• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.54-63
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• 2018

Red and blue lights are effective wavelengths for photosynthesis in plants. In this study, we determined the effects of various combined ratios of red to blue LEDs on the quality of cherry tomato seedlings prior to transplantation, and their subsequent effects on the yield and quality of tomato fruits after transplanting. Two-week-old cherry tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum cv. 'Cuty') were cultivated under various combined ratios of red (R; peak wavelength 655 nm) to blue (B; 456 nm) LEDs [red:blue = 41:59 (59B), 53:47 (47B), 65:35 (35B), 74:26 (26B), 87:13 (13B), or 100:0 (0B)] and fluorescent lamps and raised for 27 days. The cherry tomato seedlings were subsequently transplanted into a venlo-type greenhouse and cultivated for 75 days. At the seedling stage, the shoot fresh weight of seedlings in all RB combined treatments, except 0B and 59B, was higher than that of the control after 27 days of LED treatment. Shoot dry weight and leaf area also showed trends similar to that of shoot fresh weight. The stem length was significantly higher in 13B, 26B, and 35B treatments compared with the control and other treatments. In particular, the stem length of 26B plants was approximately 3.2 times longer than that of 59B plants. At 37 days after transplanting, the number of nodes was significantly higher in 26B and 47B plants, and the plant height of 26B plants was significantly higher than that of control and 59B plants. Total fruit yield in 26B plants, which was the highest, was approximately 1.6 and 1.8 times higher than that in control and 59B plants, respectively. Thus, the results of this study indicate that various combined ratios of red to blue LEDs directly affected to the growth of cherry tomato seedlings and may also affect parameters of reproductive growth such as fruit yield after transplantation.