Vegetative Growth Characteristics of Phalaenopsis and Doritaenopsis Plants under Different Artificial Lighting Sources

This study was conducted to determine the effects of artificial lighting sources on vegetative growth of Phalaenopsis and Doritaenopsis (an intergeneric hybrid of Doritis and Phalaenopsis) orchids. One - month - old plants were cultivated under fluorescent lamps, cool-white light emitting diodes (LEDs), or warm-white LEDs at 80 and 160 mu mol . m(-2) . s(-1). The blue (400 -500 nm) : green (500-600 nm) : red (600-700 nm) : far -red (700-800 nm) ratios of the fluorescent lamps, cool-white LEDs, and warm-white LEDs were 1 : 1.3 : 0.8 : 0.1, 1 : 1.3 : 0.6 : 0.1, and 1 : 2.7 : 2.3 : 0.4, respectively. Each light treatment was maintained for 16 weeks in a closed plant-production system maintained at 28 degrees C with a 12 h photoperiod. The longest leaf span, as well as the leaf length and width of the uppermost mature leaf, were observed in plants treated with warm-white LEDs. Plants grown under fluorescent lamps had longer and wider leaves with a greater leaf span than plants grown under cool-white LEDs, while the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II was higher under cool-white LEDs. The vegetative responses affected by different lighting sources were similar at both 80 and 160 mu mol . m(-2) . s(-1). Leaf span and root biomass were increased by the higher light intensity in both cultivars, while the relative chlorophyll content was decreased. These results indicate that relatively high intensity light can promote vegetative growth of young Phalaenopsis plants, and that warm-white LEDs, which contain a high red-light ratio, are a better lighting source for the growth of these plants than the cool-white LEDs or fluorescent lamps. These results could therefore be useful in the selection of artificial lighting to maximize vegetative growth of Phalaenopsis plants in a closed plant-production system.