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Agriculture
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The Effects of LED Lighting on Crop Growth, Quality, and...
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The Effects of LED Lighting on Crop Growth, Quality, and Yield

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2026) | Viewed by 6205

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qingming Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
Interests: photobiology; CO2 enrichment; LED supplementary lighting; water use efficiency; plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs); stomatal movement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jie He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (NIE/NTU), 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore 637 616, Singapore
Interests: photosynthesis; plant physiology; plant environmental stresses; plant abiotic stress; shoot-root communication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Light is a critical environmental factor influencing plant growth, development, and metabolic processes, and traditional agricultural lighting systems, such as high-pressure sodium lamps and fluorescent lights, have long been utilized to supplement lighting in controlled-environment agriculture in greenhouses and vertical farms. However, these systems suffer from inefficiencies, including high energy consumption, limited spectral adjustability, and excessive heat emission, which can negatively impact plant physiology and resource sustainability. In recent decades, light-emitting diode (LED) technology has emerged as a transformative solution, offering precise spectral control, energy efficiency, and adaptability to diverse crop requirements. By attracting cutting-edge research, this Special Issue aims to advance the scientific understanding and practical implementation of LED lighting, foster sustainable and resilient agricultural systems globally, optimize agricultural productivity and crop quality, and address both fundamental research and practical applications.

This Special Issue invites contributions including, but not limited to, the following aspects:

  1. Mechanistic insights into plant responses to LED spectra (e.g., gene expression, hormonal regulation).
  2. Field-to-factory applications, including vertical farming, greenhouse supplementation, and urban agriculture.
  3. Innovations in smart lighting systems, AI-driven spectral optimization, and lifecycle assessments.
  4. Socioeconomic analyses of LED adoption in diverse agricultural contexts.

Prof. Dr. Qingming Li
Dr. Jie He
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • LED
  • light formula
  • light quality
  • light quantity
  • photoperiod
  • photobiology
  • growth
  • quality
  • yield

