Effect of Light Emitting Diodes Treatment on Growth and Mineral Contents of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. ‘Chung Chi Ma')

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The objective of this study was carried out to elucidate the effect of LEDs (light emitting diodes) irradiation in relation to early growth and inorganic elements in leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. ‘Chung Chi Ma’). In morphological changes of leaves, shoot elongation and hypocotyl length showed poor growth in red light irradiation, while the red+blue light irradiation induced shorter plant height and much greater leaf numbers resulting in increased fresh weight. In change of the Hunter's color and SPAD values, lettuce seedlings grown under in red+blue and fluorescent light irradiation had a higher a* value, otherwise SPAD values were not changed in these light irradiations. Interestingly, relative chlorophyll contents showed 1.8 times increased redness in the treatment of red+blue light irradiation. Inorganic element (N, Ca, Mg, Mn, and Fe) and ascorbic acid contents were increased in lettuce plants grown under LEDs light irradiation compared to those of lettuce grown under the fluorescent light which showed higher P and Mn contents. In conclusion, it is considered that red+blue light irradiation which stimulates growth and higher nutrient uptake in leaf lettuce could be employed in containers equipped with LEDs.