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2014 ASHS Annual Conference

19535:
The Effect of Small Interval Wavelengths Using LEDs on Photosynthetic Rates of Tomato Plants

Thursday, July 31, 2014: 10:00 AM
Salon 5 (Rosen Plaza Hotel)
Bo-sen Wu, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
Konstantin Daive, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
Most Tahera Naznin, Bioresource Engineering, McGill University, ​Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
Mark Lefsrud, McGill University, Ste-anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) offer great advantages, which include a long lifetime (> 10,000 hr), small size, low thermal output, and adjustable light intensity, over conventional light sources (e.g. incandescent, fluorescent, high pressure sodium). Moreover, LEDs can have very narrow wavelengths (~30 nm) and are easily adjusted for irradiance level. Therefore, these advantages make LEDs perfect for exploring and investigating plant responses to different light conditions including different photoperiods, irradiance or wavelengths while coupling with specific equipment.

The object of this research was to investigate the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) curve of tomato plant using narrow spectrum LEDs under controlled conditions. The experiment focused on a specific wavelength range (600-700 nm) at a light intensity of 30 and 60 umol m-2 s-1 with a small bandwidth ( ~5 nm). The results from this study provide precise information on the impact that specific wavelengths of light have on plant growth and will be used to optimize LED arrays for maximum plant production.

See more of: Crop Physiology (Oral Session)
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