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 2690 KB  
Article
Spectral Modulation of Morphophysiological Responses and Plant Quality in Korean White Dandelion (Taraxacum coreanum Nakai) Under Controlled Environmental Conditions
by Kyoung Ou Ryu, Eun Ji Shin, Samuel Lee, Jeong Geun Lee, Eun Bin Cha, Yeong Sunwoo, Jinuk Hong, Ji Eun Yoon, Jae Hwan Lee and Sang Yong Nam
Agriculture 2026, 16(8), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16080830 - 8 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 660
Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of seven light-emitting diode (LED) spectra on the morphophysiological and plant-quality responses of Korean white dandelion (Taraxacum coreanum Nakai) grown for 30 days under controlled environmental conditions. The treatments included monochromatic red, green, and blue LEDs; a [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the effects of seven light-emitting diode (LED) spectra on the morphophysiological and plant-quality responses of Korean white dandelion (Taraxacum coreanum Nakai) grown for 30 days under controlled environmental conditions. The treatments included monochromatic red, green, and blue LEDs; a purple-phyto LED containing red, blue, and far-red wavelengths; and three white LEDs (warm white, natural white, and cool white). Morphophysiological responses were assessed together with principal component analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical clustering. Green light promoted elongation, increasing shoot height and leaf length, but reduced stem diameter, root length, leaf thickness, biomass accumulation, photochemical performance, and plant quality indices. Red light also resulted in relatively low biomass, SPAD units, Fv/Fm, PIABS, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Dickson quality index (DQI), and integrated morphophysiological index (IMI), indicating an imbalanced growth response. In contrast, natural white and cool white LEDs were generally associated with greater stem thickening, root development, leaf thickening, shoot and root dry weight accumulation, and higher Fv/Fm, PIABS, NDVI, DQI, and IMI. Warm white showed favorable trends in shoot and root fresh weights and relative moisture content. Multivariate analyses separated the red and green treatments from the white-light treatments. Overall, white LEDs, especially natural and cool white, appeared more effective than monochromatic LEDs in supporting balanced early growth and plant quality in T. coreanum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of LED Lighting on Crop Growth, Quality, and Yield)
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21 pages, 1035 KB  
Article
Blue Light Enhances Photosynthetic Efficiency and Antioxidant Capacity in Mullein (Verbascum phlomoides L.) Seedlings
by Monika Tkalec Kojić, Ivana Varga, Josipa Jović, Miro Stošić, Mario Đurić, Tomislav Vinković, Boris Ravnjak, Nada Parađiković and Antonela Markulj Kulundžić
Agriculture 2025, 15(22), 2385; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222385 - 19 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1027
Abstract
The orange mullein is a biennial plant whose tall yellow flower spikes contain mucilage, saponins, and other medicinal compounds that have a beneficial effect on respiratory problems. As light quality is known to influence plant morphology and physiology, with effects often depending on [...] Read more.
The orange mullein is a biennial plant whose tall yellow flower spikes contain mucilage, saponins, and other medicinal compounds that have a beneficial effect on respiratory problems. As light quality is known to influence plant morphology and physiology, with effects often depending on the species, understanding these responses in mullein is of particular interest. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the combined effects of different light-emitting diodes (white, red and blue) and their corresponding photon flux densities (PPFD) on the morphology, pigment composition, antioxidant activity, fluorescence parameters and OJIP transient curves in mullein (Verbascum phlomoides L.) seedlings. Seedlings grown under blue light, which had relatively higher PPFD, showed the greatest root length, leaf number, leaf and root fresh and dry biomass. Red light, with lower PPFD, resulted in the lowest values for these parameters. Compared to white light, pigment analysis showed that blue light increased chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, carotenoid content, and the Chl a/b ratio. Also, blue light enhanced antioxidant activity, as well as the accumulation of phenolic compounds and flavonoids, indicating that it appeared to enhance the synthesis of secondary metabolites under this spectrum. In contrast, seedlings under red light exhibited the lowest ferric reducing antioxidant power values and tended to reduce levels of phenols and flavonoids, indicating a weaker antioxidative response. It was found that white light appeared to enhance the photochemical activity of photosystem II (PSII) and energy dissipation. Blue light improved linear electron transport, photosystem I (PSI) activity and overall photosynthetic performance. Red light preferentially increased electron flow towards the final acceptors of PSI, affecting the terminal part of the electron transport chain. Analysis of OJIP curves revealed spectrum and intensity-specific changes in the L, K, H, and G bands, demonstrating that light treatments with differing PPFDs selectively modulate PSII and PSI function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of LED Lighting on Crop Growth, Quality, and Yield)
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18 pages, 2521 KB  
Article
Transcriptomics and Metabolomics Reveal the Dwarfing Mechanism of Pepper Plants Under Ultraviolet Radiation
by Zejin Zhang, Zhengnan Yan, Xiangyu Ding, Haoxu Shen, Qi Liu, Jinxiu Song, Ying Liang, Na Lu and Li Tang
Agriculture 2025, 15(14), 1535; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15141535 - 16 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1438
Abstract
As a globally significant economic crop, pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants display excessive plant height (etiolation) in greenhouse production under an undesirable environment, leading to lodging-prone plants with reduced stress resistance. In the present study, we provided supplementary ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280–315 nm) [...] Read more.
As a globally significant economic crop, pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants display excessive plant height (etiolation) in greenhouse production under an undesirable environment, leading to lodging-prone plants with reduced stress resistance. In the present study, we provided supplementary ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280–315 nm) light to pepper plants grown in a greenhouse to assess the influences of UV-B on pepper growth, with an emphasis on the molecular mechanisms mediated through the gibberellin (GA) signaling pathway. The results indicated that UV-B significantly decreased the plant height and the fresh weight of pepper plants. However, no significant differences were observed in the chlorophyll content of pepper plants grown under natural light and supplementary UV-B radiation. The results of the transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses indicated that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in plant hormone signal transduction and that UV radiation altered the gibberellin synthesis pathway of pepper plants. Specifically, the GA3 content of the pepper plants grown with UV-B radiation decreased by 39.1% compared with those grown without supplementary UV-B radiation; however, the opposite trend was observed in GA34, GA7, and GA51 contents. In conclusion, UV-B exposure significantly reduced plant height, a phenotypic response mechanistically linked to an alteration in GA homeostasis, which may be caused by a decrease in GA3 content. Our study elucidated the interplay between UV-B and gibberellin biosynthesis in pepper morphogenesis, offering a theoretical rationale for developing UV-B photoregulation technologies as alternatives to chemical growth inhibitors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of LED Lighting on Crop Growth, Quality, and Yield)
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Review

Jump to: Research

25 pages, 392 KB  
Review
Innovative Application Strategies of Light-Emitting Diodes in Protected Horticulture
by Xinying Liu, Qiying Sun, Zheng Wang, Jie He, Xin Liu, Yaliang Xu and Qingming Li
Agriculture 2025, 15(15), 1630; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15151630 - 27 Jul 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1882
Abstract
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in agricultural systems mainly contribute their capacity to create a precise and constant light spectral environment. However, the potential of LED in crop production was underestimated. LEDs serve not only as efficient artificial light sources for plant growth, but are [...] Read more.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in agricultural systems mainly contribute their capacity to create a precise and constant light spectral environment. However, the potential of LED in crop production was underestimated. LEDs serve not only as efficient artificial light sources for plant growth, but are also a good tool for enhancing biomass production with limited energy consumption. This article reviewed innovative applications of LED in facility agriculture, e.g., plant factory, and greenhouse. Compared to conventional application of LED, innovative lighting strategies such as intermittent lighting, night break, continuous lighting, alternate lighting, dynamic lighting, and end-of-day (EOD) far-red provided by LED light can elevate the production efficiency effectively. However, the scientific explanation of the above lighting strategies remains to be clearly revealed, providing theoretical support for the further optimization of conducting parameters. This review summarizes the physiological effects of different lighting strategies on crop cultivation and illustrates their future application in facility agriculture, aiming to provide novel methods for elevating the energy utilization efficiency and lowering the cost in facility agriculture using artificial light. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of LED Lighting on Crop Growth, Quality, and Yield)
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