Abstract
The high planting densities needed to grow edible biomass in sustainable space life support systems will create problems for planophile crops that form closed, self-shading canopies. The use of traditional overhead-lighting configurations will reduce the penetration of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) into such canopies and will result in substantial shading of understory leaves. Intracanopy lighting, an irradiation approach that allows plants to grow around fixed arrays of low-intensity lamps, reduces overall energy expenditure for crop production by improving light distribution and interception throughout the canopy. Comparing different fluorescent lamp geometries within vegetative canopies of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) revealed great plasticity of leaf orientation to maximize absorption of PAR from lamps arrayed at various nontraditional angles. Varying the amount of photosynthetic energy available within canopies creates considerable potential to manipulate canopy productivity. Increasing lamp number 38% within cowpea canopies raised stand productivity 45%, reflecting the highly efficient interception and absorption of intracanopy PAR. However, combined above/within-canopy lighting did not increase overall PAR interception and vegetative yield, and productivity did not improve relative to the same input wattage of intracanopy lighting alone. Optimization of intracanopy lighting for crops to be used in future space life support systems will substantially reduce power and energy burdens for food-crop production.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Cowpea leaves reoriented to absorb light from nontraditional lamp angles.
- Taxon
- cowpea
Vigna unguiculatat0 - Outcome
- great plasticity of leaf orientatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“great plasticity of leaf orientation to maximize absorption of PAR from lamps arrayed at various nontraditional angles”
t0“Intracanopy lighting reduces electrical energy utilization by closed cowpea stands.”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing lamp number within cowpea canopies by 38% raised stand productivity by 45%.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatae0
- Treatment
- Increasing lamp number 38%e0
- Outcome
- stand productivitye0
- Direction
- raisede0
- Value
- 45%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increasing lamp number 38% within cowpea canopies raised stand productivity 45%”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined above and within canopy lighting did not increase overall PAR interception compared with intracanopy lighting alone at the same wattage.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Treatment
- combined above/within-canopy lightinge0
- Outcome
- overall PAR interceptione0
- Direction
- did not increasee0
- Comparator
- intracanopy lighting alonee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“combined above/within-canopy lighting did not increase overall PAR interception and vegetative yield, and productivity did not improve relative to the same input wattage of intracanopy lighting alone”
t0“Intracanopy lighting reduces electrical energy utilization by closed cowpea stands.”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined above and within canopy lighting did not increase vegetative yield or productivity relative to intracanopy lighting alone at the same wattage.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Treatment
- combined above/within-canopy lightinge0
- Outcome
- vegetative yield, and productivitye0
- Direction
- did not improvee0
- Comparator
- intracanopy lighting alonee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“combined above/within-canopy lighting did not increase overall PAR interception and vegetative yield, and productivity did not improve relative to the same input wattage of intracanopy lighting alone”
t0“Intracanopy lighting reduces electrical energy utilization by closed cowpea stands.”
Claim · model-written summary
Intracanopy lighting reduces energy expenditure for crop production through improved light distribution and interception.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Treatment
- Intracanopy lightinge0
- Outcome
- overall energy expenditure for crop productione0
- Direction
- reducese0
- Qualifier
- improving light distribution and interception throughout the canopye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Intracanopy lighting, an irradiation approach that allows plants to grow around fixed arrays of low-intensity lamps, reduces overall energy expenditure for crop production by improving light distribution and interception throughout the canopy”
t0“Intracanopy lighting reduces electrical energy utilization by closed cowpea stands.”
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light · physiology: photosynthesis · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Positive and negative results
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- positive
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light · yield · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Positive and negative results
6 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 reporting no difference from an alternative
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See all 11 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.