Recently, the so-called “plant factory with artificial lighting” (PFAL) approach has been developed to provide safe and steady food production. Although PFALs can produce high-yielding and high-quality plants, the high plant density in these systems accelerates leaf senescence in the bottom (or outer) leaves owing to shading by the upper (or inner) leaves and by neighboring plants. This decreases yield and increases labor costs for trimming. Thus, the establishment of cultivation methods to retard senescence of outer leaves is an important research goal to improve PFAL yield and profitability. In the present study, we developed an LED lighting apparatus that would optimize light conditions for PFAL cultivation of a leafy vegetable. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) was hydroponically grown under white, red, or blue LEDs, with light provided from above (downward), with or without supplemental upward lighting from underneath the plant. White LEDs proved more appropriate for lettuce growth than red or blue LEDs, and the supplemental lighting retarded the senescence of outer leaves and decreased waste (i.e., dead or low-quality senescent leaves), leading to an improvement of the marketable leaf fresh weight.

“Plant factory with artificial lighting” (PFAL) refers to a plant production facility that can achieve mass production of vegetables year round in a controlled environment. However, the high-density planting pattern in PFALs causes low light conditions in the lower canopy, leading to leaf senescence in the outer leaves and thus to reductions in plant yields. In the present study, the effect of supplemental upward lighting underneath the plants on photosynthetic characteristics and plant yield was examined in lettuce, in comparison with supplemental downward lighting from above the plants at the same light intensity. Supplemental upward lighting increased the curvature factor of the photosynthetic response to light from above the plants. Moreover, supplemental upward lighting significantly enhanced the lettuce yield by retarding the senescence of the outer leaves. Here, we propose a novel cultivation system with a combination of downward lighting and supplemental upward lighting that can effectively increase plant growth and yield in PFALs.