania, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.