Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

An optimization model of light intensity and nitrogen concentration coupled with yield and quality

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Plant Growth Regulation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The nitrogen content of nutrient solution and light intensity are two crucial factors affecting the yield and quality of controlled environment hydroponic vegetables. In this study, Purple Bok Choy (Brassica rapa var. Chinensis) was evaluated in a two-factor experiment with five levels of light intensity and five levels of nitrogen concentration. The plants were harvested on the 35th day after planting and different parameters such as shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, anthocyanin, and soluble sugar were measured as representatives of yield and quality. This paper investigated the effects of different light/nitrogen combinations on the yield and quality of Purple Bok Choy, and established an optimal model coupled with yield and quality indicators. The result reveals that the light intensity and nitrogen concentration have a strong synergistic interaction on shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, anthocyanin, and soluble sugar of Purple Bok Choy. A combination of light/nitrogen could be found to achieve the common improvement for the indicators with a similar change trend. This work gives valuable insights into the combinational regulation of nitrogen concentration and light intensity and provides a new idea for the comprehensive improvement of production yield and quality.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albert NW, Lewis DH, Zhang H, Irving LJ, Jameson PE, Davies KM (2009) Light-induced vegetative anthocyanin pigmentation in Petunia. J Exp Bot 60(7):2191–2202

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Alexander M, Ute H (2015) COP1/SPA ubiquitin ligase complexes repress anthocyanin accumulation under low light and high light conditions. Plant Signal Behav 10(1):e970440

    Google Scholar 

  • Arumugam M, Agarwal A, Arya MC, Ahmed Z (2013) Influence of nitrogen sources on biomass productivity of microalgae Scenedesmus bijugatus. Bioresour Technol 131:246–249

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bosančić B, Mićić N, Blanke M, Pecina M (2018) A main effects meta principal components analysis of netting effects on fruit: using apple as a model crop. Plant Growth Regul 86(3):455–464

    Google Scholar 

  • Boussadia O, Steppe K, Zgallai H, El Hadj SB, Braham M, Lemeur R, Van Labeke MC (2010) Effects of nitrogen deficiency on leaf photosynthesis, carbohydrate status and biomass production in two olive cultivars ‘Meski’and ‘Koroneiki’. Sci Hortic 123(3):336–342

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen BH, Gao QL, Duan AW, Wang GY (2007) Coupling effect of water and fertilizer on tomato yield and nitrate content. J Henan Agric Sci 5:87–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Cocetta G, Casciani D, Bulgari R, Musante F, Kołton A, Rossi M et al (2017) Light use efficiency for vegetables production in protected and indoor environments. Eur Phys J Plus 132(1):43

    Google Scholar 

  • Colla G, Kim H, Kyriacou MC, Rouphael Y (2018) Nitrate in fruits and vegetables. Sci Hortic 237:221–238

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dapoigny L, De Tourdonnet S, Roger-Estrade J, Jeuffroy MH, Fleury A (2000) Effect of nitrogen nutrition on growth and nitrate accumulation in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), under various conditions of radiation and temperature. Agronomie. https://doi.org/10.1051/agro:2000162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demsar J, Osvald J, Vodnik D (2004) The effect of light-dependent application of nitrate on the growth of aeroponically grown lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). J Am Soc Hortic Sci 129(4):570–575

    Google Scholar 

  • Erwin J, Gesick E (2017) Photosynthetic responses of Swiss chard, kale, and spinach cultivars to irradiance and carbon dioxide concentration. HortScience 52(5):706–712

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fan S, Zhu J, Tian W, Guan M, Fang X, Jin C (2017) Effects of split applications of nitrogen fertilizers on the Cd level and nutritional quality of Chinese cabbage. J Zhejiang Univ-Sci B 18(10):897–905

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fu Y, Li H, Yu J, Liu H, Cao Z, Manukovsky NS et al (2017) Interaction effects of light intensity and nitrogen concentration on growth, photosynthetic characteristics and quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. Var. youmaicai). Sci Hortic 214:51–57

