UV-B (280–315 nm) radiation has been used as an effective tool to improve bioactive compound contents in controlled environments, such as plant factories. However, plant structure changes with growth progress induce different positional distribution...
UV-B (280–315 nm) radiation has been used as an effective tool to improve bioactive compound contents in controlled environments, such as plant factories. However, plant structure changes with growth progress induce different positional distributions of UV-B radiation interception, which cause difficulty in accurately evaluating the effects of UV-B on biosynthesis of bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to quantitatively analyze the positional distributions of UV-B radiation interception and bioactive compound contents of kales (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala) with growth progress and their relationships. Plants were grown in a plant factory at a photosynthetic photon flux density of 200 μmol m–2 s–1 with a photoperiod of 16 h and were harvested at 14 and 28 days after transplanting (DATs). The plants were exposed to two different doses of UV-B radiation (e.g., 1.3 W m–2 for 6 h or 12 h per day) for 1, 2, and 3 days before harvest. UV-B light interception, total phenolic compound (TPC), and total flavonoid compound (TFC) at the upper, middle and lower leaves of the plants were evaluated. Spatial UV-B radiation interception was analyzed by using 3D plant models and ray-tracing simulations. UV-B levels did not affect plant growth, including leaf area, fresh leaf weight, or dry weight. As growth progressed, the UV-B radiation interception amounts in the upper leaves were 34.1% and 88.8% higher than those for the middle and lower leaves, respectively. The bioactive compound contents in the upper leaves were 29.3–36.8% and 70.1–82.6% higher than those in the middle and lower leaves, respectively. The increase rates of TFC relative to the cumulative absorbed UV amounts were highest for the upper leaves of the 28 DAT plants, while those for TPC were highest in the middle leaves of the 14 DAT plants. Despite the same UV-B levels, the UV-B radiation interception and UV-B susceptibility in the plants varied with leaf position and growth stage, which induced the different biosynthesis of TFC and TPC. This attempt to interpret UV-B radiation interception will contribute to estimating and quantifying the production of bioactive compounds.