Increasing DLI through photoperiod: a strategy for optimizing functional quality and yield in hydroponic lettuce
6 affiliations
- 1Centro de Estudios de Postcosecha, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, La Pintana, Santiago, 8820808, Chile
- 2Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- 3Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), Centro Regional La Platina, Santiago, 8831314, Chile
- 4Departamento de Nutrición, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, 8380453, Chile
- 5College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China
- 6Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu National Agricultural Science and Technology Center, 610000, China
Abstract
In vertical farming, photoperiod management is a decisive tool for modulating plant growth and phytochemical composition to optimize energy use. This study evaluated the impact of four Daily Light Integrals (DLI: 7.2, 10.8, 14.4, and 21.6 mol m⁻² d⁻¹), delivered through photoperiod extension (8, 12, 16, and 24 h, respectively) at a constant photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), on lettuce cultivars ‘Carmolí’ (CM: red) and ‘Levistro’ (LV: green) across three phenological stages: seedling (SD-0), juvenile (JV-15), and adult (AD-30). Measured parameters included biomass, photosynthetic efficiency (Y(II); Fv/Fm), bioactive compounds, and enzymatic activity. Independent stage analyses revealed that light availability significantly modulated crop performance across different developmental windows. A medium-high DLI (14.4 mol m -2 d -1 ) maximized fresh weight, leaf area, and texture in both cultivars, with the most pronounced differences observed at the mature adult stage. At the initial SD-0 stage, the restrictive 7.2 mol m -2 d -1 DLI treatment maximized total flavonoid content (1251.58 mg RE 100 g -1 FW) and DPPH antioxidant capacity (11.59 µmol TE g -1 FW) in CM, suggesting options for early-stage operational energy savings. Conversely, LV reached its highest initial antioxidant capacity under continuous light (21.6 mol m -2 d -1 ) and exhibited peak peroxidase activity (89.38 µmol g -1 min -1 FW) at the intermediate JV-15 stage. By the final harvest phase (AD-30), the continuous 21.6 mol m -2 d -1 treatment proved most effective at retaining bioactive compounds against the natural ontogenetic decline observed during late vegetative development. This research demonstrates that metabolic requirements vary by stage and genotype, providing the physiological basis to transition from static photoperiods to adaptive, stage-specific lighting strategies in controlled-environment agriculture.
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BibTeX
@article{delgadillo2026increasing,
title = {{Increasing DLI through photoperiod: a strategy for optimizing functional quality and yield in hydroponic lettuce}},
author = {Dakary Delgadillo and Javiera Vargas and Violeta Muñoz and Ana Valeria González and María José Guevara and Cristian Hernández-Adasme and Rodrigo Neira-Ojeda and Carolina Salazar‐Parra and Andrés Bustamante and Bo Sun and Xiao Yang and Victor Hugo Escalona},
journal = {Scientia Horticulturae},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1016/j.scienta.2026.114971},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2026.114971},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Increasing DLI through photoperiod: a strategy for optimizing functional quality and yield in hydroponic lettuce
AU - Dakary Delgadillo
AU - Javiera Vargas
AU - Violeta Muñoz
AU - Ana Valeria González
AU - María José Guevara
AU - Cristian Hernández-Adasme
AU - Rodrigo Neira-Ojeda
AU - Carolina Salazar‐Parra
AU - Andrés Bustamante
AU - Bo Sun
AU - Xiao Yang
AU - Victor Hugo Escalona
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientia Horticulturae
DO - 10.1016/j.scienta.2026.114971
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2026.114971
AB - In vertical farming, photoperiod management is a decisive tool for modulating plant growth and phytochemical composition to optimize energy use. This study evaluated the impact of four Daily Light Integrals (DLI: 7.2, 10.8, 14.4, and 21.6 mol m⁻² d⁻¹), delivered through photoperiod extension (8, 12, 16, and 24 h, respectively) at a constant photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), on lettuce cultivars ‘Carmolí’ (CM: red) and ‘Levistro’ (LV: green) across three phenological stages: seedling (SD-0), juvenile (JV-15), and adult (AD-30). Measured parameters included biomass, photosynthetic efficiency (Y(II); Fv/Fm), bioactive compounds, and enzymatic activity. Independent stage analyses revealed that light availability significantly modulated crop performance across different developmental windows. A medium-high DLI (14.4 mol m -2 d -1 ) maximized fresh weight, leaf area, and texture in both cultivars, with the most pronounced differences observed at the mature adult stage. At the initial SD-0 stage, the restrictive 7.2 mol m -2 d -1 DLI treatment maximized total flavonoid content (1251.58 mg RE 100 g -1 FW) and DPPH antioxidant capacity (11.59 µmol TE g -1 FW) in CM, suggesting options for early-stage operational energy savings. Conversely, LV reached its highest initial antioxidant capacity under continuous light (21.6 mol m -2 d -1 ) and exhibited peak peroxidase activity (89.38 µmol g -1 min -1 FW) at the intermediate JV-15 stage. By the final harvest phase (AD-30), the continuous 21.6 mol m -2 d -1 treatment proved most effective at retaining bioactive compounds against the natural ontogenetic decline observed during late vegetative development. This research demonstrates that metabolic requirements vary by stage and genotype, providing the physiological basis to transition from static photoperiods to adaptive, stage-specific lighting strategies in controlled-environment agriculture.
SN - 0304-4238
SN - 1879-1018
ER -