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gould KS (2004) Nature’s Swiss Army knife: the diverse protective roles of anthocyanins in leaves. J Biomed Biotechnol 2004:314–320

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Guenni OSSFR, Seiter S, Figueroa R (2008) Growth responses of three Brachiaria species to light intensity and nitrogen supply. TG: Trop Grassl 42(2):75

    Google Scholar 

  • Henriques ADP, Marcelis LFM (2000) Regulation of growth at steady-state nitrogen nutrition in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.): interactive effects of nitrogen and irradiance. Ann Bot 86(6):1073–1080

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilbert G, Soyer JP, Molot C, Giraudon J, Milin M, Gaudillere JP (2015) Effects of nitrogen supply on must quality and anthocyanin accumulation in berries of cv. Merlot. VITIS-J Grapevine Res 42(2):69

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiratsu K, Matsui K, Koyama T, Ohme-Takagi M (2003) Dominant repression of target genes by chimeric repressors that include the EAR motif, a repression domain, in Arabidopsis. Plant J 34(5):733–739

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann AM, Noga G, Hunsche M (2016) Alternating high and low intensity of blue light affects PSII photochemistry and raises the contents of carotenoids and anthocyanins in pepper leaves. Plant Growth Regul 79(3):275–285

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu L, Yu J, Liao W, Zhang G, Xie J, Lv J et al (2015) Moderate ammonium:nitrate alleviates low light intensity stress in mini Chinese cabbage seedling by regulating root architecture and photosynthesis. Sci Hortic 186:143–153

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes NM, Neufeld HS, Burkey KO (2005) Functional role of anthocyanins in high-light winter leaves of the evergreen herb Galax urceolata. New Phytol 168(3):575–587

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ilić SZ, Milenković L, Dimitrijević A, Stanojević L, Cvetković D, Kevrešan Ž, Fallik E, Mastilović J (2017) Light modification by color nets improve quality of lettuce from summer production. Sci Hortic 226:389–397

    Google Scholar 

  • Jin X, Yang G, Tan C, Zhao C (2015) Effects of nitrogen stress on the photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, chlorophyll fluorescence, and sugar-nitrogen ratio in corn. Sci Rep 5:9311

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • John E, Esther G (2017) Photosynthetic responses of Swiss Chard, Kale, and Spinach cultivars to irradiance and carbon dioxide concentration. HortScience Horts 52(5):706–712

    Google Scholar 

  • Kataoka K, Sumitomo K, Fudano T, Kawase K (2004) Changes in sugar content of phalaenopsis leaves before floral transition. Scientia Horticulturae (Amsterdam) 102(1):121–132

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keller M, Hrazdina G (1998) Interaction of nitrogen availability during bloom and light intensity during veraison. II. Effects on anthocyanin and phenolic development during grape ripening. Am J Enol Viticult 49(3):341–349

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khan KA, Yan Z, He D (2018) Impact of light intensity and nitrogen of nutrient solution on nitrate content in three lettuce cultivars prior to harvest. J Agric Sci. https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v10n6p99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozai T, Niu G (2016) Chapter 4 - plant factory as a resource-efficient closed plant production system. In: Kozai T, Niu G, Takagaki M (eds) Plant factory. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 69–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozai T, Niu G, Takagaki M (eds) (2019) Plant factory: an indoor vertical farming system for efficient quality food production. Academic press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Kromdijk J, Głowacka K, Leonelli L, Gabilly ST, Iwai M, Niyogi KK et al (2016) Improving photosynthesis and crop productivity by accelerating recovery from photoprotection. Science 354(6314):857

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lassouane N, Aïd F, Lutts S (2016) Drought inhibits early seedling establishment of Parkinsonia aculeata L. under low light intensity: a physiological approach. Plant Growth Regul 80(2):115–126

