Progressive type of controlled environment horticulture, such as plant factories, enables the precise control of cultivation environment parameters. The experiments were performed at the Institute of Horticulture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry in the year of 2017. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different irradiance levels produced by solid state light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on nitrates, nitrites and organic acids contents in tatsoi (Brassica rapa var. rosularis), cultivated in the controlled environment chambers. Plants were cultivated under combinations of red (640, 660 nm), blue (445 nm) and far red (731nm) LEDs at photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) level of 200 µmol mE-2 sE-1. At the pre-harvest stage, PPFD was increased to 300 µmol mE-2 sE-1 by elevating the fluxes of different spectral components for 3 days. The contents of nitrates, nitrites and organic acids were evaluated. The results propose the metabolic interface between nitrates, nitrites and organic acids in green vegetables, sensitive for lighting conditions. The higher intensity of LED light at pre-harvest stage led to decreased contents of nitrates in tatsoi. The increased intensity of blue 455 nm light led to lower contents of nitrates and higher of organic acids in comparison to red 640 nm. In addition, the increased intensity of red 640 nm led to significantly higher (p≤0.05) contents of nitrites. The target management of LED light spectra and intensity at pre-harvest stage could be used to reduced nitrates and increased organic acids in tatsoi.

Plant factories provide possibilities to get optimal yield of green leafy vegetables entire year independent from the season. The technology of light-emitting diode (LEDs) light has become one of the most powerful tools in photophysiological researches of various horticultural plants. In order to manage plant physiology and improve productivity, it is necessary to develop new LEDs technologies in horticulture. The aim of the study was to investigate different lighting intensities and elevated red light (660 nm) effect on tatsoi photosynthetic parameters. All plants were grown under the same light sources where overall photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) varied from 200 to 300 µmol mE-2 sE-1. Three days before harvesting red light intensity (640 and 660 nm) was increased until 132 µmol mE-2 sE-1 and 660 nm until 188 µmol mE-2 sE-1 at 16 hours photoperiod. In the last treatment merely 24 hours photoperiod was applied. The photosynthetic indices in tatsoi were determined by non-destructive methods using LI-6400XT portable photosynthesis system, OS5p fluorometer, DUALEX optical sensor and CID leaf spectrometer. Research was performed in 2017 – 2018 winter season. The obtained data revealed that the total photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) at level of 200 µmol mE-2 sE-1 was sufficient for optimal CO2 assimilation in tatsoi plants. The increased PPFD of LED light at pre-harvest stage resulted in reduced photosynthetic parameters of plants.