Enhancement of Growth and Development of Tomato Seedlings by Extending the Light Period Each Day

Abstract

The light and dark periods can be easily controlled by the use of artificial lighting. To understand the effects of alternation of light and dark periods on plant growth and development, we studied the growth and development of tomato (`Momotaro') seedlings under nonperiodic alternation of light and dark periods. Tomato seedlings grown under two nonperiodic alternation treatments of NF (NF-1 and NF-2) were compared with seedlings grown under a periodic alternation treatment (P treatment) with 12-hour light and dark periods. In all treatments, photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) during the light period was maintained at 280 μmol·m-2·s-1; the sum of each light period and the following dark period was 24 hours; and each of the integrated light and dark periods was 132 hours during 11 days of the experiment. In NF-1, the initial light and dark periods were 7 and 17 hours, respectively, and the light period was extended 1 hour per day, while in NF-2, they were initially 17 and 7 hours, respectively, and the light period was shortened 1 hour per day. At the end of the experiment, dry weight per seedling was greater and flower-bud initiation of the first flower truss was earlier in NF-1 than in NF-2 and P, even though the integrated PPF during the experiment was the same in all treatments. These results demonstrate that growth and development of tomato seedlings can be enhanced without any increase in electric energy consumption for lighting by gradually extending the light period or shortening the dark period.