Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) seedlings formation under different intensities of violet, blue and red LED light

Introduction. Seedlings formation under controlled conditions is essential for growing species of importance as strawberry. Since the artificial LED lighting technologic has allowed greater control of light, the variation of components such as the wavelength and intensity can be manipulated to form seedlings with different characteristics. However, it is necessary to generate original scientific information for the development of precise and efficient practices on light control. Objective. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the strawberry seedlings formation under different intensities of violet, blue and red LED light. Material and methods. The study was performed in 2020 at the Plant Genetics Laboratory of the Agronomy Department of the Universidad de Guanajuato, in the municipality of Irapuato, in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. Seeds were recovered from San Andreas cultivar fruits and seedlings were formed under violet, blue and red LED light at high, medium, and low intensities. Color determination of cotiledon area, chroma saturation index and Hue angle were performed. Physiotechnical variables, chemical and antioxidant activity were measured. Results. The most suitable treatments were violet light of high and medium intensities; as well as blue light of high intensity, due to the germination percentage exceeded at least 60 %. Seedlings did not lengthen or thin, presented the largest cotyledons areas and the highest chlorophyll concentrations. In addition, these light treatments consumed 31.2 % less electrical energy on average. Conclusions. Besides the white light, the most suitable treatments for strawberry seedlings formation were violet light at high and medium intensities, as well as blue light at high intensity. It is suggested that the violet and blue light treatments be evaluated in other cultivars to confirm the beneficial effect on the strawberry seedlings. Red light limited germination and the highest antioxidant activity was observed in this treatment.