The aim of this study is to present the light emitting diode (LED) technology for greenhouse plant lighting and to give an overview about LED light effects on photosynthetic indices, growth, yield and nutritional value in green vegetables and tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper transplants. The sole LED lighting, applied in closed growth chambers, as well as combinations of LED wavelengths with conventional light sources, fluorescent and high pressure sodium lamp light, and natural illumination in greenhouses are overviewed. Red and blue light are basal in the lighting spectra for green vegetables and tomato, cucumber, and pepper transplants; far red light, important for photomorphogenetic processes in plants also results in growth promotion. However, theoretically unprofitable spectral parts as green or yellow also have significant physiological effects on investigated plants. Presented results disclose the variability of light spectral effects on different plant species and different physiological indices.

This study examines the effect of irradiance level produced by solid-state light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the growth, nutritional quality and antioxidant properties of Brassicaceae family microgreens. Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes, ‘Delicacy Purple’) mustard (Brassica juncea L., ‘Red Lion’), red pak choi (Brassica rapa var. chinensis, ‘Rubi F1’) and tatsoi (Brassica rapa var. rosularis) were grown using peat substrate in controlled-environment chambers until harvest time (10 days, 21/17°C, 16 h). A system of five lighting modules with 455, 638, 665 and 731 nm LEDs at a total photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD) of 545, 440, 330, 220 and 110 µmol m−2s−1 respectively were used. Insufficient levels of photosynthetically active photon flux (110 µmol m−2 s−1) suppressed normal growth and diminished the nutritional value of the Brassica microgreens studied. In general, the most suitable conditions for growth and nutritional quality of the microgreens was 330–440 µmol m−2 s−1 irradiation, which resulted in a larger leaf surface area, lower content of nitrates and higher total anthocyanins, total phenols and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free-radical scavenging capacity. High light levels (545 µmol m−2 s−1), which was expected to induce mild photostress, had no significant positive impact for most of investigated parameters.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of 638-nm and 665-nm LEDs on changes of antioxidants of basil (Ocimum basilicum) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum), and to assess the effect of light quality on antioxidative status. Plants were grown in peat substrate for 19 days (21/17 ±2°C, 16 h). Experiments were performed in (I) a controlled-environment: B₄₅₅,R₆₃₈,R₆₆₅,FR₇₃₁(control); B₄₅₅,R*₆₃₈,R₆₆₅,FR₇₃₁; B₄₅₅,R₆₃₈,R*₆₆₅,FR₇₃₁; R₆₃₈; R₆₆₅ (B–blue, R- red, FR–far-red light). PPFD was set from 231 during growth, upto 300 μmol m^-2 s^-1 during 3-day treatment changing R₆₃₈ or R₆₆₅ PPFD level; in (II) greenhouse (November): high-pressure sodium lamps (HPS) (control—300 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹); and HPS + 638 (HPS generated 90 and red LEDs—210 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹). In general, under supplemental or increased red 638 nm light, amounts of tested antioxidants were greater in basil, whereas sole 665 nm or sole 638 nm is more favourable for parsley. Increased or supplemental red light significantly increased contents of phenolics, α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and DPPH^• but suppressed accumulation of lutein and β-carotene in basil, whereas an increase of β-carotene and DPPH^• was observed in parsley. Hereby, the photoresponse of antioxidant compounds suggests that photoprotective mechanism is stimulated by both light-dose-dependent and wavelength-dependent reactions.