Growth Characteristics and Functional Analysis of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge by Artificial Light Sources

Abstract

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Background: Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge has been used in traditional medicine. The type of light source has an effect on the growth properties and composition of functional compounds in plants. In this study, we analyzed the effects of different artificial light sources on the growth characteristics as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of S. miltiorrhiza. Methods and Results: Seedlings of S. miltiorrhiza were grown under various artificial light sources, including fluorescent light (FL), light emitting diode (LED), and microwave electrodeless light (MEL), for 8 weeks. Growth characteristics were the best in plants treated with MEL. DPPH scavenging activity of the shoot was more pronounced with the FL treatments, while the roots were more active in plants grown under single wavelength lights (i.e., blue and red LEDs). Among the different light source treatments, the blue LED resulted in a higher total phenolic content in the plants. Furthermore, growing plants growth under the red LED enhanced their total flavonoid content. Notably, the antimicrobial properties of plants varied significantly between light source treatments in this study. Except for E. coli, all the tested microorganisms were susceptible to the plant extracts. Conclusions: The type of light source may be an important parameter for the enhancement of plant growth and functional compounds in S. miltiorrhiza.