Abstract
Light emitting diode (LED) lamps are increasingly being studied in cultivation of horticultural, ornamental and medicinal plants as means to increase yield, quality, stress resistance, and bioactive compounds content. Enhancing the production of metabolites for medicinal or pharmaceutical use by regulating LED intensity and spectra is a challenging subject, where promising results have been achieved. Nevertheless, some species have been poorly investigated, despite their interest as a source of medicinally active substances, with particular reference to LED effects at the plant cultivation level. This study evaluates the effects of supplementary top-light LED treatments on Taxus baccata, one of the main sources of taxane precursors. Blue, red and mixed red-and-blue spectra were tested at 100 μM m-2 s-1. Moreover, 50 and 150 μM m-2 s-1 intensities were tested for the mixed spectrum. All treatments were set for 14 hours a day and were tested against natural light as control treatment, in a controlled environment, from 19 August to 9 December 2019, this latter date representing 112 days after treatment (DAT) began. A smart monitoring and control system powered by environmental and proximal sensors was implemented to assure homogeneity of temperature, humidity, and base natural light for all the treatments. It resulted in negligible deviations from expected values and reliable exclusion of confusing factors. Biometric measurements and 1H-NMR based metabolomic analysis were performed to investigate growth and phytochemical profile throughout the trial. One-way ANOVA showed that supplemental LED lighting increased plant height and number of sprouts. Considering the mixed red-and-blue spectrum, plant height increased almost proportionally from control to 100 μM m-2 s-1 (+20% at 112 DAT), with no further increase at higher intensity. The number of sprouts was strongly enhanced by LED treatments only in the early phase (48.9 vs. 7.5 sprouts in the averaged 50, 100 and 150 μM m-2 s-1 vs. the control at 28 DAT), with no differences related to intensity in the very early stage, and more persisting effects (up to 56 DAT) for higher intensities. After the very early growth stages (28 DAT), plant vigor showed a modest although significant increase over time compared to the control, with no differences related to light intensity (0.81 vs. 0.74 of NDVI in the averaged 50, 100 and 150 μM m-2 s-1 vs. the control, across 56, 84 and 112 DAT). The different spectra tested at 100 μM m-2 s-1 showed no significant differences in growth parameters, except for a slight beneficial influence of blue (alone or with red) compared to only red for sprouting. According to the metabolomic analysis, treated plants at 28 DAT were characterized by the highest content of sucrose and aromatic compounds. Signals of a putative taxane were detected in the 1H NMR profiles of plants, which were compared to the spectrum of baccatin III standard. However, the intensity of these spectral signals was not affected by the treatment, while they increased only slightly during time. Light at 150 μM m-2 s-1 induced the strongest variation in the metabolome. Conversely, light composition did not induce significant differences in the metabolome.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
The monitoring system had negligible deviations from expected environmental values.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccata
Taxus baccatat0 - Outcome
- negligible deviations from expected valuese0
- Comparator
- expected valuese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“It resulted in negligible deviations from expected values and reliable exclusion of confusing factors.”
Claim · model-written summary
Supplemental LED lighting increased plant height and sprouts.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- supplemental LED lightinge0
- Outcome
- plant height and number of sproutse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“supplemental LED lighting increased plant height and number of sprouts.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mixed red and blue light at 100 μM m-2 s-1 increased height by 20% at 112 DAT versus control.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- mixed red-and-blue spectrume0
- Outcome
- plant heighte0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- +20%e0
- Qualifier
- at 112 DATe0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“Considering the mixed red-and-blue spectrum, plant height increased almost proportionally from control to 100 μM m-2 s-1 (+20% at 112 DAT), with no further increase at higher intensity.”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher mixed-light intensity produced no further height increase.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- higher intensitye0
- Outcome
- increasee0
- Direction
- no further increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“with no further increase at higher intensity.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mixed-light treatments averaged 48.9 sprouts versus 7.5 in controls at 28 DAT.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- LED treatmentse0
- Outcome
- number of sproutse0
- Direction
- strongly enhancede0
- Value
- 48.9 vs. 7.5 sproutse0
- Qualifier
- at 28 DATe0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“The number of sprouts was strongly enhanced by LED treatments only in the early phase (48.9 vs. 7.5 sprouts in the averaged 50, 100 and 150 μM m-2 s-1 vs. the control at 28 DAT)”
Claim · model-written summary
Sprout effects showed no intensity differences early but persisted to 56 DAT at higher intensities.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Outcome
- no differences related to intensity in the very early stagee0
- Qualifier
- up to 56 DATe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“with no differences related to intensity in the very early stage, and more persisting effects (up to 56 DAT) for higher intensities.”
Claim · model-written summary
LED treatments modestly increased NDVI over time after 28 DAT, 0.81 versus 0.74 in controls.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- 50, 100 and 150 μM m-2 s-1e0
- Outcome
- plant vigore0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 0.81 vs. 0.74 of NDVIe0
- Qualifier
- across 56, 84 and 112 DATe0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“plant vigor showed a modest although significant increase over time compared to the control, with no differences related to light intensity (0.81 vs. 0.74 of NDVI in the averaged 50, 100 and 150 μM m-2 s-1 vs. the control, across 56, 84 and 112 DAT).”
Claim · model-written summary
At 100 μM m-2 s-1, spectra did not significantly differ in growth parameters.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- different spectra tested at 100 μM m-2 s-1e0
- Outcome
- growth parameterse0
- Direction
- no significant differencese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“The different spectra tested at 100 μM m-2 s-1 showed no significant differences in growth parameters”
Claim · model-written summary
Blue light, alone or with red, slightly benefited sprouting over red alone.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- blue (alone or with red)e0
- Outcome
- sproutinge0
- Direction
- beneficiale0
- Comparator
- only rede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“a slight beneficial influence of blue (alone or with red) compared to only red for sprouting.”
Claim · model-written summary
At 28 DAT treated plants had highest sucrose and aromatic compound content.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- treated plantse0
- Outcome
- content of sucrose and aromatic compoundse0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Qualifier
- at 28 DATe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“treated plants at 28 DAT were characterized by the highest content of sucrose and aromatic compounds.”
Claim · model-written summary
A putative taxane was detected in plant NMR profiles.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Outcome
- Signals of a putative taxane were detectede0
- Comparator
- baccatin III standarde0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“Signals of a putative taxane were detected in the 1H NMR profiles of plants, which were compared to the spectrum of baccatin III standard.”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatment did not affect putative taxane signal intensity.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- the treatmente0
- Outcome
- intensity of these spectral signalse0
- Direction
- not affectede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“the intensity of these spectral signals was not affected by the treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Putative taxane signals increased slightly over time.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Outcome
- theye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedSetting
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“they increased only slightly during time.”
Claim · model-written summary
150 μM m-2 s-1 light caused the strongest metabolome variation.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- Light at 150 μM m-2 s-1e0
- Outcome
- variation in the metabolomee0
- Direction
- strongeste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“Light at 150 μM m-2 s-1 induced the strongest variation in the metabolome.”
Claim · model-written summary
Light composition did not significantly alter the metabolome.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccataTaxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- light compositione0
- Outcome
- the metabolomee0
- Direction
- did not induce significant differencese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Taxus baccata”
e0“light composition did not induce significant differences in the metabolome.”
The same questions in other papers
light · growth · Taxus baccata (English yew)Positive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
light · molecular: metabolites · Taxus baccata (English yew)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- no effect
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.