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lemaire G, Gastal F (2018) Crop responses to nitrogen. In: Meyers RA (ed) Encyclopedia of sustainability science and technology. Springer, New York, pp 1–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Løvdal T, Olsen KM, Slimestad R, Verheul M, Lillo C (2010) Synergetic effects of nitrogen depletion, temperature, and light on the content of phenolic compounds and gene expression in leaves of tomato. Phytochemistry 71(5–6):605–613

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luo J, Li H, Liu T, Polle A, Peng C, Luo Z (2013) Nitrogen metabolism of two contrasting poplar species during acclimation to limiting nitrogen availability. J Exp Bot 64(14):4207–4224

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Martin T, Oswald O, Graham IA (2002) Arabidopsis seedling growth, storage lipid mobilization, and photosynthetic gene expression are regulated by carbon: nitrogen availability. Plant Physiol 128(2):472–481

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Masclaux-Daubresse C (2016) Autophagy controls carbon, nitrogen, and redox homeostasis in plants. Autophagy 12(5):896–897

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mengel K, Kirkby EA, Kosegarten H, Appel T (2001) Principles of plant nutrition.,(Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht, The Netherlands). Principles of plant nutrition. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands

  • Negi S, Barry AN, Friedland N, Sudasinghe N, Subramanian S, Pieris S et al (2015) Impact of nitrogen limitation on biomass, photosynthesis, and lipid accumulation in Chlorella sorokiniana. J Appl Phycol 28(2):1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Niu X, Hu T, Zhang F, Duan A, Zhang J (2019) The root nitrogen uptake response to partial nitrogen stress is related to previous nutritional status. Plant Growth Regul 87(1):55–67

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peng C, Lin Z, Lin G, Chen S (2006) The anti-photooxidation of anthocyanins-rich leaves of a purple rice cultivar. Sci China Series C: Life Sci 49(6):543–551

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Piñero MC, Pérez-Jiménez M, López-Marín J, Varó P, del Amor FM (2018) Differential effect of the nitrogen form on the leaf gas exchange, amino acid composition, and antioxidant response of sweet pepper at elevated CO 2. Plant Growth Regul 86(1):37–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramalho JC, Pons TL, Groeneveld HW, Azinheira HG, Nunes MA (2000) Photosynthetic acclimation to high light conditions in mature leaves of Coffea arabica L.: role of xanthophylls, quenching mechanisms and nitrogen nutrition. Funct Plant Biol 27(1):43–51

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saengtharatip S, Lu N, Takagaki M (2018) Supplemental upward LED lighting for growing romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa) in a plant factory: cost performance by light intensity and different light spectra. Acta Hort 1227:623–630

    Google Scholar 

  • Schiller DV, Marti E, Riera JL, Sabater F (2007) Effects of nutrients and light on periphyton biomass and nitrogen uptake in Mediterranean streams with contrasting land uses. Freshw Biol 52(5):891–906

    Google Scholar 

  • Shengqi S, Zhou Y, Qin JG, Wang W, Yao W, Song L (2012) Physiological responses of Egeriadensa to high ammonium concentration and nitrogen deficiency. Chemosphere 86(5):538–545

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Solovchenko AE, Khozin-Goldberg I, Didi-Cohen S, Cohen Z, Merzlyak MN (2008) Effects of light intensity and nitrogen starvation on growth, total fatty acids and arachidonic acid in the green microalga Parietochloris incisa. J Appl Phycol 20(3):245–251

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stefanelli D, Brady S, Winkler S, Jones RB, Tomkins BT (2010) Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Growth and quality response to applied nitrogen under hydroponic conditions. In Proceedings of the XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on 927, pp 353–359

  • Tian H, Zhang D, Xu C, Wang F, Liu W (2015) Effects of light intensity on growth, immune responses, antioxidant capability and disease resistance of juvenile blunt snout bream Megalobrama amblycephala. Fish Shellfish Immunol 47(2):674–680

