Shaping Kale Morphology and Physiology Using Different LED Light Recipes

Abstract

In the evolving landscape of horticultural science, light emitting diodes (LEDs) present an innovative opportunity for manipulating plant growth and development. Light serves as a fundamental energy source and an environmental cue for plant life, providing us an ability to control essential plant traits through the precise manipulation of light intensity and quality. In this study, we assess the effects of light intensity and spectral composition on the growth and physiology of a horticulturally significant model plant: Kale (Brassica oleracea). Selected for its phenotypic plasticity and nutritional composition, kale is a crop well-suited for indoor cultivation using LEDs. Here, we employ a combination of advanced phenotyping, computer vision, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based quantitative proteomics to characterize the molecular changes that underpin light-dictated differences in the growth and metabolism of two different kale cultivars under different light intensity and spectral composition scenarios. Our results not only offer a key resource to the plant community, but also demonstrate the translational potential of light manipulation in tailoring kale growth and nutritional content for enhanced crop productivity and/or nutritional content, while simultaneously offering a more cost-effective solution for contemporary agricultural challenges.