Growth, photosynthetic activity and tuber quality of two potato cultivars in controlled environment as affected by light source

Abstract

In order to elucidate the effect of genetic material and light source and their interaction on plant performance of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), we studied the influence of two light sources, white fluorescent tubes (WF) and red blue LEDs with ratio 8:1 (RB) and two cultivars, ‘Avanti’ and ‘Colomba’ grown in phytotron, on growth, leaf photosynthesis and photochemistry and tuber quality. Under WF, net photosynthesis (NP) increased from the vegetative phase until flowering, then decreased during tuber bulking, with no differences between the cultivars. Lighting with RB increased the NP and the PSII maximum quantum use efficiency compared to WF. RB reduced stem elongation in both cultivars, as well as the number and area of leaves, and the aerial biomass per plant in ‘Colomba’, compared to WF. Conversely, tuber yield was higher in plants under RB light in both ‘Avanti’ and ‘Colomba’. Light source did not influence the tuber content of starch and total glycoalkaloids, while it affected differently in the cultivars the protein content and the glycoalkaloid profile. Our results highlight how interactions between light source and genotype need to be considered for potato cultivation in controlled environment under artificial lighting.

Keywords:

• Solanum tuberosum L.
• light quality
• chlorophyll a fluorescence
• pigment content
• light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by the European Space Agency through the MELiSSA project ‘Precursor of Food Production Unit - Phase A System Study’ (PFPU). The authors thank Carla Minarini and Bruno Lanza (ENEA) and Raffaele Garramone and Gaetano Coppola (University of Naples Federico II) for their help in setting up the experiment, and Mauro Mazzei (www.hzpc.com; www.stet-potato.com) for propagation material and technical assistance.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.