Light downconversion films can modulate incident light wavebands on crops, converting less utilised wavebands in an efficient way. In this experiment, red (conversion of green into red light wavebands), pink (conversion of UV and green into blue and red light but to a smaller degree than red film), and blue (conversion of UV into blue light) light downconversion films were used to cover blackberry plants throughout all phenological stages (from leaf emergence to fruit harvesting). The plants’ physiological and biometric performance, and fruit yield and quality were evaluated. Plants under blue and red films showed a higher net photosynthetic rate with +23.1% and +14.9%, respectively, and a higher stomatal conductance with +56.0% and +23.6%, respectively, with respect to controls, maintaining stability across stages, except for a decrease under the red film during fruiting. Both films significantly boosted the fruit yield, with the red film increasing the fruit number (+49.8%) and the blue film enhancing the berry shape (+10.7) and fresh weight (+36.6). Notably, no significant differences in nutraceutical quality, including total flavonoid and anthocyanin content, were observed. These findings suggest that light downconversion films, particularly red and blue films, can effectively enhance the photosynthetic performance and fruit production in blackberry plants without compromising the fruit quality. Future research on this topic should focus on balancing plant growth, fruit productivity, and enhancing fruit nutraceutical properties.

Blue and Red Light Downconversion Film Application Enhances Plant Photosynthetic Performance and Fruit Productivity of Rubus fruticosus L. var. Loch Ness

El Horri, Hafsa
Co-primo
;
Vitiello, Maria
Co-primo
;
Braca, Alessandra;De Leo, Marinella;Guidi, Lucia;Landi, Marco;Lauria, Giulia;Lo Piccolo, Ermes
;
Massai, Rossano;Remorini, Damiano
Penultimo
;
Ceccanti, Costanza
Ultimo
2024-01-01

Abstract

Light downconversion films can modulate incident light wavebands on crops, converting less utilised wavebands in an efficient way. In this experiment, red (conversion of green into red light wavebands), pink (conversion of UV and green into blue and red light but to a smaller degree than red film), and blue (conversion of UV into blue light) light downconversion films were used to cover blackberry plants throughout all phenological stages (from leaf emergence to fruit harvesting). The plants’ physiological and biometric performance, and fruit yield and quality were evaluated. Plants under blue and red films showed a higher net photosynthetic rate with +23.1% and +14.9%, respectively, and a higher stomatal conductance with +56.0% and +23.6%, respectively, with respect to controls, maintaining stability across stages, except for a decrease under the red film during fruiting. Both films significantly boosted the fruit yield, with the red film increasing the fruit number (+49.8%) and the blue film enhancing the berry shape (+10.7) and fresh weight (+36.6). Notably, no significant differences in nutraceutical quality, including total flavonoid and anthocyanin content, were observed. These findings suggest that light downconversion films, particularly red and blue films, can effectively enhance the photosynthetic performance and fruit production in blackberry plants without compromising the fruit quality. Future research on this topic should focus on balancing plant growth, fruit productivity, and enhancing fruit nutraceutical properties.
2024
El Horri, Hafsa; Vitiello, Maria; Braca, Alessandra; De Leo, Marinella; Guidi, Lucia; Landi, Marco; Lauria, Giulia; Lo Piccolo, Ermes; Massai, Rossano...espandi
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/1278747
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 0
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 0
social impact