Abstract
BACKGROUND: Preharvest light management is increasingly used to enhance yield and fruit quality in soilless systems, yet its effects on unripe melon fruits remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the impact of supplemental red-blue light-emitting diode (LED) lighting applied during cultivation in a closed-cycle hydroponic system on productivity, mineral composition and postharvest behaviour (4 °C for up to 17 days) of the Apulian melon landrace 'Scopatizzo' (Cucumis melo L.), consumed as an unripe fruit alternative to cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). RESULTS: Principal component analysis highlighted a clear separation between cucumber and 'Scopatizzo' samples. In 'Scopatizzo', LED supplementation increased fruit number per plant by approximately 29% (14 versus 11 fruits per plant) without affecting fruit mineral composition at harvest. During cold storage, LED-grown fruits maintained approximately 18% higher firmness at the end of storage than control fruits. Variations in moisture content, pH and titratable acidity were mainly driven by storage time and were unaffected by the light regime. LED-grown fruits showed up to 12% higher chlorophyll and 28% higher glucose concentrations at harvest than controls, whereas total phenolics and carotenoids increased during storage in both treatments (+80% and +22%, respectively), indicating a predominant effect of cold-induced metabolic responses during postharvest. CONCLUSION: Preharvest LED lighting enhanced productivity and improved specific postharvest quality traits of 'Scopatizzo' without altering its mineral profile, supporting the integration of light management and soilless cultivation to valorise melon landraces and extend their marketability as fresh, whole-edible products. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
PCA separated cucumber and Scopatizzo samples.
- Taxon
- melon
.jpg?width=60)
Cucumis melot0 - Material
- Scopatizzoe0
- Outcome
- clear separation between cucumber and 'Scopatizzo' samplese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Principal component analysis highlighted a clear separation between cucumber and 'Scopatizzo' samples”
t0“melon”
Claim · model-written summary
LED supplementation increased fruit number per plant by about 29%, from 11 to 14.
- Taxon
- melonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- LED supplementatione0
- Outcome
- fruit number per plante0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- approximately 29%e0
- Qualifier
- 14 versus 11 fruits per plante0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“LED supplementation increased fruit number per plant by approximately 29% (14 versus 11 fruits per plant)”
t0“melon”
Claim · model-written summary
LED supplementation did not affect fruit mineral composition at harvest.
- Taxon
- melonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- LED supplementatione1
- Outcome
- fruit mineral composition at harveste0
- Direction
- without affectinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“without affecting fruit mineral composition at harvest”
e1“LED supplementation increased fruit number per plant by approximately 29% (14 versus 11 fruits per plant) without affecting fruit mineral composition at harvest”
t0“melon”
Claim · model-written summary
LED-grown fruits retained about 18% greater firmness at the end of cold storage.
- Taxon
- melonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- LED-growne0
- Outcome
- firmnesse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- approximately 18%e0
- Qualifier
- at the end of storagee0
- Comparator
- control fruitse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“LED-grown fruits maintained approximately 18% higher firmness at the end of storage than control fruits”
t0“melon”
Claim · model-written summary
Moisture, pH and acidity varied mainly with storage time and were unaffected by light regime.
- Taxon
- melonCucumis melot0
- Outcome
- moisture content, pH and titratable aciditye0
- Setting
- storage timee0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Variations in moisture content, pH and titratable acidity were mainly driven by storage time and were unaffected by the light regime”
t0“melon”
Claim · model-written summary
LED-grown fruit had up to 12% higher chlorophyll at harvest.
- Taxon
- melonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- LED-growne0
- Outcome
- chlorophylle0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- up to 12%e0
- Comparator
- controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“LED-grown fruits showed up to 12% higher chlorophyll and 28% higher glucose concentrations at harvest than controls”
t0“melon”
Claim · model-written summary
LED-grown fruit had 28% higher glucose at harvest.
- Taxon
- melonCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- LED-growne0
- Outcome
- glucose concentrationse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 28%e0
- Comparator
- controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“LED-grown fruits showed up to 12% higher chlorophyll and 28% higher glucose concentrations at harvest than controls”
t0“melon”
Claim · model-written summary
Total phenolics increased 80% during storage in both treatments.
- Taxon
- melonCucumis melot0
- Outcome
- total phenolicse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- +80%e0
- Qualifier
- during storage in both treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“total phenolics and carotenoids increased during storage in both treatments (+80% and +22%, respectively)”
t0“melon”
Claim · model-written summary
Carotenoids increased 22% during storage in both treatments.
- Taxon
- melonCucumis melot0
- Outcome
- carotenoidse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- +22%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“total phenolics and carotenoids increased during storage in both treatments (+80% and +22%, respectively)”
t0“melon”
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2 papers in the same direction as this paper
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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.