Vol. 39 No. 1 (2025)
Articles

Continuous lighting improves the leaf quality of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) grown in a controlled environment

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  • M. Puccinelli,
  • R. Maggini,
  • A. Pardossi,
  • L. Incrocci
M. Puccinelli
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
R. Maggini
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
A. Pardossi
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
L. Incrocci
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/ahsc-16590
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Published 2025-05-28

How to Cite

Puccinelli, M., Maggini, R., Pardossi, A., & Incrocci, L. (2025). Continuous lighting improves the leaf quality of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) grown in a controlled environment. Advances in Horticultural Science, 39(1), 21–30. https://doi.org/10.36253/ahsc-16590

Copyright (c) 2025 Martina Puccinelli, Rita Maggini, Alberto Pardossi, Luca Incrocci

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

In vertical farms, continuous lighting (CL) with lower light intensity (photosynthetic photon flux density, PPFD) is a method to reduce the investment costs for the lighting system. Continuous lighting has both negative and positive effects on crop performance, depending on the plant species. In this study, we investigated the effect of CL on plant growth and leaf quality in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L. cv. Tigullio) cultivated in a growth chamber with light emitting diode (LED) light (R:B:G=3:1:1). Basil plants were grown hydroponically for 14 days with a photoperiod of 16 h d-1 (control) or 24 h d-1 with a PPFD of 220 or 147 µmol m-2 s-1, respectively. The daily light integral was 12.7 mol m-2 d-1 in both treatments. Plant growth was not significantly affected by the light regime. Compared with the control, CL increased the leaf antioxidant capacity and concentration of total chlorophylls, flavonoids and phenols, and reduced the nitrate level. Continuous lighting would slightly increase or decrease electricity costs compared to 16-hour illumination, depending on the daily schedule of the standard lighting regime.

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