Proposed Light Wavelengths during Healing of Grafted Tomato Seedlings Enhance Their Adaptation to Transplant Shock

Christos Melissas, Filippos Bantis, Christodoulos Dangitsis, Stefanos Kostas and Athanasios Koukounaras
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Christos Melissas: Department of Horticulture, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Filippos Bantis: Department of Horticulture, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Christodoulos Dangitsis: Agris S.A., Kleidi, 59300 Imathia, Greece
Stefanos Kostas: Department of Horticulture, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Athanasios Koukounaras: Department of Horticulture, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Tomato, which is mainly established with grafted seedlings, is one of the most popular vegetables worldwide with a high nutritional value,. Market demand for grafted seedlings is high in specific seasons; thus, commercial nurseries face a problem of limited space availability during the healing stage. Light quality is an essential parameter during healing that can adjust seedling development towards desirable traits and lead to time and space saving during seedling production. Moreover, transplant shock constitutes another challenge that could limit crop yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the overall quality of grafted tomato seedlings and their potential adjustment to transplant shock as affected by different light spectra during healing in a chamber. Evaluations were conducted immediately after exiting the healing chamber and after transplantation into pots. Light wavelengths were used from fluorescent lamps (FL) or light-emitting diodes with red (R), blue (B), red–blue combinations with 12 and 24% blue (12B and 24B), and white (W) emitting 11% blue. W enhanced the dry shoot biomass and the root architecture before and after transplantation. 24B led to an increased stem diameter, root development, and phenolic and antioxidant accumulation at both phases of the experiment. 12B enhanced the leaf area before transplantation and root development after transplantation. FL, R and B induced inferior seedling growth compared to the red–blue-containing LEDs, with B performing poorly in almost all tested parameters. Overall, red, including 11–24% blue, provides the optimum light conditions during the healing stage for the production of high-quality grafted tomato seedlings, with advanced capabilities of abiotic stress adaptation to transplant shock.

Keywords: Solanum lycopersicon L.; scion; rootstock; light-emitting diodes; light quality; nursery; growth chamber; photomorphogenesis; root system architecture; antioxidant activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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