Abstract:
Elevated ambient temperatures and increased solar radiation have resulted led to rapid
wilting and death of terrestrial plants. This environmental stress has particularly
affected lettuce (Lactuca sativa), a crop with significant commercial potential and
market demand. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different light qualities on
lettuce growth using two types of vertical drip fertigation systems: an automated system
and a homemade system. The experiment utilized three lettuce varieties: 'Green coral',
'Crysta|', and 'Red coral' under two distinct lighting treatments. The experimental
design was a completely randomized design with three treatments, each replicated five
times. The treatments were: T1 (ControI), T2 (Horizontal LED Lighting), and T3
(Angled LED Lighting). Significant findings were observed for the 'Green coral'
variety, which showed a statistically significant increase in plant height under the
horizontal LED lighting treatment (0.018) The 'Crystal' variety, a significant difference
was noted in wet weight under Treatment 2 (0.031), where horizontal LED lighting
resulted in a markedly higher yield compared to the control and angled lighting setups.
The 'Green coral' variety exhibited a significant increase in the number of leaves under
the horizontal LED lighting after the third week of transplanting (P < 0.05). The 'Red
coral' variety, significant differences in plant height were observed three weeks after
transplantation (P < 0.05), with Treatment 2 showing substantial increases. The
significance persisted into the fourth week (P <0.05), although the effect of increased
LED illumination was not linear. The data suggests that two LED light strips provide
optimal lighting conditions for promoting long-term growth in 'Red coral' lettuce. The
results suggest that optimizingLBD light configurations can significantly enhance both
vegetative and yield traits of lettuce plants
