Sole-source Lighting of Lettuce that Increased Yield Had No Negative Effect on Postharvest Longevity

Abstract

The effects of sole-source lighting on the growth and yield of hydroponically grown lettuce have been extensively studied, but research of postharvest performance is limited. We grew frill-leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa) ‘Green Incised’ and ‘Hydroponic Green Sweet Crisp’ hydroponically in an indoor vertical research farm under daily light integrals (DLIs) of 12 or 18 mol⋅m−2⋅d−1 and the following three ratios of blue (B; 400–499 nm) and red (R; 600–699 nm) light from light-emitting diode fixtures: B5:R95, B20:R80, and B35:R65. We postulated that biomass accumulation would increase with the DLI and decrease with the B light fraction, and that postharvest longevity would increase with the DLI and the B light fraction. As expected, shoot fresh weight, leaf length and width, leaf number, and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD; ‘Green Incised’ only) decreased as the proportion of B light increased from 5% to 35%. Decreasing the DLI from 18 to 12 mol⋅m−2⋅d−1 reduced the shoot fresh weight and leaf number of both cultivars. Leaves of ‘Green Incised’ were up to 27% wider under B5:R95 and 60% longer under B5:R95 at 12 mol⋅m−2⋅d−1 than those under treatments with a higher DLI or more B light. The shoot fresh weight of ‘Hydroponic Green Sweet Crisp’ was greatest when grown under B5:R95 at 18 mol⋅m−2⋅d−1 and decreased as B light increased or DLI decreased. At the time of harvest, leaves of each cultivar and treatment were placed in clamshells and stored at 7 °C in darkness and evaluated for decay. ‘Green Incised’ that grew under B35:R65 and a DLI of 18 mol⋅m−2⋅d−1 had the shortest storage life, with 9.5 d and 11.4 d for replications 1 and 2, respectively, which were ∼2.5 to 4.0 d and 1.4 to 3.6 d earlier, respectively, than the storage life of lettuce grown under other treatments. In contrast, ‘Hydroponic Green Sweet Crisp’ was not influenced by light quality or DLI and had a storage life of 12.6 to 13.3 d and 13.5 to 14.3 d for replications 1 and 2, respectively. Therefore, a B light fraction between 5% and 20% and a DLI of 18 mol⋅m−2⋅d−1 produced high-yielding frill-leaf lettuce with a relatively long storage life.