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vialet-Chabrand S, Matthews JSA, Simkin AJ, Raines CA, Lawson T (2017) Importance of fluctuations in light on plant photosynthetic acclimation. Plant Physiol 173(4):2163–2179

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss D (2000) Regulation of flower pigmentation and growth: multiple signaling pathways control anthocyanin synthesis in expanding petals. Physiol Plant 110(2):152–157

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu M, Si M, Li X, Song L, Liu J, Zhai R et al (2019) PbCOP1.1 contributes to the negative regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in pear. Plants 8(2):39

    CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Xue J, Gou L, Zhao Y, Yao M, Yao H, Tian J, Zhang W (2016) Effects of light intensity within the canopy on maize lodging. Field Crops Res 188:133–141

    Google Scholar 

  • Yanjie Z, Guoping C, Tingting D, Yu P, Zhiping Z, Shibing T et al (2014) Anthocyanin accumulation and transcriptional regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in purple bok choy (Brassica rapa var. chinensis). J Agric Food Chem 62(51):12366–12376

    Google Scholar 

  • York LM, Galindo-Castañeda T, Schussler JR, Lynch JP (2015) Evolution of US maize (Zea mays L.) root architectural and anatomical phenes over the past 100 years corresponds to increased tolerance of nitrogen stress. J Exp Bot 66(8):2347–2358

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Yu Q, Wang HZ, Li Y, Shao JC, Liang XM, Jeppesen E, Wang HJ (2015) Effects of high nitrogen concentrations on the growth of submersed macrophytes at moderate phosphorus concentrations. Water Res 83:385–395

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang F, Shen J, Li R, Rengel Z, Tang C (2003) Orthogonal polynomial models to describe yield response of rice to nitrogen and phosphorus at different levels of soil fertility. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 65(3):243–251

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Chen G, Dong T, Pan Y, Zhao Z, Tian S, Hu Z (2014) Anthocyanin accumulation and transcriptional regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in purple bok choy (Brassica rapa var. chinensis). J Agric Food Chem 62(51):12366–12376

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou XJ, Liang Y, Chen H, Shen SH, Jing YX (2006) Effects of rhizobia inoculation and nitrogen fertilization on photosynthetic physiology of soybean. Photosynthetica 44(4):530–535

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Y, Huang L, Wei X, Zhou H, Chen X (2017) Physiological, morphological, and anatomical changes in Rhododendron agastum in response to shading. Plant Growth Regul 81(1):23–30

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This work was supported by the Key Research and Development Project of Shandong Province (Grant No. 2019GNC106091) and the National Key Research and Development Program (Grant No. 2016YFD0200600-2016YFD0200602). All of the mentioned support is gratefully acknowledged. Also, thanks for all the help of the teachers and students of the related universities.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Agricultural Informatization Standardization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China

    Xia Hao, Jingdun Jia, Jiaqi Mi, Si Yang, Lihua Zheng, Wanlin Gao & Minjuan Wang

  2. Key Laboratory of Modern Precision Agriculture System Integration Research, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jiaqi Mi, Si Yang & Lihua Zheng

  3. College of Information and Electrical Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China

    Xia Hao, Jiaqi Mi, Si Yang, Abdul Mateen Khattak, Lihua Zheng, Wanlin Gao & Minjuan Wang

  4. College of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong Agriculture and Engineering University, Jinan, 251100, China

    Minjuan Wang

  5. Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan

    Abdul Mateen Khattak

Authors
  1. Xia Hao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jingdun Jia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jiaqi Mi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Si Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Abdul Mateen Khattak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Lihua Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Wanlin Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Minjuan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Minjuan Wang.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 80 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hao, X., Jia, J., Mi, J. et al. An optimization model of light intensity and nitrogen concentration coupled with yield and quality. Plant Growth Regul 92, 319–331 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-020-00641-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-020-00641-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation