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Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is a perennial aquatic plant of the Brassicacea that contains a large amount of glucosinolates, which act as a natural antioxidant in the human body with anticancer activity and an ability to reduce active oxygen that attacks DNA. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of blue light with red backlight conditions on growth and glucosinolates contents of watercress. Watercress seeds were sown on soil and seedling were grown for 2 weeks.

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Hemp (Cannabis sativa) has gained global attention since being legalized in the USA in 2018. The legalization of hemp is also underway in Korea; however, it requires facility cultivation and an agricultural technological system that can produce high-quality plants. This study investigated the changes in the growth and secondary metabolite content of female hemp following treatment with the plant growth retardant diniconazole (DIN). Treatment with DIN decreased the plant growth rate with increasing concentrations; however, at a concentration of 25 mg∙L−1, it increased inflorescence biomass and apical inflorescence size. The high-performance liquid chromatograph analysis of major cannabinoids showed no statistically significant differences in total cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) contents among the treatment groups (25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg∙L−1). However, the calculated production of CBD and THC per plant was significantly highest at DIN 25 mg∙L−1. Overall, at a concentration of 25 mg∙L−1, DIN treatment not only decreased the height of female hemp but also enhanced the production of female hemp inflorescences as well as major cannabinoids (CBD and Δ9-THC). Our results indicate that at a concentration of 25 mg∙L−1, DIN is suitable for use in a vertical farming system. However, the Δ9-THC content needs to meet the 0.3% standard for industrial use. These findings can be applied in various fields that use hemp.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of each light intensity and photoperiod combination on the growth and glucosinolates (GSLs) content of three species of Brassicaceae plants under the same daily light integral (DLI) conditions. Seeds of leaf mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.), red mustard(Brassica juncea L.) and kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala (DC.) Alef.) were sown in a rockwool cubes and grown for three weeks. DLI was set to 10 mol•m -2 •d -1 and treated with 10h-280, 14h-200, 18h-155, 22h-127 µmol•m -2 •s -1 for three weeks. As a result at 14h-200 µmol•m -2 •s -1 treatment, shoot fresh/dry weight, the number of leaves, and leaf area were increased in leaf mustard and kale but there was no significant difference in other treatments. In the total GSLs content, the treatment of 14h-200 µmol•m -2 •s -1 increased significantly 139.95, 135.87, 154.03% compared to 10h-280, 18h-155, 22h-127 µmol•m -2 •s -1 treatment in red mustard, and 14h-200 µmol•m -2 •s -1 treatment increased significantly 132.96, 132.96, 134.03% compared to other treatments in kale. In red mustard, the treatment of 18h-155 µmol•m -2 •s -1 showed an increase in shoot fresh/dry weight and the total GSLs contents than other photoperiods and 14h-200 µmol•m -2 •s -1 treatment, the number of leaves significantly 15.62, 12.12, and 32.14% higher than other photoperiods. Since the DLI response is different depending on species even for similar Brassicaceae crops, it is necessary to get more detailed results by conducting optical light quality studies and deriving optimal DLI conditions to achieve minimum power consumption and maximum efficiency.